Profile paintings changed as our ways of thinking shifted over time. Find out how that helps explain the link between our culture and our cognition. (5:00 min read)
Category: Culture
Discoveries related to the knowledge, technology, customs and art shared among humans and passed down through generations.
Conspiracy Theories Spread Faster Than Germs
Conspiracy theories have been around a lot longer than this viral outbreak. Find out their history and features and how to handle people who spread them. (12:30 min read)
Human History Isn’t a Straight Line – It’s a Tangled Web
Human history is often shown as a neat March of Progress from one species to the next. Find out how DNA testing proves it's much more complicated than that. (4:00 min read time)
Hunter-Gatherer Culture and Storytellers
Hunter-gatherer culture is often seen as survival of the fittest individuals by brains or brawn. Find out how new studies show that the opposite is true. (4:30 min)
Neanderthal DNA Leaves Winding Trail
Neanderthal DNA has turned up in present-day Africans' genes. Find out how this stands current theories about early human history on their heads. (5:00 min read)
Prehistoric Africa Revealed by Ancient Children’s DNA
Prehistoric Africa is the home of all humans. Find out how the discovery of DNA evidence in a rock shelter in Cameroon is shedding new light on our common ancestors. (4:00 min read)
Starchy Plants Cooked 170,000 Years Ago
Starchy plant remains have been found in 170,000 year old cooking fire ashes in South Africa. Find out what this tells us about our human origins. (4:00 min read)
Swing and Sway the Chimpanzee Way
Chimpanzees swing and sway to sounds in a form of proto-dance. Find out how this is shedding light on the origins of humanity's universal art of the dance. (5:00 min read)
Rock Art Depicts Oldest Story Ever Told
Rock art discovered by archeologists in Indonesia depicts the oldest story they have ever uncovered. Find out more about cave paintings and storytelling. (6:30 min read)
Friendly Faces Drove Human Evolution
Friendly faces are something we all look for in others. Now science confirms that they exist based on genetics and human evolution. Find out more. (4:00 min read)