Smithsonian's Human Origins Program

10/22/2026

Archaeological evidence typically comes from bone, stone, shell, or other mineralized objects that preserve better over time, with wood and fiber materials being much rarer. Palmira Saladié from Universitat Rovira i Virgili - URV and colleagues published multiple new Neanderthal wooden artifacts from the site of Abric Romaní, many of which are carbonized or impressions left in travertine. These objects show that Neanderthal material culture, much like that of modern humans, goes beyond the stone tools archaeologists typically find.

Wooden objects usually decompose quickly, but periodic flooding and minerals in the water helped preserve those at a site called Abric Romaní. Archaeologists documented nearly 600 wooden objects—or their imprints—and 13 were clearly shaped by human hands

10/20/2026

New Neanderthal remains from Shanidar, Iraq show evidence of interpersonal violence. Emma Pomeroy from University of Cambridge and colleagues published the new remains, Shandiar A, showing a puncture wound in the shoulder blade likely caused by a spear or sharp implement. Skeletal evidence of aggression between individuals is very rare in the fossil record and this is the second instance from Shanidar; the other is a partially healed stab wound in the rib of Shanidar 3, on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Hall of Human Origins.

An excavation at an iconic Neandertal burial site uncovers evidence for one individual's potential fatal wound as well as an injury endured for years.

10/16/2026

For today's Friday fun reading: 10 fun facts about mountain gorillas! Read more about the world's largest primates and how The Leakey Foundation supports research and conservation at Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda below.

A gorilla researcher shares mountain gorilla facts along with some of the questions researchers are working to answer now.

10/15/2026

Interested in learning more about the REAL paleodiet? Register this free online International Archaeology Day 2026 Archaeological Institute of America Archaeology Hour talk by our own Briana Pobiner! It will take place next week on Wednesday, October 21, at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific.

10/14/2026

Join us tomorrow at 11:30 am Eastern time for our monthly HOT Topic speaker series! This month we welcome Dr. Trent Holiday from Tulane University who will talk about Neanderthal cold adaptations. Q&A to follow. This Zoom webinar is free, but registration is required. Learn more and register for the event at the link below!

While primates are tropical in origin, Neanderthals survived in the brutally cold climates of Eurasia through multiple glacial phases. How did they endure these extreme environments? Dr. Trent Holliday, Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University, will present evidence for cultural and biological...

10/13/2026

Early modern humans began to make cave art by around 60,000 years ago, with the practice really ramping up around 30-40,000 years ago. Why did they do it, and what have they left behind for us to find? Check out what its like to experience El Castillo Cave in northern Spain in the Smithsonian Magazine article below to learn more!

As archaeologists study the work of ancient artists, they notice that the images aren’t simply static; some are painted into the contours of the rock, and others are set in motion in torchlight

10/09/2026

For today's Friday fun reading: what is it like to step back into the footsteps of Neanderthals? John Hawks at University of Wisconsin-Madison tells us in a recent blog post. Visiting Vanguard Cave in Gibraltar, one can see the spaces where Neanderthals lived and worked, including hearths to make some of the earliest pitch glue from plant resins. Check out more in the blog post below!

The site has seen remarkable discoveries over 30 years, and excavations have opened a new unexplored chamber.

10/07/2026

New fossils from Drimolen Cave, South Africa, give clues to the origin of 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑜 𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑠 and contemporaneity with 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑠. An adult mandible dated to 2 million years ago, published by La Trobe University's Jesse Martin and colleagues, is among the oldest 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑜 𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑠 fossils in the world, and shows that the first hominin species to leave Africa was widespread from the beginning. Furthermore, the contemporaneous 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑠 fossils illustrate microevolution in that genus, potentially hinting at the divergence between the ecological niches of the genus 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑜 and 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑠.

La Trobe archaeologists have described 18 new hominin fossils, including a second Homo erectus skull fragment that confirms the species first appeared in southern Africa 2.0 million years ago—200,000 years earlier than traditionally thought.

10/06/2026

Curious what foods and diets fueled human evolution over the last 7 million years? You're in luck! CARTA (Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropology) is hosting a public symposium on hominin diets October 30th, 1pm Pacific Time, featuring experts on meat, microbiomes, cooking, and more! Visit the link below to learn more or register.

Access to the live webcast for this symposium will be provided here on Friday, October 30 starting at 1:00 PM (Pacific Time). All talks will be recorded and posted below. Check this page or follow our social media (links in page footer) for recording updates.

10/02/2026

For today's Friday fun reading: When early humans were on the Paleolithic predator menu. Roberta McClain with Science News Explores discusses leopard tooth marks on bones showing that our ancestors were not always the hunters - they were often the hunted. Read or listen to the article below, including quotes from our own Briana Pobiner!

Bite marks on a 2-million-year-old human jaw suggest leopards once hunted people as prey. People likely survived by learning to team up.