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Extinction

Neanderthal warrior            Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

Neanderthals and Humans Were at War… For 100,000 Years!

Once much of Eurasia was dominated by Neanderthals, our archaic human ancestors. And the extinction of Neanderthals is one of the great mysteries in science. An evolutionary biologist and...
Artist’s reconstruction of a savannah in Middle Pleistocene Southeast Asia. In the foreground Homo erectus, stegodon, hyenas, and Asian rhinos are depicted. Water buffalo can be seen at the edge of a riparian forest in the background. Source: Peter Schouten / Nature

Nature Killed Off Megafauna, And It Could Happen Again

The giant beasts and ancient megafauna that roamed Southeast Asia 100,000 years ago died because of climate change. A team of scientists from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, has published...
An artist’s impression of the Oksoko avarsan dinosaur. Source: (Michaeol Skrepnick / University of Edinburgh)

Missing Link in Dinosaur Evolution Discovered in the Gobi Desert

Buried beneath the sands of Mongolia ’s Gobi Desert for 68 million years, multiple skeletons of a new species of feathered, two-fingered, toothless dinosaurs have been unearthed by a team of...
The discovery of an upper canine milk tooth that belonged to a Neanderthal child, aged 11 or 12, is believed to be about 48,000 years old. The discovery could help understand some of the last Neanderthals in Europe and why they became extinct. Source: Journal of Human Evolution.

48,000-Year-Old Tooth Belonged to One of the Last European Neanderthals

The discovery of a milk tooth from a Neanderthal child has been hailed as a major breakthrough. The tiny tooth possibly belonged to one of the last Neanderthals to have lived in Europe and is...
Neanderthal in a cave

Oldest Ever Neanderthal Remains Found, Dating Back 116,000 Years!

In 2008 a team of archaeological excavators digging in the Stajnia Cave near Mirów in Poland, unearthed deeply-ancient tools among the remains of Neanderthal hunters. This discovery represented the...
Researchers have sampled an enormous stalagmite in the Pozzo Cucù cave in Italy in order to conduct paleoclimatic reconstruction of the last ice age. Their conclusions have helped answer questions related to the demise of Neanderthals. Source: O. Lacarbonara / University of Bologna

Climate Change Did Not Cause the Demise of Neanderthals

On August 29th 2018 The Smithsonian Institute announced “Climate records gathered from stalagmites in Romanian caves show two extremely cold dry periods correspond with the disappearance of...
The cave painting, believed to represent the now extinct giant sloth lemur, was discovered in the a limestone cave located in a nature reserve in western Madagascar. Source: gudkovandrey / Adobe Stock

Unique Painting of Extinct Giant Sloth Discovered in Madagascar Cave

A team of scientists exploring a cave in western Madagascar have discovered an ancient painting which they are calling the “only known drawing of an extinct giant lemur” that once lived in the island...
Original artwork depicting the moment of the asteroid strike in present-day Mexico. 	Image: Chase Stone / Nature Communications

Dinosaur-dooming Asteroid Struck Earth at 'Deadliest Possible' Angle

New simulations from Imperial College London have revealed the asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs struck Earth at the 'deadliest possible' angle. The simulations show that the asteroid hit Earth at...
Study from international team of researchers shows introduced hippos in Colombia can restore a lost world. Left: Mugshot of Pablo Escobar. Right: A representation of hippo in a river.       Source: Left; Colombian National Police / Public domain, Right; Carl / Adobe stock

Could Pablo Escobar’s Hippos in Colombia Restore a Lost World?

University of Massachusetts A study from an international team of researchers including UMass Amherst biologist John Rowan shows introduced species (e.g. hippos in Colombia) can restore a lost world...
Viking migrants in Ireland. Source: Jürgen Hamann / Adobe Stock.

Viking Migrants May Have Saved the Irish From Extinction

A new study could re-write the history of Ireland in the Middle Ages . It shows that the Irish population was in serious decline until the coming of the Vikings . This could change historians’ views...
King Charles II of Spain, was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. He is now best remembered for his physical disabilities. Source: TRAJAN 117 / Public Domain

Inbreeding Armageddon Annihilated The Habsburg Dynasty

Scientists have proven inbreeding brought about severe facial deformations and collapsed of one of Europe’s most powerful historical dynasties . The royal European Habsburg family sat on the throne...
Illustration of Neanderthal Man Holding Neanderthal's Skull  Source: Roni / Adobe Stock

Neanderthals Died Out due to Inbreeding and Bad Luck

Researchers now believe that they may have established why the Neanderthals became extinct. Expert analysts using population models believe that inbreeding and the internal dynamics of their small...
A Neanderthal skull shows head trauma, evidence of ancient violence. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Were Other Humans the First Victims of the Sixth Mass Extinction?

Nick Longrich / The Conversation 300,000 years ago, nine human species walked the Earth. Now there’s just one. The Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis , were stocky hunters adapted to Europe’s cold...
This illustration shows the structure of the Eustachian Tube in a Neanderthal male and it's similarity to the human infant. Source: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.

Did a Common Childhood Illness Take Down the Neanderthals?

A 21st century nuisance for parents may have proved deadly to early man . It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of anthropology. What killed off the Neanderthals , and why did Homo sapiens thrive...
Peruvian hairless dog. Source: CC BY SA 3.0

Hairless Dogs Hang Out at Peru’s Ancient Pyramids

Ancient hairless dogs parade around Peru’s pyramids, looking for new love. A Peruvian hairless dog known as “perro peruano sin pelo” is defined by its shiny black leathery wrinkled skin, broken by...
Neanderthal extinction has been blamed on a drop in fertility. Source: Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock.

Small Drop In Fertility Rate May Have Led To Neanderthal Extinction

Sapiens be warned, the life of a population is fragile! After decades of speculation about Neanderthals being wiped out by our ancestors, a new scientific study suggests that Neanderthal extinction...
The Ruins of Quilmes, Argentina

Quilmes Ruins, Sacred Place of Diaguita People

Argentina is a vast country revered for its many natural wonders and beautiful scenery. Less well-known, however, are its historic sites. In fact, some of the most important pre-Columbian ruins, such...
Fossil site preserves animals killed within minutes of 66-million-year-old meteor impact.

66-Million-year-old Deathbed Linked to Dinosaur-Annihilating Meteor

Fossilized fish piled one atop another, suggesting that they were flung ashore and died stranded together on a sand bar after the wave from the seiche withdrew. The beginning of the end started with...
New research suggests Neanderthal extinction was earlier than previously believed.

New Evidence Questions the Time and Place of Neanderthal Extinction

In recent years there have been a series of finds that have revolutionized our understanding of the Neanderthals and their extinction in Eurasia. It is widely held in academic circles that...
Prehistoric men hunting a young mammoth

New Discovery Shows Prehistoric Humans May Have Hunted Mammoths to Extinction

It has long been debated as to how our ancient ancestors were able to kill mammoths . In Poland, a discovery has been made that should throw more light how prehistoric hunters killed these giants,...
Superflares From Young Red Dwarf Stars Imperil Planets. The Nemesis star may be a dim Red Dwarf star.

Lost Star of Myth and Time: Nemesis – Our Sun’s Missing Death Star Companion

The great issue facing the binary theory today is, well, the absence of an obvious candidate for the part. In the visible realm, we do not appear to have any stars near enough that fit the bill,...
Giant elephant birds, once the largest birds in the world, may have coexisted with people for millennia.

Humans were Hunting the Largest Bird in the World on Madagascar 10,500 Years Ago

Analysis of elephant bird bones, once the largest bird in the world, has revealed that humans arrived on the tropical island of Madagascar more than 6,000 years earlier than previously thought. They...
The Ba’Aka pygmies are on the brink of extinction.

Hidden in History, Exposed to Modern Epidemics, the Lost Tribe of Ba’Aka Pygmies May Face Extinction

Deep in the rain forests of darkest Africa close to the Equator, in the Central African Republic, the Ba’Aka tribe – formerly known as pygmies - have lived for more than 40,000 years. Elusive, hiding...
Depiction of a Neanderthal

Cold Climates Contributed to the Extinction of the Neanderthals

Climate change may have played a more important role in the extinction of Neanderthals than previously believed, according to a new study published in the journal, Proceedings of the Natural Academy...

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