Lead exposure may have spelled evolutionary success for humans—and extinction for our ancient cousins—but other scientists ...

Fossilized human teeth spanning two million years of evolution had shockingly high contents of lead, which may have been the ...

A one-million-year-old skull discovered in central China could push back the origins of modern humans by at least half a ...

When we think of lead poisoning, most of us imagine modern human-made pollution, paint, old pipes, or exhaust fumes.

Learn how early humans evolved at a much faster rate than other apes, adapting larger brains as they developed new ways to socialize.

Scientists found that ancient lead exposure shaped early human evolution. The toxin may have played a surprising role in the development of modern cognition and language. An international team of ...

Ancient ankle bones of Ardipithecus ramidus reveal how early humans combined climbing and upright walking, reshaping the ...

Our brains evolved for complex thought and language - but the same genes that made us smarter may have increased mental illness risk.

A recent study dramatically pushes back the date for the emergence of our species, though some researchers call for further ...

An international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon. The ...

Long before factories, mines, and cars filled the air with pollution, our distant ancestors were already living with a silent ...

A small blood gene difference made Neanderthal pregnancies with modern humans risky, possibly contributing to their disappearance.