The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses ...

If we look across the whole of the mammal branch of the tree of life, we find there are many groups of mammals that have ...

A groundbreaking DNA study has unveiled a hidden chapter in human evolution, revealing that all modern humans evolved from two ancient and distinct groups. This research, published in March 2025, ...

Ancient DNA is turning human prehistory into something startlingly intimate. Instead of a clean handoff from one species to another, the last 50,000 years look more like a long, tangled story of ...

Analysis of ancient proteins may fill in the gaps of human evolution left by the decomposition of DNA. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

Human evolution’s biggest mystery, which emerged 15 years ago from a 60,000-year-old pinkie finger bone, finally started to unravel in 2025. Analysis of DNA extracted from the fossil electrified the ...

The frequently cited 99% similarity between human and chimp DNA overlooks key differences in the genomes. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how ...

Researchers at the University of Maine are theorizing that human beings may be in the midst of a major evolutionary shift—driven not by genes, but by culture. "Human evolution seems to be changing ...

Researchers have reconstructed ancient herpesvirus genomes from Iron Age and medieval Europeans, revealing that HHV-6 has been infecting humans for at least 2,500 years. Some people inherited the ...

One person’s junk is another’s treasure. An international team of scientists have found that strings of “junk” DNA in the human genome that were previously written off as having no useful function are ...