From politics to culture, we blame “tribalism” for humanity’s problems. This explanation is entirely wrong.

Just as human beings diversified so that people in Asia look different from people in Europe, so too did their microbiomes.

Was our distant ancestor a biped or not – i.e., human or not human?

One tiny change might have made a huge difference.

Civilization was built on ceremony.

Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own.

Many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too.

Thanks to genetics and improving nutrition, denizens of the Western Balkans have surpassed the Dutch in height.

Nietzsche both wished he was as stupid as a cow so he wouldn’t have to contemplate existence, and pitied cows for being so stupid that they couldn’t contemplate existence.

While becoming a monk is an evolutionary dead end for the individual, celibacy reaps benefits for the group as a whole.

The answer is both disappointing and exciting.

More humans are being born with a third arm artery, an example of microevolution happening right before our eyes.

Fossils of Australopithecus in a South African cave are one million years older than previously thought. This challenges the consensus that humans first evolved in East Africa.

Science doesn't fit neatly into ideology.

The chemistry of cooking over an open flame.

Shame is a powerful tool that must be used with care.

The simulation gave researchers some of the first concrete data linking climate change to human evolution and speciation.

Instead of a mental illness, some research suggests that psychopathy — in moderation — is a reasonable life strategy.

Archaic humans ventured into Eurasia in waves, not always successfully. They may have started their journey in North Africa or West Asia.

There were at least eight other human species, some of whom existed for far longer than we have. Who were they?

The "Clovis First" hypothesis for human settlement of North and South America has just been debunked. Where do we go from here?

Mutations that confer malaria resistance occur more frequently in people who live in regions where the disease is endemic.

Awe is a powerful force, a fact that is both exciting and terrifying.

Outrage is a useful emotion that helped our ancient ancestors survive. Today, it leaves us feeling angry, tired, powerless, and miserable.

Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.

The human brain is only the latest chapter in the ancient story of thinking on Earth.

The dark genome makes up 98% of human DNA. Scientists are just beginning to understand its role in cognitive disorders.

As always, aDNA research raises as many questions as answers.

The paradox of tribalism is that humans need a sense of belonging to be healthy and happy, but too much tribalism is deadly. We are one tribe.

Was this a moment when humans interbred with Neanderthals?