neanderthal
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Neanderthal Bones Reveal Presence of Ancient Human Viruses
Neanderthal remains from the Altai Mountains contain human viruses, a team of researchers has found, suggesting that infectious diseases may have been transmitted between anatomically modern humans and our closest (extinct) cousins. The team’s research, posted to the biology research preprint server bioRxiv last month, describes conserved segments of ancient viral genomes the team identified…
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Neanderthal Genes Could Explain Why Some of Us Are Morning People
If you’re irritated by the morning people in your life, you might have Neanderthals to blame for their existence, at least a little bit. New research suggests that our hominin relatives possessed genetic variations that predisposed them to waking up early and that they passed on these genes to our Homo sapiens ancestors through interbreeding.…
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Ancient Human Relative Buried Its Dead and Used Symbols Long Before Us
A team of paleoanthropologists has discovered evidence that the extinct human relative Homo naledi not only intentionally buried their dead, but also used symbols, perhaps for mortuary reasons. The evidence — found in the extensive Rising Star cave system in South Africa where the species was first identified 10 years ago — precedes the oldest…
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54,000-Year-Old Stone Points Are Oldest Signs of Bow and Arrow Use in Europe
Hundreds of stone artifacts and 54,000-year-old human teeth have been found in a rock shelter in the south of France, pushing back evidence for Homo sapiens wielding the bow and arrow in Europe by 10,000 years.