Longer thumbs mean bigger brains and this is “pivotal” to human evolution, research has found. Scientists studied 94 fossils and living animals to understand how our ancestors developed their gripping ...

Wild monkeys in West Africa can climb vertical tree trunks using foot flexibility scientists did not realize they possessed.

These papers were first presented as a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Boston, Dec. 27, 1953. They were published in the Sept. 1954 issue of ...

Combining archaeological evidence with ancient DNA and data on past climates shows us how long and winding the story of human evolution is, stretching back millions of years to when the first primates ...

Scientists have long thought humans have a uniquely difficult birth compared with other primates. And it's true that, from an evolutionary perspective, we face an obstetrical dilemma. As we evolved to ...

Purchased with funds from the S. Dillon Ripley Endowment. Cover -- Cortical Evolution in Primates -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of figures and tables ...

Learn how repeated burn injuries may have acted as a form of natural selection, influencing human genes linked to healing and immune response. Fire transformed human society in obvious ways. Less ...

Mushrooms may not be the first food that comes to mind when we imagine the diets of wild primates—or our early human ancestors. We tend to think of fruits and green leaves as the preferred foods for ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. ­­ ­ ­­— Saliva is a bodily fluid most of us take for granted despite the significant roles it plays: aiding in digestion, maintaining strong teeth and defending against oral disease.

What events led to differences between humans and other primates? What changes throughout evolution underlie such a dramatic shift in how we socialize and process information? Although somewhat ...