timeline for human evolution. Researchers have officially described 18 hominin specimens from the site, revealing that Homo erectus—a direct ancestor of modern humans—was present in the region 200,000 years earlier than previously established. The...

A 2-million-year-old skull fragment from South Africa provides compelling new evidence that Homo erectus appeared 200,000 years earlier than previously thought. A fresh analysis of fossil material recovered from South Africa’s Drimolen Main Quarry is...

the coast of Java, a newly discovered ancient river system reveals surprising insights into the life and migration of Homo erectus. Submerged beneath the waters of the Madura Strait, a long-lost prehistoric landscape is offering scientists a new window...

range typical of modern humans and Neanderthals, and were considerably thinner than the robust skulls associated with Homo erectus and other early Pleistocene hominins. This finding undermines the long‑standing view that unusually thick cranial bones...

This strengthens the idea that Homo habilis played an important role in early tool-making. Later human species, such as Homo erectus, had longer legs and shorter arms. Their bodies were better suited for long-distance walking. The new skeleton shows...

a rare glimpse into the life of the extinct hominin Paranthropus boisei, suggesting a body size comparable to that of Homo erectus and indicating that adult males may have moved together in groups. Ancient Mudflat Yields a Unique Hominin Record The...

The ghost branch could correspond to African Homo heidelbergensis or similar Middle Pleistocene hominins, while Homo erectus is a plausible candidate for the super‑archaic source. Future investigations that incorporate a broader spectrum of contemporary...

with single chop‑mark. Scale bars, 10 cm – © Nature Who Crafted the Interlocking Timber? Potential candidates include Homo erectus, a long‑lasting species that existed from roughly two million to one hundred thousand years ago, and Homo heidelbergensis,...

heidelbergensis, a hominin species known to have occupied the region during that timeframe. Other possibilities include Homo erectus. The wooden structure was found at an archaeological site upstream of Kalambo Falls in Zambia. Credit: Geoff...

evidence creates a new wrinkle in the evolutionary timeline, as it brings the size of P. boisei much closer to that of Homo erectus. Previously, the former was thought to be significantly smaller than the species often cited as a direct ancestor to...

detailed in a paper published on bioRxiv on August 8, 2026, place Denisovans well above the size range of both early Homo erectus and many modern human populations of the same era. The discovery poses a challenge to Bergmann’s rule, an ecological...