Blog articles
Top 10 discoveries about ancient people from DNA in 2023
This year's highlights include ways of finding ancient relatives, how some phenotypes evolved in ancient people, and trace evidence from artifacts.
![DNA molecular models on a cloudy background](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/12/dna-balloon-cloudscape-green.jpg)
A visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City
I took some time out from a research symposium and presentation to take photos of a marvelous collection of anthropological heritage.
![A sculpted head of a life-sized figure in the Maya gallery](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/12/maya-figure-bokeh-background-national-museum-anthropology-2023.jpg)
All the hominins made tools
A study of associations between stone tool evidence and fossil hominin remains shows that a wide range of species made stone artifacts.
![Chimpanzee holding a stick wrapped around its hand and placing lips on the stick](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/12/chimpanzee-algae-fishing-tool-use-bossou-wikipedia-anup-shah.jpg)
Tracing the signature of African-to-Neandertal gene flow
A new study of African genetic variation yields a more accurate picture of the genetic exchanges between ancient Africans and Neandertals 250,000 years ago.
![DNA with chains of bubbles rising from it in a fluid](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/10/dna-in-fluid-sangharsh-lohakare-8o_LkMpo8ug-unsplash.jpg)
Lecture: Opening new frontiers in human origins
At a memorial for Richard Leakey, I shared some ideas about where technology and new discoveries will take paleoanthropology over the next decade.
![Conference slide logo for Africa: The Human Cradle](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/10/africa-human-cradle-opening-slide.jpg)
Homo erectus keeps getting older
New work from Melka Kunture, Ethiopia, shows the Garba IVE infant jaw is one of the oldest individuals of this longest-lasting hominin species.
![Lingual and buccal views of Garba IVE mandible fragment](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/10/garba-ive-lingual-buccal-photo-le-cabec-2021.jpg)
Guide to Sahelanthropus, Orrorin and Ardipithecus
These fossil species between 8 million and 4.4 million years old include some of the earliest members of the hominin lineage.
![Ardipithecus hand skeleton next to a human hand X-ray image](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/10/ardipithecus-hand-human-x-ray-hand-composite-1.jpg)
Interaction and mixture: big picture and small
From the level of function of a single gene up to the movements of entire populations, our evolution was built from mixture.
![Painting from 1883 of stone age dancers feasting around a fire](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/09/stone-age-the-feast-victor-vanetsov-wikipedia.jpg)
Guide to Australopithecus species
These ancient human relatives include the first species with evidence of upright walking and running like humans. They represent more than a third of our evolutionary history.
![Five fossil skulls in three-quarter view looking toward the right](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/09/australopithecus-skulls-montage.jpg)
The real story of myosin, jaw muscles, and ancient brains
The provocative idea that our genus arose with a deactivated muscle gene turned out to be wrong.
![Bonobo and gorilla head and neck, showing ecorché muscles on the left side of each](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/08/bonobo-gorilla-head-muscles-visible-ape-data-left-oblique.png)