Latest news with #Homofloresiensis
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Newly Released Images Show 3 Early Human Species
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The BBC has released new images showcasing early human species as part of its upcoming science series, Human. Why It Matters This release is significant for both scientists and the public, providing historically accurate reconstructions that bring to life key moments in our ancestry. What To Know The series, presented by paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi, will explore the story of human evolution over the past 300,000 years. The series explores how human beings went from being one of many life forms to being the dominant life form on the planet. Al-Shamahi has been able to tell the story thanks to breakthroughs in DNA technology and fossil evidence. The reconstructions offer both educational value and a window into the evolutionary journey that shaped modern humans' origins and survival strategies. The 3D models revealed depict Homo floresiensis, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals), and the earliest known Homo sapiens. New images show scientific reconstructions of, on the left, Homo erectus, and, on the right, Homo floresiensis. New images show scientific reconstructions of, on the left, Homo erectus, and, on the right, Homo floresiensis. BBC Studios Early Human Species Brought to Life: Homo erectus lived between 1.89 million and 110,000 years ago, was the first to walk with a modern gait, and likely used fire. Originally native to Africa, they later migrated into Asia and possibly Europe. lived between 1.89 million and 110,000 years ago, was the first to walk with a modern gait, and likely used fire. Originally native to Africa, they later migrated into Asia and possibly Europe. Homo floresiensis , dubbed "the Hobbit" for its small stature, existed from around 700,000 to 50,000 years ago. Their remains have been found only on the Indonesian island of Flores. , dubbed "the Hobbit" for its small stature, existed from around 700,000 to 50,000 years ago. Their remains have been found only on the Indonesian island of Flores. Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) emerged about 430,000 years ago and survived until roughly 40,000 years ago. They adapted to cold Eurasian environments and interbred with Homo sapiens. (Neanderthals) emerged about 430,000 years ago and survived until roughly 40,000 years ago. They adapted to cold Eurasian environments and interbred with Homo sapiens. Earliest Homo sapiens fossils originate from Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, dating to about 300,000 years ago, showing features that bridge earlier hominins and modern humans. On the left, an image of an early Homo sapien, while on the right, an image shows a Neanderthal. On the left, an image of an early Homo sapien, while on the right, an image shows a Neanderthal. BBC Studios The models were crafted using photogrammetry, fossil data, and the latest advances in archaeological science to depict what these species may have looked like tens of thousands of years ago. The series will feature five episodes: The First of Us, Into the Unknown, Last Humans Standing, Discovering the Americas and A Great Gamble. What People Are Saying Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi told the BBC: "For millennia we have been the most dominant form of life on this planet, so it is easy to think that we were always destined for greatness. But a revolution in ancient DNA technology and the latest fossil finds from dig sites across the world are forcing us to accept that our species' story is far more extraordinary than we could ever imagine." What's Next The series will debut on July 14.
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
In brief: 33 Place Brugmann; The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire; A History of the World in 47 Borders
Alice AustenBloomsbury, £16.99, pp368 Set in Brussels as the Nazis invade Belgium, Austen's debut novel focuses on the inhabitants of a large apartment building. There's a Jewish art dealer and his family, an art student and her father, an elderly gossip and a talented seamstress. As the war progresses, each must decide who they can trust. Polyphonic in structure, the distinctiveness of each narrative voice is testament to Austen's skill and the resulting novel is both intimate and ambitious, lyrical and moving. Henry GeePicador, £18.99, pp288 In his latest highly engaging work of popular science, Gee explores whether the human race is doomed. Highlighting the many cousins of Homo sapiens driven to extinction – from neanderthals to Homo floresiensis – he goes on to examine aspects of more recent history that threaten our future, from our reliance on agriculture to climate change. But Gee is not without hope, suggesting that the future of humanity lies not on Earth but in space. Jonn ElledgeWildfire, £10.99, pp384 Taking a lateral view of history, Elledge focuses on the borders between territories, states and counties, and how they have been shaped by political forces. In entertaining, short chapters, he traverses wide sweeps of history from the Roman empire to the US-Mexican border by way of Russia, India and Korea. With a breezy, conversational tone, Elledge writes with wry humour and infectious enthusiasm. To order 33 Place Brugmann, The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire or A History of the World in 47 Borders go to Delivery charges may apply
CNN
26-01-2025
- Science
- CNN
Fossils found in China may add a new branch to the human family tree
The story of how humans evolved is a long and winding one — and it grows more complicated with each passing year. Discoveries in the past two decades have added new branches to the human family tree, including species such as the hobbit-like Homo floresiensis and the powerfully built Homo naledi. A pinkie bone recovered from Denisova Cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains in 2010 also led to the idea of a distinct ancient human population, dubbed the Denisovans, that some people share ancestry with today. Now, researchers are trying to solve the puzzle presented by a collection of humanlike fossils that have defied explanation for decades. We are family Skull fragments, teeth and jaws found at different sites in China have led some researchers to believe they have found the remains of a previously unknown ancient human relative. The scientists are proposing that the human ancestor, which had an extremely large brain bigger than that of modern humans, be called Homo juluensis. The designation of a newly identified species seems controversial to some experts. But researchers Christopher Bae, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and his colleague Wu Xiujie, a senior professor from Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, believe the species may also include the elusive Denisovans — even though a skull specimen traced to the cave-dwelling people has yet to be found. Across the universe Astronomers have been trying to determine what causes mysterious fast radio bursts from space since their discovery in 2007. The flashes release more energy in milliseconds than the sun does in a day. Now, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment radio telescope has helped researchers pin down the sources of two recently described bursts. Scientists traced one to the turbulent, magnetically active region around a rapidly spinning star called a magnetar. The other pulsated from the outskirts of a distant old, dead galaxy no longer producing stars, according to a new study. The wildly different origin points have led astronomers to believe the flashes can occur in diverse environments. The revelation could help unlock what causes the phenomenon. Wild kingdom The brush-tailed bettong could be mistaken for a miniature kangaroo based on its appearance and the pouch that holds its young. But the tiny marsupial has a not so warm and fuzzy side: It will eject the baby, called a joey, in its pouch and bounce away when threatened by predators. The brutal strategy is necessary for survival in a species that has seen its population decline by 90% — and even disappear for a time from South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. Conservation efforts are returning the brush-tailed bettong to its native land, where it plays a key ecological role. As the marsupials dig for their primary diet of underground fungi, they aerate the soil and encourage the growth of plants that other animals rely on. Look up A Ring doorbell camera captured the moment a meteorite slammed into the front walkway of a home on Canada's Prince Edward Island — where local professor Joe Velaidum had been standing just moments before. Scientists have now confirmed the specimen, named Charlottetown after the nearby capital city, is indeed a space rock that fell to Earth in July. While videos have documented meteorite strikes before, it's the first time one has been seen at such close range, complete with sound. The space rock likely spent millions of years hurtling around our solar system before winding up in its new home: the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection. Other worlds Thousands of mounds cover the lowlands of Mars, and they may hold the key to understanding the red planet's past. The towering features are similar to the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border. Ancient water flows that existed 4 billion to 3.8 billion years ago likely eroded and sculpted the formations, according to a new analysis of orbital images. The mounds include layers of minerals that can reveal the history of water on Mars, and they may be investigated by the European Space Agency's ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, expected to launch in 2028. The formations have also provided insight into one of the biggest mysteries on Mars — why the planet has a marked boundary between the soaring highlands of its southern hemisphere and shallow plains in the northern hemisphere. Curiosities Expand your knowledge with these intriguing reads: — Molten metals in Earth's core generate a constantly moving magnetic field, which means the magnetic north pole isn't fixed. It's now closer to Siberia than it was five years ago — and it's continuing to drift toward Russia. — Camera traps helped scientists spot rare species, including the sun bear and the first recorded sighting in Cambodia of a critically endangered deer species called the large-antlered muntjac, in a virtually unexplored part of the Southeast Asian nation. — Archaeologists in Denmark unearthed hundreds of disks marked with carvings of the sun. The researchers believe Stone Age farmers buried the 'sun stones' in response to a devastating volcanic eruption nearly 5,000 years ago.
