Human History

 

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology criticise how the decision to reject the Anthropocene as a geological epoch was reached and call for an independent review more

New study takes a land-and-water perspective on the evolution of our exceptional human stamina more

Scientists describe increased activity of the Neandertal growth hormone receptor and how it shapes the bodies of people who carry it today more

Ancient DNA reveals how political power and elite status may have been maintained among Iron Age nomadic societies more

Human DNA can survive on cave walls for thousands of years – shedding light on prehistoric human activity even where bones, sediments or artifacts are absent more

New research shows pre-agricultural intensification of plant use in Pleistocene Sri Lankan rainforests more

New study reveals how people lived in a period characterised by change more

773,000-year-old fossils from Thomas Quarry I in Morocco illuminate the shared ancestry of Homo sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans more

Genetic analyses of medieval human remains reveal large-scale migrations, regional diversity, and new insights into early medieval communities more

Early hunter and gatherers harvested wild barley in today’s southern Uzbekistan more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2023 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2022 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Max Planck researchers discover the oldest ever images of dogs on leashes more

Common ancestors from Neolithic Western Anatolia and Greece more

Researchers discover a new species of fossil human in a cave in South Africa more

4,500 years ago, humans migrated from the Eurasian steppe to Central Europe and thus may have contributed to the spread of the Indo-European languages more

Pre-Homo human ancestral species, such as Australopithecus africanus, used human-like hand postures much earlier than was previously thought more

An interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events more

New high precision radiocarbon dates of bone collagen show that a cultural exchange may have taken place between modern humans and Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago. more

For the first time, researchers have found plant remains in the two-million-year-old dental plaque of ancient hominins’ teeth more