SA Special Editions

An ancient infant skeleton yields new insight into how humans evolved to walk upright

Sensational fossils from South Africa spark a debate over the origins of Homo

Our nearly hairless skin was a key factor in the emergence of other human traits

Comparisons of the genomes of humans and chimpanzees are revealing those rare stretches of DNA that are ours alone

Our hominid ancestors probably could not have eaten enough raw food to support large, calorie-hungry brains. The key to our evolution may have been the invention of the kitchen

The rise of senior citizens may have played a big role in the success of our species

Some evolutionary psychologists have trumpeted claims about how the human mind evolved that other scholars take issue with. Here is how the evidence shapes up

Shortly after Homo sapiens arose, harsh climate conditions nearly extinguished our species. The small population that gave rise to all humans alive today may have survived by exploiting a unique combination of resources along the southern coast of Africa

DNA furnishes an ever clearer picture of the multimillennial trek from Africa all the way to the tip of South America

Humans colonized the New World earlier than previously thought—a revelation that is forcing scientists to rethink long-standing ideas about these trailblazers

Paleoanthropologists know more about Neandertals than any other extinct human. But their demise remains a mystery, one that gets curiouser and curiouser

Genome analysis indicates Neandertals and modern humans interbred

The mini human species found in Indonesia turns out to be even stranger than previously thought and complicates the story of our ancient past

Far from being a nagging exception to the rule of evolution, cooperation has been one of its primary architects

Analyses of our DNA suggest that recent human evolution has occurred more slowly than biologists would have expected

Conditions of modern life could be driving changes in the makeup of our genes. Our bodies and our brains may not be the same as those of our descendants