Human History

 

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

Livestock played a role in prehistoric plague infections more

A cross-cultural study tests the extent to which the consumption of wine and beer facilitated the evolution of human societies more

A new study has reconstructed two 4000-year-old genomes from the rare pathogen Mycobacterium lepromatosis more

A new study reveals the significance of regional dispersals and local interactions in coastal Papua New Guinea more

Study challenges long-held assumptions about the Mediterranean Phoenician-Punic civilization, one of the most influential maritime cultures in history 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