Geneticists have a better understanding of how prehistoric pairings unfolded, with new research suggesting they were mostly ...

A preference for pairings between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens may answer the question of why there are "Neanderthal deserts" in human chromosomes.

New research reveals that ancient interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals shaped our modern human DNA - especially on the X chromosome.

By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded ...

Long before DNA unraveled the double helix of life, scientists were already tinkering with its inheritance. The idea that traits could be passed from one generation to the next fascinated early ...

Learn how sex-biased interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans explains why Neanderthal DNA is largely missing ...

It is often assumed that modern humans are no longer evolving. But there is now considerable agreement among scientists that evolution is still affecting our species—and this process is taking place ...

Biologists have debated the reason why Homo sapiens evolved a prominent lower jaw, but this unique feature may actually be a ...

When most people think about natural selection, they imagine individuals competing with one another: The fastest animal escapes predators, the strongest plant produces more seeds, and the most ...

A new study explains why humans have chins while other primates do not. Researchers found that the chin likely formed as a ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American My evening plan to read Harry Potter for the ...