Feed MRSS-S homo_sapiens_a, english.elpais.com en-us https://english.elpais.com Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:52:54 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-15/amud-7-the-neanderthal-baby-who-shows-they-developed-faster-than-modern-humans.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:52:54 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-15/amud-7-the-neanderthal-baby-who-shows-they-developed-faster-than-modern-humans.html Miguel Ángel Criado The bones of the infant indicate that the two species had different growth rates in their early years of life The bones of the infant indicate that the two species had different growth rates in their early years of life Homo sapiens Atapuerca Cortesía del profesor Yoel Rak Amud 7 neandertales Amud 7 was unearthed in a cave near the Sea of Galilee in the 1960s. Now all its secrets are being revealed. Amud 7 was unearthed in a cave near the Sea of Galilee in the 1960s. Now all its secrets are being revealed. <p>Neanderthals and <i>Homo sapiens </i>were more than just sister species. Differing by only a few dozen genes, they had sex and produced offspring repeatedly — a fact that, for some researchers, even calls into question how distinct they truly were. Yet a detailed analysis of the remains of a Neanderthal baby shows that from a very young age, they were already different, at least in their bones. The study, published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.03.054" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.03.054"><i>Current Biology</i></a>, also suggests that <i>Homo neanderthalensis</i> children developed at a faster rate than <i>Homo sapiens</i>. The harsher environmental conditions they faced may explain this crucial difference.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-15/amud-7-the-neanderthal-baby-who-shows-they-developed-faster-than-modern-humans.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-09/richard-wrangham-anthropologist-humans-domesticated-ourselves-by-defeating-our-alpha-male-ancestors.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:51:40 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-09/richard-wrangham-anthropologist-humans-domesticated-ourselves-by-defeating-our-alpha-male-ancestors.html Enrique Alpañés In his new book, the Harvard professor of anthropology, a former colleague of Jane Goodall, reflects on humans’ complex relationship with violence In his new book, the Harvard professor of anthropology, a former colleague of Jane Goodall, reflects on humans’ complex relationship with violence Jane Goodall Homo sapiens Science Capitán Swing Richard Wrangham The anthropologist Richard Wrangham. The anthropologist Richard Wrangham. <p>Richard Wrangham was studying chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. He was part of primatologist Jane Goodall’s team in the 1980s. He watched these animals, whom he grew fond of, groom each other. He saw them play and even babysit each other’s infants. They were like a family. But one day, this group split in two. They divided the territory and began fiercely competing.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-04-09/richard-wrangham-anthropologist-humans-domesticated-ourselves-by-defeating-our-alpha-male-ancestors.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-27/neanderthal-men-chose-homo-sapiens-women-genetics-reveals-the-sex-life-of-our-ancestors.html Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:39:49 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-27/neanderthal-men-chose-homo-sapiens-women-genetics-reveals-the-sex-life-of-our-ancestors.html Patricia Fernández de Lis A study shows that interbreeding between the two species occurred primarily in one direction, and the origin of this bias is still unclear A study shows that interbreeding between the two species occurred primarily in one direction, and the origin of this bias is still unclear Homo sapiens Hombre de Neandertal Principado de Asturias Siberia Will Oliver - PA Images (PA Images via Getty Images) Neanderthals sex sapiens A woman looks at a model of a Neanderthal at the Natural History Museum in London. A woman looks at a model of a Neanderthal at the Natural History Museum in London. <p>Around 50,000 years ago, somewhere in Eurasia, two distinct human species had sex. They also had offspring. The result of those encounters <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-16/ludovic-slimak-on-neanderthals-it-was-suicide-humans-disappear-when-they-no-longer-want-to-live-because-their-values-have-collapsed.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-16/ludovic-slimak-on-neanderthals-it-was-suicide-humans-disappear-when-they-no-longer-want-to-live-because-their-values-have-collapsed.html">between Neanderthals</a> and <i>Homo sapiens</i> is still visible today in the DNA of anyone of non-African descent, who carries between 1% and 4% Neanderthal heritage. But that heritage isn’t evenly distributed: there are large areas of the human genome where the Neanderthal trace is completely absent. Scientists call them “Neanderthal deserts,” and they are particularly striking on the X chromosome. <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6774?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D10211697223750493933618710494341710331%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1772020311" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6774?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D10211697223750493933618710494341710331%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1772020311">A study</a> published this Thursday in the journal <i>Science</i> offers the strongest explanation to date for this gap: interbreeding between the two species was primarily between Neanderthal males and modern human females. What science still can’t explain is the reason for those encounters.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-27/neanderthal-men-chose-homo-sapiens-women-genetics-reveals-the-sex-life-of-our-ancestors.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-16/ludovic-slimak-on-neanderthals-it-was-suicide-humans-disappear-when-they-no-longer-want-to-live-because-their-values-have-collapsed.html Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:40:05 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-16/ludovic-slimak-on-neanderthals-it-was-suicide-humans-disappear-when-they-no-longer-want-to-live-because-their-values-have-collapsed.html Nuño Domínguez The French paleoanthropologist discusses his book ‘The Last Neanderthal,’ and provides clues about his latest discovery: ‘It’s possible that other, completely unknown human populations existed’ The French paleoanthropologist discusses his book ‘The Last Neanderthal,’ and provides clues about his latest discovery: ‘It’s possible that other, completely unknown human populations existed’ Homo sapiens Marsella África California Laure Metz (EL PAÍS) Ludovic Slimak on Neanderthals Paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, in an image provided by the author. Paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, in an image provided by the author. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/6YMVSSERVVFEBLGDWXXU2G3PPU.jpg?auth=88ed64378fc92cc8a034ce02e1bd3ca966ff7d8de63c5075880f1eacd285dc79" width="3999" height="2961" alt="Paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, in an image provided by the author."></img><p>In his latest book, the paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak recounts how, as a young man, he spent his time observing people as he played the bagpipes in a kilt on the dirty streets <a href="https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-08-24/data-centers-are-drying-up-the-port-of-marseille-they-consume-enormous-amounts-of-electricity.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-08-24/data-centers-are-drying-up-the-port-of-marseille-they-consume-enormous-amounts-of-electricity.html">of Marseille</a>. Driven by an unconscious impulse, he had decided to master the instrument, and he succeeded, even leading a famous band in France. Then his first child was born, he found himself traveling from gig to gig, and eventually, he gave it up. But he was able to earn his PhD with the money he made from music.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-02-16/ludovic-slimak-on-neanderthals-it-was-suicide-humans-disappear-when-they-no-longer-want-to-live-because-their-values-have-collapsed.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/UQH7WWN75RFUXAWL6LJ4EZUQCI.jpg?auth=c6f529a03c971e5f001c32f8a1e96a6ef44b905a95672b9def69b1a09f31e0d1" width="637" height="626" alt="Ishi, dressed in Western clothes, with the anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, in 1911."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-08/poison-in-arrows-from-60000-years-ago-oldest-evidence-of-its-use-in-human-weapons-discovered.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:45:12 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-08/poison-in-arrows-from-60000-years-ago-oldest-evidence-of-its-use-in-human-weapons-discovered.html Selva Vargas Reátegui The finding in South Africa identifies toxic alkaloids in these projectiles, used for hunting during the Paleolithic era The finding in South Africa identifies toxic alkaloids in these projectiles, used for hunting during the Paleolithic era Science Homo sapiens Isaksson et al. (EL PAÍS) The five microliths from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal. The five microliths from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/XTQOTCRUNFBCPI4G7NZLYPDZJM.jpeg?auth=1b6f772dae6d613927ff1cfb8384293b7bd75061d22b6ddac43bb295491a68ae" width="975" height="548" alt="The five microliths from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal."></img><p>The use of poisoned hunting weapons is one of the most important innovations in the history of humans obtaining meat and has intrigued researchers for centuries. Until now, the oldest evidence came from bone arrowheads with traces of toxic glycosides found in Kruger Cave, South Africa, dating back to the mid-Holocene, about 6,700 years ago. However, a study published Wednesday in the journal <i>Science Advances</i> significantly extends that timeline. The research shows that around 60,000 years ago, the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-02-24/54000-year-old-flints-suggest-homo-sapiens-were-already-shooting-arrows-when-they-made-contact-with-neanderthals.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-02-24/54000-year-old-flints-suggest-homo-sapiens-were-already-shooting-arrows-when-they-made-contact-with-neanderthals.html">first modern humans</a> were already using poisoned arrows to hunt in southern Africa, a finding that demonstrates that these inhabitants possessed more complex technology than previously thought.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-08/poison-in-arrows-from-60000-years-ago-oldest-evidence-of-its-use-in-human-weapons-discovered.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-01/there-is-as-much-life-left-to-discover-on-planet-earth-as-that-already-known.html Thu, 01 Jan 2026 16:08:07 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-01/there-is-as-much-life-left-to-discover-on-planet-earth-as-that-already-known.html Miguel Ángel Criado Around 16,000 new species are described each year, but most animals and plants are listed as threatened as soon as they are brought to light Around 16,000 new species are described each year, but most animals and plants are listed as threatened as soon as they are brought to light Charles Darwin Science Primates Homo sapiens Alexander von Humboldt Kuala Lumpur John Wiens The lanternfly, 'Pyrops delessertii,' was named after French explorer Adolphe Delessert. The lanternfly, 'Pyrops delessertii,' was named after French explorer Adolphe Delessert. <p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-07-18/pulitzer-prize-winner-jason-roberts-one-of-the-great-challenges-of-todays-world-is-the-appeal-of-simplism.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-07-18/pulitzer-prize-winner-jason-roberts-one-of-the-great-challenges-of-todays-world-is-the-appeal-of-simplism.html">Carl Linnaeus</a>, the Swedish scientist who dedicated his life to cataloging the living things known in his time (he died in 1778), classified some 12,000 species. In 2017 alone, 17,044 were described. And science has been discovering and describing similar numbers for at least a decade. Contrary to what was believed, the rate of cataloging new species is not slowing down, but rather accelerating in almost all the taxonomic groups into which life is organized. Moreover, according to a study published in <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz3071" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz3071"><i>Science Advances</i></a>, there are as many species left to discover on Earth as those that are already known. The problem is that many of the new organisms are classified as endangered as soon as they are discovered.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-01/there-is-as-much-life-left-to-discover-on-planet-earth-as-that-already-known.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-15/fossils-found-in-kenya-shed-light-on-the-origin-of-human-hands.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 18:50:04 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-15/fossils-found-in-kenya-shed-light-on-the-origin-of-human-hands.html Selva Vargas Reátegui Researchers say the remains of ‘Paranthropus boisei’ reveal that this ancient relative was capable of powerfully manipulating objects and food, climbing trees, and perhaps making tools Researchers say the remains of ‘Paranthropus boisei’ reveal that this ancient relative was capable of powerfully manipulating objects and food, climbing trees, and perhaps making tools Kenia Nature África Homo sapiens Louise Leakey Combo Researchers Carrie Mongle and Meave Leakey. On the right, a reconstruction of the hand of KNM-ER 101000 Paranthropus boisei. Researchers Carrie Mongle and Meave Leakey. On the right, a reconstruction of the hand of KNM-ER 101000 Paranthropus boisei. <p>For a long time, <i>Paranthropus boisei</i>, a hominid that inhabited the Earth from 2.6 million years ago to 1.3 million years ago, had been considered by experts to be a <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-08-13/researchers-announces-the-discovery-of-a-new-species-linked-to-the-origin-of-humankind.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-08-13/researchers-announces-the-discovery-of-a-new-species-linked-to-the-origin-of-humankind.html">relative of humans</a>. Its robust jaw, large molars, and powerful chewing muscles evidenced a diet as primitive as it was difficult to process, consisting of tough grasses and reeds that other species perhaps couldn’t consume. In contrast, its hands, the limbs that in our species became a bridge between matter and idea, remained a mystery until today, when <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09594-8" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09594-8">a study</a> was published in the journal <i>Nature</i> to put an end to the mystery.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-15/fossils-found-in-kenya-shed-light-on-the-origin-of-human-hands.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-06/svante-paabo-father-of-paleogenetics-the-reason-for-the-neanderthals-extinction-lies-in-how-numerous-weve-become.html Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:25:05 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-06/svante-paabo-father-of-paleogenetics-the-reason-for-the-neanderthals-extinction-lies-in-how-numerous-weve-become.html Nuño Domínguez The Nobel Prize winner in Medicine is investigating genetic changes that could have given our species a competitive advantage, and the possibility of extracting the genome of the Flores hobbit The Nobel Prize winner in Medicine is investigating genetic changes that could have given our species a competitive advantage, and the possibility of extracting the genome of the Flores hobbit Homo sapiens Genes SAMUEL SÁNCHEZ (EL PAÍS) Svante Pääbo, father of paleogenetics Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Svante Pääbo, founder of the field of paleogenetics, at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology in Madrid. Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Svante Pääbo, founder of the field of paleogenetics, at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology in Madrid. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/5VT3Z55SE5CORMWMT77D4X652I.jpg?auth=27c02b4478fa0a7fbcf9340e0be5397c1ccd6f15e2d90d9837792c534aa7795e" width="8192" height="5464" alt="Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Svante Pääbo, founder of the field of paleogenetics, at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology in Madrid."></img><p>Geneticist Svante Pääbo demonstrated that DNA can be extracted from human fossils that are thousands of years old. His team was the first to sequence the complete genome of Neanderthals, our closest human relatives, and discovered that <i>Homo Sapiens</i> had sex and children with them. He also revealed the existence of a third, <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-07-17/more-mysterious-than-neanderthals-the-denisovans-hold-the-key-to-humanity.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-07-17/more-mysterious-than-neanderthals-the-denisovans-hold-the-key-to-humanity.html">previously unknown human lineage, the Denisovans</a>, thanks to genetic material extracted from a <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-10-19/dna-sequencing-finds-first-known-neanderthal-family-including-a-father-and-daughter.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-10-19/dna-sequencing-finds-first-known-neanderthal-family-including-a-father-and-daughter.html">tiny bone of a girl who lived in a Siberian cave</a> some 50,000 years ago.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-06/svante-paabo-father-of-paleogenetics-the-reason-for-the-neanderthals-extinction-lies-in-how-numerous-weve-become.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WWKJ6VZAGZDCLBB4AFGYL2GVXE.jpg?auth=e943a3056261383a7609c576ee132283e2515099f80db5768050b68b0c07b5c2" width="8192" height="5464" alt="Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, Svante Pääbo."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-08-13/researchers-announces-the-discovery-of-a-new-species-linked-to-the-origin-of-humankind.html Wed, 13 Aug 2025 16:29:59 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-08-13/researchers-announces-the-discovery-of-a-new-species-linked-to-the-origin-of-humankind.html Manuel Ansede The fossils, attributed to an unknown australopithecus that lived in present-day Ethiopia 2.6 million years ago, have met with skepticism from other experts The fossils, attributed to an unknown australopithecus that lived in present-day Ethiopia 2.6 million years ago, have met with skepticism from other experts Homo sapiens Nature Science África ASU (EL PAÍS) La investigadora Kaye Reed Researcher Kaye Reed (left) at the site where the first tooth was found in Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2018. Researcher Kaye Reed (left) at the site where the first tooth was found in Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2018. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/M6MPXOTCDJBN3HIROBOOYIYX2I.jpg?auth=796fa1b1633f46cad251934da29817de47e4716b0a1ee9f4598473cdb7c798ae" width="4032" height="3024" alt="Researcher Kaye Reed (left) at the site where the first tooth was found in Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2018."></img><p>Fossil hunter Omar Abdulla used to carry an AK-57 assault rifle as he roamed his dangerous homeland, the desert region of Afar in Ethiopia, contested by rival tribes. On Valentine’s Day 2018, while descending a hill, Abdulla shouted: “Oh my God!” </p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-08-13/researchers-announces-the-discovery-of-a-new-species-linked-to-the-origin-of-humankind.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/3VNRNI7JJVBWBPZUKIV4VRMEH4.png?auth=0c299ba85e5f6866d61d670a8d24c6d5992ada20af97abb5c1a9fa74230cd1e9" width="1592" height="1222" alt="Australopithecus teeth found in Ledi-Geraru (Ethiopia) on February 14, 2018."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/5WKLLOWAPRG5FGGMDVCZZUO7OQ.png?auth=7faf007debf0122f3053f8fdbdb689b75440d0646acf4a1744f9235645082612" width="1552" height="1190" alt="The 13 fossil teeth found in Ledi-Geraru (Ethiopia): 10 from 'Australopithecus' (LD 750 and LD 760) and three others attributed to humans."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/2STDXVG43VHDFGM7G6MGRRJ4FY.png?auth=480b31ebf727e133e5661a88a4a55a1acf58328bf997bcd8c001b79da59d1b01" width="1580" height="1278" alt="Fossil hunting in Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-07-28/different-neanderthal-clans-had-their-signature-dishes-among-them-rotten-meat-with-maggots.html Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:27:21 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-07-28/different-neanderthal-clans-had-their-signature-dishes-among-them-rotten-meat-with-maggots.html Facundo Macchi A series of recent investigations suggests that the first human communities passed on their particular culinary traditions between generations A series of recent investigations suggests that the first human communities passed on their particular culinary traditions between generations Homo sapiens Portugal Museo Neandertal de Kaprina A Neanderthal family depicted at the Kaprina Museum (Croatia). A Neanderthal family depicted at the Kaprina Museum (Croatia). <p>Outside, the wind is icy and the temperature hovers around zero degrees, but inside the cave, a group of <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-02-07/neanderthals-more-knowable-now-than-ever.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-02-07/neanderthals-more-knowable-now-than-ever.html">Neanderthals</a> huddles around a fire. On flat stones, adults, children, and even an elderly person wait for a piece of gazelle they managed to hunt that morning to finish cooking. There are no pots or spoons, but there is technique. The piece of meat was dismembered following a specific cutting pattern, using something similar to a knife made from a sharpened piece of flint. For those who are still hungry, there are also seeds, remains of a tuber, and, of course, the house specialty: rotting meat teeming with nutritious larvae and maggots.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-07-28/different-neanderthal-clans-had-their-signature-dishes-among-them-rotten-meat-with-maggots.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-26/boomerang-carved-from-mammoth-tusk-shows-homo-sapiens-had-symbolic-thinking-42000-years-ago.html Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:55:16 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-26/boomerang-carved-from-mammoth-tusk-shows-homo-sapiens-had-symbolic-thinking-42000-years-ago.html Facundo Macchi The new dating of an object found decades ago in Poland reinforces the idea that early humans in Central Europe had technological insight tens of thousands of years ago The new dating of an object found decades ago in Poland reinforces the idea that early humans in Central Europe had technological insight tens of thousands of years ago Homo sapiens Science DNA Talamo et al./ Pawel Valde-Nowak búmeran (l-r) Paweł Valde-Nowak, Sahra Talamo and Adam Nadachowski next to the boomerang made from a mammoth tusk. (l-r) Paweł Valde-Nowak, Sahra Talamo and Adam Nadachowski next to the boomerang made from a mammoth tusk. <p>In the summer of 1985, something extraordinary happened. A team of Polish researchers began excavating the Obłazowa Cave, located in the Western Carpathian Mountains — the only known <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-06-18/a-technological-explosion-600000-years-ago-sheds-light-on-the-ability-that-made-us-human.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-06-18/a-technological-explosion-600000-years-ago-sheds-light-on-the-ability-that-made-us-human.html">Early Upper Paleolithic</a> archaeological site in the Podhale Basin in Poland. Shortly after the excavation began, objects started emerging from the ground. Among the discoveries was what appeared to be a 72-centimeter-long boomerang made from a mammoth tusk. Initial dating suggested it was 24,000 years old. However, a new analysis has revealed that this complex artifact could be much older — actually around 42,000 years old.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-26/boomerang-carved-from-mammoth-tusk-shows-homo-sapiens-had-symbolic-thinking-42000-years-ago.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-18/enigmatic-dragon-man-was-not-a-new-human-species-but-a-denisovan.html Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:47:55 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-18/enigmatic-dragon-man-was-not-a-new-human-species-but-a-denisovan.html Nuño Domínguez DNA and protein analysis of a 146,000-year-old skull shows for the first time what the face of this species, which occupied much of Asia and left its genes in modern humans, was like DNA and protein analysis of a 146,000-year-old skull shows for the first time what the face of this species, which occupied much of Asia and left its genes in modern humans, was like Homo sapiens Himalaya China Taiwán Siberia CSIC Cell (EL PAÍS) The Harbin cranium. The Harbin cranium. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/U5GXNAMPDFCD5JJH2IE3JZIL54.jpg?auth=78a5d8502a2ce305d6118042b8e0ef21a6bff5f6042e34290bc2cafda3484615" width="2000" height="1696" alt="The Harbin cranium."></img><p>After 146,000 years and a far-fetched history, a team led by Chinese scientists and a Swedish Nobel Prize winner in medicine announced Wednesday that it has successfully recovered DNA from a fossil assigned to a new human species, <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-06/why-are-we-the-only-human-species-left-on-the-planet.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-06/why-are-we-the-only-human-species-left-on-the-planet.html"><i>Homo longi</i></a>, popularly known as the “dragon man.” This exceptional breakthrough overturns one of the last major discoveries in human evolution: it turns out that <i>Homo longi</i> is not a new human species native to Asia, but a Denisovan.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-18/enigmatic-dragon-man-was-not-a-new-human-species-but-a-denisovan.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/5NO75WKNWJBDXEAZIOTLSKHRAU.jpg?auth=75169a58499b96b21959da37a17c088380e5475fe4194c783746160165156060" width="1879" height="1294" alt="A reconstruction of 'Homo longi,' or the dragon man. "></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/6DMTSOBM45H7TA3AAIGDLKD7Y4.png?auth=b79b1070d08b4324f4d80160218cdb18bb43025dc2d7bbd73b73779b78d32978" width="1547" height="835" alt="The red dot marks the location where mitochondrial DNA was recovered from the skull in Harbin, China."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-03/humans-take-over-twice-as-long-to-heal-wounds-as-other-mammals.html Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:54:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-03/humans-take-over-twice-as-long-to-heal-wounds-as-other-mammals.html Facundo Macchi A new study comparing humans with other primates and rodents suggests that fur loss millions of years ago slowed the healing process in ‘Homo sapiens’ A new study comparing humans with other primates and rodents suggests that fur loss millions of years ago slowed the healing process in ‘Homo sapiens’ Homo sapiens Primates Tierfotoagentur/Alamy/Cordon Press Researchers compared the healing rates of humans and chimpanzees and concluded that slow healing is specific to humans Researchers compared the healing rates of humans and chimpanzees and concluded that slow healing is specific to humans <p>In the natural world, there’s an unwritten rule: living beings must heal their wounds quickly if they hope to survive. Here, a vast array of evolutionary capabilities opens up that help animals, plants, and fungi meet this requirement. There are unique mechanisms, such as that of the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/eps/2025-03-15/this-is-no-world-for-an-axolotl.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/eps/2025-03-15/this-is-no-world-for-an-axolotl.html">Mexican axolotl</a>, an amphibian capable of <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-09-07/the-limb-regenerating-salamander-that-could-help-humans-repair-wounds.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-09-07/the-limb-regenerating-salamander-that-could-help-humans-repair-wounds.html">regenerating entire limbs</a> — bones, muscles, nerves — in a matter of weeks after losing them. There’s also the willow, a tree that is adept at isolating its wounds and growing rapidly and strongly over them as if they were never there. But with humans, things are different. In fact, they are quite slow at healing. A new study published in the journal <i>Proceedings of the Royal Society B</i> found that human wounds take more than twice as long to heal as those of any other mammal.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-03/humans-take-over-twice-as-long-to-heal-wounds-as-other-mammals.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-22/why-tickling-makes-us-laugh-even-when-it-annoys-us-and-other-mysteries-that-baffle-neuroscience.html Thu, 22 May 2025 14:58:46 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-22/why-tickling-makes-us-laugh-even-when-it-annoys-us-and-other-mysteries-that-baffle-neuroscience.html Facundo Macchi A study explores key aspects of gargalesis, such as why certain areas of the body are more sensitive, why children tend to be more susceptible, and what its possible evolutionary function might be A study explores key aspects of gargalesis, such as why certain areas of the body are more sensitive, why children tend to be more susceptible, and what its possible evolutionary function might be Charles Darwin Homo sapiens Primates Science Catherine Falls Commercial (Getty Images) The primary function of tickling in humans remains a mystery. The primary function of tickling in humans remains a mystery. <p>There are some everyday human behaviors that seem simple, yet inexplicable. One of them is what scientists call <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-07-29/do-animals-have-a-sense-of-humor-this-scientist-has-been-tickling-rats-for-years-to-prove-it.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-07-29/do-animals-have-a-sense-of-humor-this-scientist-has-been-tickling-rats-for-years-to-prove-it.html">gargalesis</a>, which the rest of us know as tickling. These are the behaviors that provoke an involuntary and uncontrollable fit of laughter, even when you don’t want to. From Aristotle to Charles Darwin, people have pondered the physical and cognitive mechanisms triggered by tickling. However, despite its triviality, science has yet to fully understand it.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-22/why-tickling-makes-us-laugh-even-when-it-annoys-us-and-other-mysteries-that-baffle-neuroscience.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-19/adolescent-capuchins-kidnap-the-offspring-of-howler-monkeys-out-of-boredom.html Mon, 19 May 2025 16:45:59 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-19/adolescent-capuchins-kidnap-the-offspring-of-howler-monkeys-out-of-boredom.html Miguel Ángel Criado The behavior, which ends with the death of the young, was initiated by a young primate and imitated by others The behavior, which ends with the death of the young, was initiated by a young primate and imitated by others Panama Hannah Arendt Primates Homo sapiens Science Monos capuchinos secuestran a crías de otros monos por aburrimiento Un joven mono capuchino cara blanca cargando una cría de mono aullador, capturado por una cámara trampa en Jicarón. Un joven mono capuchino cara blanca cargando una cría de mono aullador, capturado por una cámara trampa en Jicarón. <p>A group of teenagers, a lot of free time, and little oversight from their elders. Great things can emerge from this scenario, but it’s also the ingredients for a series of tragic events in paradise. On Jicarón Island (Panama), within <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-06-12/panama-doubles-the-size-of-its-protected-marine-areas.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-06-12/panama-doubles-the-size-of-its-protected-marine-areas.html">Coiba National Park</a>, a dozen babies were torn from their mothers’ hands, dying days later amid the neglect and curiosity of their captors. The behavior observed among a group of white-faced capuchins (<i>Cebus capucinus imitator</i>) is extraordinary: the kidnapped monkeys were babies of another species, Panamanian howler monkeys (<i>Alouatta palliata coibensis</i>). It would seem like teenaged mischief if it weren’t for the fact that all the kidnapped monkeys died within a few days. The authors of this discovery can only find one explanation for a behavior with no obvious benefits or biological meaning: something very similar to boredom.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-05-19/adolescent-capuchins-kidnap-the-offspring-of-howler-monkeys-out-of-boredom.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/society/2025-05-06/hollywoods-big-lie-about-disasters-in-crises-like-spains-blackout-the-natural-reaction-is-generosity-not-panic.html Tue, 06 May 2025 11:55:56 GMT https://english.elpais.com/society/2025-05-06/hollywoods-big-lie-about-disasters-in-crises-like-spains-blackout-the-natural-reaction-is-generosity-not-panic.html Javier Salas Historical cases and scientific analysis show that the most common human reaction to disasters is to help others, a trait that defines our species and that authorities do not know how to channel Historical cases and scientific analysis show that the most common human reaction to disasters is to help others, a trait that defines our species and that authorities do not know how to channel Hollywood Rebecca Solnit Valencia La Palma Coronavirus Covid-19 Homo sapiens Rodrigo Jiménez (EFE) Several people hitchhiking to try to return home after the power outage in Madrid. Several people hitchhiking to try to return home after the power outage in Madrid. <p>A plane crashes into one of the tallest towers in the world. The situation is complete emergency, and employees on numerous floors have to evacuate the building in single file and via the stairs. How would a Hollywood movie portray that scene? Screaming, pushing, heartless people stamping on each other’s heads to save themselves. What happened on September 11, 2001, in New York? The entire building maintained the calm necessary for almost everyone to be saved. The evacuees actively helped each other, carrying injured colleagues or guiding strangers through dark stairwells. In emergency after emergency, this is the norm: extreme selfishness doesn’t emerge, but rather those affected act generously, if not heroically, toward strangers. In crisis situations, such as the<a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-28/massive-power-outages-cause-blackouts-in-spain-and-portugal.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-28/massive-power-outages-cause-blackouts-in-spain-and-portugal.html"> massive blackout on the Iberian Peninsula</a> last week, people don’t take a baseball bat to their neighbors, but rather hand them a pack of batteries even though they’ve never exchanged a word. Why do we continue to believe that the opposite is natural?</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/society/2025-05-06/hollywoods-big-lie-about-disasters-in-crises-like-spains-blackout-the-natural-reaction-is-generosity-not-panic.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-03-05/archaeologists-discover-humanitys-first-knives-carved-from-bone-15-million-years-ago.html Wed, 05 Mar 2025 18:37:25 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-03-05/archaeologists-discover-humanitys-first-knives-carved-from-bone-15-million-years-ago.html Nuño Domínguez Researchers have found the oldest known bone tools, made by our ancestor ‘Homo erectus’ Researchers have found the oldest known bone tools, made by our ancestor ‘Homo erectus’ Nature Homo sapiens Claudio Álvarez herramientas CSIC researcher Ignacio de la Torre shows the oldest bone tools ever found, dating back 1.5 million years, at the Center for Human and Social Sciences in Madrid. CSIC researcher Ignacio de la Torre shows the oldest bone tools ever found, dating back 1.5 million years, at the Center for Human and Social Sciences in Madrid. <p>On Wednesday, a surprising technological breakthrough was presented: the oldest bone tools ever discovered. Nearly 30 knives, some up to 40 centimeters long, were carved by our ancestors 1.5 million years ago in the<a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-02-07/did-eating-meat-really-make-us-human.html"> Olduvai Gorge</a>, Tanzania. Led by Madrid archaeologist <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-06-18/a-technological-explosion-600000-years-ago-sheds-light-on-the-ability-that-made-us-human.html">Ignacio de la Torre,</a> the team behind the find believes that this new set of tools, made from an unusual material, represents a “qualitative leap in the cognitive abilities” of <i>Homo erectus</i>, the ancestor of our species, <i>Homo sapiens</i>.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-03-05/archaeologists-discover-humanitys-first-knives-carved-from-bone-15-million-years-ago.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4SV6Y4HUB5DDXB5TYKJKSK2AAE.jpg?auth=2df09680e8f31583a3ef078ce547765cfc7692a5847735baa911af54519a9f6a" width="1063" height="744" alt="A person holds one of the tools found in Tanzania."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-01-07/the-secret-of-the-prehistoric-clothing-that-helped-the-first-settlers-in-north-america-survive.html Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:13:31 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-01-07/the-secret-of-the-prehistoric-clothing-that-helped-the-first-settlers-in-north-america-survive.html Constanza Cabrera Fine sewing needles made from the bones of small animals such as foxes and mountain lions, which hunters used to make tailored garments during the last Ice Age, have been discovered in Wyoming Fine sewing needles made from the bones of small animals such as foxes and mountain lions, which hunters used to make tailored garments during the last Ice Age, have been discovered in Wyoming Wyoming Homo sapiens Siberia Spencer Pelton (EL PAÍS) Needles found in La Prele (Wyoming), made from the bones of foxes, hares and various felines. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/VVNANPBWWZFQVITOUSMV6N236E.png?auth=a980d5e1fe8ff58ac5c45725da87ae3ac8c52409b87400cfe4ef91c9cf5150cc" width="1259" height="621" alt="."></img><p>12,900 years ago, in the north of what is now the United States, a mammoth was killed by a group of humans who had already begun to colonize America at the end of the Paleolithic period. The vestiges of the beastly scene were etched in stone at the archaeological site of La Prele—discovered in 1986 in the state of Wyoming—as well as the settlement of those who killed the animal. At that place, the Paleoindian hunter-gatherers of those high latitudes not only dedicated themselves to capturing animals to eat their meat. They also used their pelts <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-04-14/humans-were-already-sewing-their-clothes-nearly-40000-years-ago.html">to make clothes</a>, tailored to their bodies, which helped them tolerate the frigid climate of that period. A group of researchers from the University of Wyoming has managed to date the bone needles they used to sew those clothes and have identified the type of animal from which those tools came.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-01-07/the-secret-of-the-prehistoric-clothing-that-helped-the-first-settlers-in-north-america-survive.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-12-05/oldest-known-remnants-of-archery-in-europe-discovered-in-spains-bat-cave.html Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:56:35 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-12-05/oldest-known-remnants-of-archery-in-europe-discovered-in-spains-bat-cave.html Miguel Ángel Criado The bowstrings, dating from between 7,200 and 6,900 years ago, are made of braided animal tendons, a technique modern archers still employ The bowstrings, dating from between 7,200 and 6,900 years ago, are made of braided animal tendons, a technique modern archers still employ Granada Albuñol Homo sapiens Proyecto MUTERMUR Oldest-known remnants of archery in Europe discovered in Spain’s Bat Cave Three of the shafts found in the cave decorated with birch tar, a natural adhesive. Below, detail of the crimping of the arrows. Three of the shafts found in the cave decorated with birch tar, a natural adhesive. Below, detail of the crimping of the arrows. <p>Much has been written about the Cueva de los Murciélagos (the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-09-28/esparto-sandals-found-in-a-cave-in-southern-spain-are-the-oldest-known-footwear-in-europe.html">Bat Cave</a>, in Albuñol, on the coast of Granada province). For a few years in the 19th century, it was Spain’s main source of natural nitrogen as a fertilizer (due to the guano of the bats that hung from its ceilings). Inside the miners thought they saw galena, a mineral rich in lead, in some reddish veins in the rock and went in to extract it. But above all, it was a cemetery, a necropolis that was later found to be very old. They removed almost everything: the 70 bodies that were there, the funerary objects and the offerings that accompanied them, most of which ended up sliding further down the cave, littering the path to the cavity, or as souvenirs in the homes of local residents. In 1867, a lawyer and archaeologist from Almería, Manuel Góngora y Martínez, who was also a professor at the University of Granada, went to the town, recovering everything he could by buying it from the locals or extracting it from the cave itself. Most of that material ended up in the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-05/the-3000-year-old-treasure-of-villena-contains-two-pieces-made-with-iron-from-beyond-planet-earth.html">National Archaeological Museum</a>, but not all of it. Now, a century and a half later, a team of archaeologists has found the oldest-known remnants of archery in Europe in the waste dumps of the failed mine. According to a paper published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-77224-w" target="_blank"><i>Scientific Reports</i></a>, they found arrows still with their feathered fletching and tips made of olive wood or braided tendon strings, a technique modern archers still employ.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-12-05/oldest-known-remnants-of-archery-in-europe-discovered-in-spains-bat-cave.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-30/jeremy-desilva-anthropologist-empathy-and-compassion-compensated-for-the-physical-disadvantages-of-bipedalism.html Sat, 30 Nov 2024 04:05:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-30/jeremy-desilva-anthropologist-empathy-and-compassion-compensated-for-the-physical-disadvantages-of-bipedalism.html Facundo Macchi The American researcher talks to EL PAÍS about how walking upright was the starting point for our brain enlargement and our pro-social nature The American researcher talks to EL PAÍS about how walking upright was the starting point for our brain enlargement and our pro-social nature Lucy Homo sapiens Dartmouth College/Robert Gill Jeremy DeSilva Jeremy DeSilva, anthropologist. Jeremy DeSilva, anthropologist. <p>In the course of a lifetime, the average person takes about 150 million steps — enough to circle the Earth three times. We may not realize it, but our ability to <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-03-04/we-dont-know-from-which-creature-humans-and-chimpanzees-evolved.html">walk upright</a> is a rare phenomenon in nature, unique among mammals. Anthropologist Jeremy DeSilva, 48, has dedicated his career to studying human evolution through the lens of bipedalism. He is part of the research team that discovered two ancient members of the human family: <i>Australopithecus sediba</i> and<i> Homo naledi.</i> He has also studied wild chimpanzees in western Uganda and early fossils in museums in eastern and southern Africa. All in pursuit of one question: how did walking upright make us human?</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-30/jeremy-desilva-anthropologist-empathy-and-compassion-compensated-for-the-physical-disadvantages-of-bipedalism.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-28/footprints-reveal-the-coexistence-of-two-human-species-15-million-years-ago.html Thu, 28 Nov 2024 19:53:33 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-28/footprints-reveal-the-coexistence-of-two-human-species-15-million-years-ago.html Nuño Domínguez A discovery in Kenya offers the first snapshot of peaceful coexistence between very different hominids A discovery in Kenya offers the first snapshot of peaceful coexistence between very different hominids Science Homo sapiens Neil T. Roach (EL PAÍS) Huellas de 'P. boisei' Traces of 'P. boisei' found in the Lake Turkana basin in Kenya. Traces of 'P. boisei' found in the Lake Turkana basin in Kenya. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/ILEVSZO77BB5RF6XY6C2YXWVNI.jpg?auth=a5d47b15e991217112ded2ec76f3c01df41a4c4c19fdc38ae604cbbea4b5c55c" width="2692" height="3886" alt="Traces of 'P. boisei' found in the Lake Turkana basin in Kenya."></img><p>In 2021, a team of paleoanthropologists unearthed something unusual in Kenya. They were searching for <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-12/the-legacy-of-lucy-the-australopithecus-that-changed-our-idea-of-human-evolution-50-years-ago.html">human fossils</a> in sediments dating back 1.5 million years, but instead they found the footprint of a prehistoric stork, which was enormous, judging by the size of its fossilized footprint. Next to it was something much more interesting: a footprint that looked human.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-28/footprints-reveal-the-coexistence-of-two-human-species-15-million-years-ago.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/W7I6PSFAEVGKTMUFRALATL2JNU.png?auth=b0628e48519ddf182223195397043cf99e1371ea3e103dc81d340ce241185ce7" width="5760" height="3840" alt="Footstep of 'Homo erectus.'"></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-12/the-legacy-of-lucy-the-australopithecus-that-changed-our-idea-of-human-evolution-50-years-ago.html Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:41:21 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-12/the-legacy-of-lucy-the-australopithecus-that-changed-our-idea-of-human-evolution-50-years-ago.html Facundo Macchi The fossil remains of the unique hominid were found in Ethiopia in 1974, traveled around the world, were the subject of controversy and became an icon of science. Even today they continue to provide answers to where we come from The fossil remains of the unique hominid were found in Ethiopia in 1974, traveled around the world, were the subject of controversy and became an icon of science. Even today they continue to provide answers to where we come from Homo sapiens Etiopía National Geographic Tim White The Beatles Atapuerca Charles Darwin Tanzania Dave Einsel (Getty Images) The legacy of ‘Lucy,’ the Australopithecus that changed our idea of human evolution 50 years ago Sculptural representation of Lucy on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Sculptural representation of Lucy on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/AETJMXNUMRA5LCWSCESHEXWLYE.jpeg?auth=e7abf5b3f38e1ea7d9431598d8ecfa3bf5117b66e7d9e34dba30073ccb628bce" width="3000" height="2092" alt="Sculptural representation of Lucy on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science."></img><p>On the evening of November 24, 1974, in a camp in northeastern Ethiopia, American anthropologist Donald Johanson and his assistant Tom Gray were drinking cold beer around the fire while a goat was cooking on embers. They were celebrating, along with a handful of colleagues: that very morning <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-06-23/yves-coppens-one-of-the-discoverers-of-famous-fossil-lucy-dies-at-87.html">they had found the fossilized bones </a>of what appeared to be a hominid never before described by science. They sang and danced to the music of the Beatles. Their song <i>Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds</i> came on and someone ventured: “Why don’t we call her Lucy?” The name stuck, and Lucy became the most famous fossil in history. Her discovery led to thousands of questions. The two main ones were: what species did she belong to? And was humanity beholding its closest primate relative?</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-12/the-legacy-of-lucy-the-australopithecus-that-changed-our-idea-of-human-evolution-50-years-ago.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-12/emiliano-bruner-paleoneurobiologist-with-this-big-brain-we-are-intelligent-and-sad-monkeys.html Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:03:20 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-12/emiliano-bruner-paleoneurobiologist-with-this-big-brain-we-are-intelligent-and-sad-monkeys.html Jessica Mouzo Quintáns The scientist argues that obesity is the result of an evolutionary mismatch between brain programming and our social context The scientist argues that obesity is the result of an evolutionary mismatch between brain programming and our social context Homo sapiens Kike Rincón (EL PAÍS) Emiliano Bruner, paleoneurobiologist: ‘With this big brain, we are intelligent and sad monkeys’ Paleoneurobiologist Emiliano Bruner, at the Mar University Campus in Barcelona. Paleoneurobiologist Emiliano Bruner, at the Mar University Campus in Barcelona. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/C6AVKKIV3VGKDFVBACPLDFP264.jpg?auth=a32367e3252f5c64094ec2081e925bcbf6b965b5262b90fd483124e4d789d8e2" width="5472" height="3648" alt="Paleoneurobiologist Emiliano Bruner, at the Mar University Campus in Barcelona."></img><p>Evolution is only interested in one thing: procreating and perpetuating the species, says paleoneurobiologist Emiliano Bruner. Nothing more. It does not care about our suffering or our emotional discomfort, only about our reproduction: “Evolution does not care about our well-being, but rather our evolutionary success,” the scientist concludes. And, depending on how you look at it, the journey of <i>Homo sapiens —</i> which now have eight billion individuals on the planet — is an <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-06/why-are-we-the-only-human-species-left-on-the-planet.html">evolutionary success</a>. As long as it is compared, of course, with other hominids. Because if you are looking at <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-06-17/the-origin-of-cockroaches-from-the-fields-of-india-to-your-kitchen.html">cockroaches</a>, for example, which have been on Earth longer and have an infinitely greater capacity to spread, what modern humans have achieved is a trifle. It is all a question of perspective.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-12/emiliano-bruner-paleoneurobiologist-with-this-big-brain-we-are-intelligent-and-sad-monkeys.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/YUGEPQ3MKFH5VH7ZZNVARFN3HE.jpg?auth=200cf39463ea1cec7b9158639bb0aa6bd3fe934fcc2a998a2bc5761a85eaf14b" width="5472" height="3648" alt="Emiliano Bruner, after a conference at the Mar University Campus in Barcelona."></img> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-06/smallest-arm-bone-ever-found-sheds-light-on-the-mystery-of-the-flores-hobbits.html Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:02:59 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-06/smallest-arm-bone-ever-found-sheds-light-on-the-mystery-of-the-flores-hobbits.html Daniel Mediavilla Ancient humans who lived on an Indonesian island up to 50,000 years ago are believed to have descended from ‘Homo erectus,’ who became gradually smaller after arriving there a million years ago Ancient humans who lived on an Indonesian island up to 50,000 years ago are believed to have descended from ‘Homo erectus,’ who became gradually smaller after arriving there a million years ago Homo sapiens Indonesia Yousuke Kaifu Homo floresiensis Fragment of a humerus from an ancestor of 'Homo floresiensis' that lived 700,000 years ago. Fragment of a humerus from an ancestor of 'Homo floresiensis' that lived 700,000 years ago. <p>A little over a million years ago, <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-06/why-are-we-the-only-human-species-left-on-the-planet.html" target="_blank">a group of <i>Homo erectus </i></a>who had colonized Java in Indonesia continued their journey eastwards through the Sunda archipelago, perhaps on natural rafts, until they reached Flores. There they became isolated and, through an evolutionary phenomenon that sometimes occurs on islands, began to shrink. Around 300,000 years after their arrival — a very short time by evolutionary standards — the descendants of <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-03-06/europes-oldest-traces-of-humans-have-been-found-in-ukraine-far-away-from-russian-bombardments.html" target="_blank"><i>Homo erectus</i></a>, who were about the same height as modern humans, had become dwarfs, measuring one meters in height. They had small brains, but the same ability as their ancestors to make tools. These tiny human relatives, the smallest ever discovered, are the ancestors of <i>Homo floresiensis</i>, the so-called hobbits, whose 60,000-year-old fossils were found on Flores in 2004.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-06/smallest-arm-bone-ever-found-sheds-light-on-the-mystery-of-the-flores-hobbits.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-04/ludovic-slimak-paleoanthropologist-weve-killed-neanderthals-for-the-second-time-by-not-wanting-to-understand-them.html Sun, 04 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-04/ludovic-slimak-paleoanthropologist-weve-killed-neanderthals-for-the-second-time-by-not-wanting-to-understand-them.html Nuño Domínguez The French author reflects on the identity of our species and our tendency to annihilate any other form of humanity The French author reflects on the identity of our species and our tendency to annihilate any other form of humanity Homo sapiens Altamira Science Samuel Sánchez (EL PAÍS) Ludovic Slimak, paleoanthropologist: ‘We’ve killed Neanderthals for the second time by not wanting to understand them’ French paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, pictured in Madrid. French paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, pictured in Madrid. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/3L3U7QLFQ5FK3OXSDT7WSQJDTY.jpg?auth=2c2cebaf29a0c5e4188b7751cf2b244fd2852eab2fe43429665e499c6b4f18db" width="6000" height="4000" alt="French paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak, pictured in Madrid."></img><p>Ludovic Slimak, 51, is a paleoanthropologist at the French National Center for Scientific Research and the University of Toulouse-Le Mirail. In his latest book, <i>The Naked Neanderthal: A New Understanding of the Human Creature</i> (2024), he recounts his experiences excavating sites around the world in search of the essence of the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-07-12/genetics-reveal-how-the-neanderthals-came-to-an-end-they-did-not-go-extinct-we-assimilated-them.html">last extinct human species</a>.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-08-04/ludovic-slimak-paleoanthropologist-weve-killed-neanderthals-for-the-second-time-by-not-wanting-to-understand-them.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/DOA4HPXULFEKHJ56Y3I25YFMFA.jpg?auth=b4397b7a03b3ad5a828d66c7145a9aed2b6f30110f4e35d2a851878eb8cc9c57" width="6000" height="4000" alt="Ludovic Slimak, pictured before his interview with EL PAÍS."></img>