Neanderthal

Neanderthals used tar extracted from birch tree bark as a glue to haft their tools, according to previous research. It now appears this dark, sticky substance may have had multiple applications.

A new study suggests that genes from the ancient human species, Homo erectus, may have been passed on to living people in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and across south-east Asia.

Few of us enjoy the dentist – but think about how lucky you are that you don't have to visit a Neanderthal tooth doctor. A molar found in a cave has revealed the oldest known example of dental work, with stone tools being used as rudimentary drills.

While modern humans follow a steady growth pattern, Neanderthals may have reached physical and brain maturity much earlier. Dental and skeletal remains show that 6-month-old Neanderthal babies grew to be as large as 14-month-old humans.

Using chemical clues from Neanderthal bones, researchers have placed them at the top of the food chain, alongside apex predators like lions. However, until now, experts have been missing out on one of their key, fat-rich, food sources: Maggots.

Once thought an exclusive human skill, the ability to make fire on demand has long been seen as a turning point in our evolutionary story. But new research suggests Neanderthals also mastered fire-making hundreds of thousands of years before Homo sapiens.

New evidence shows that Neanderthals, early Homo sapiens and even earlier hominins were using, processing and eating starches, grass seeds, nuts, fruits, sedges and tubers long before the supposed "Broad Spectrum Revolution" diet shift took place.

Lead poisoning isn’t just an industrial-age problem. A new study reveals our ancestors, including Neanderthals, were exposed to lead for millions of years, shaping how their brains evolved and overturning what scientists thought about our toxic history.