human evolution Archives

Proof of Evolution Is in Your DNA

October 9, 2019April 1, 2021 Science Connecteddna, evolution, human dna, human evolution

Another great video from our friend Dr. Joe Hanson and the team behind the video series It’s Okay to Be Smart, brought to you by PBS Digital Studios. This time, we’re looking at the proof of evolution that’s embedded right there in our DNA. According to Dr. Hanson, “Humans are special, and we got that way thanks to evolution and natural selection. The proof is right there in our bodies! From anatomy to genes, here are some stories of how you got to be the way you are.” Evolution of…

Astronomy and Astrophysics Chemistry Paleontology

Supernova: Exploding Stars and Life on Earth

March 7, 2019April 16, 2021 Science Connectedevolution, extinction, human evolution, stars, supernova

Can exploding stars dozens of light years away affect life on earth? Learn how a supernova can affect the earth, from organisms ozone.

Neoteny: Why do Disney princesses look like babies?

Biology Science and Art Science Videos STEM Education

Neoteny: Why Disney Princesses Look Like Babies

August 21, 2018August 17, 2018 Science Connectedevolution, human evolution

Neoteny, Evolution, and Disney Our friend Dr. Joe Hanson from It’s Okay to Be Smart (PBS Digital Studios) goes full science nerd on neoteny, Disney princesses, and evolution. I noticed something weird about Disney Princesses lately. Naturally, I had to examine it through the lens of science. The answer led me to new knowledge about human development, the domestication and taming of animals, and why we find things cute in the first place. You’ll never look at cartoons the same way again. –Joe Hanson, PhD [tweetthis]It’s time to go full…

This map shows the proportion of the genome inferred to be Denisovan in ancestry in diverse non-Africans. The color scale is not linear to allow saturation of the high Denisova proportions in Oceania (bright red) and better visualization of the peak of Denisova proportion in South Asia. Sankararaman et al./Current Biology 2016

Archaeology Biology

Modern Humans, Meet Your Denisovan Ancestors

May 9, 2016March 18, 2022 Science Connectedhuman evolution

Do you have Denisovan DNA? New research suggests that some present-day humans derive more of their ancestry from Denisovans than from Neanderthals.

Prehistoric stone tools: An elephant rib bearing marks from flint tools at the Revadim site. (American Friends of Tel Aviv University)

Archaeology

Prehistoric Stone Tools with Animal Residue

March 24, 2015April 1, 2021 Science Connectedarchaeology, evolution, human evolution

About 2.8 million years ago, early humans probably survived on a diet of plants. As the human brain expanded, however, it craved richer nourishment, namely animal fat and meat. Lacking claws and sharp teeth, early humans developed the skills and prehistoric stone tools necessary to hunt large animals and cut the fat and meat from the carcasses. Recently, this rare fossil shed new light on early human evolution. Long before that, our oldest known primate ancestors lived in trees and may have looked like this. Also, prehistoric human settlements have…