How young orangutans learn
Young orangutans must acquire a vast set of skills and knowledge as they grow. They do this through several years of observational social learning and practice. New research shows that growing female and male orangutans pay attention to different types of individuals.
How early humans used fire to permanently change the Stone Age landscape
An interdisciplinary group of researchers have shown how early humans used fire to shape the environments to suit their needs. In doing so, they transformed the landscape around them in ways still visible today.
Discarded ostrich shells provide timeline for our early African ancestors
Archaeologists have learned a lot about our ancestors by rummaging through their garbage piles. One common kitchen scrap in Africa– shells of ostrich eggs–is now helping unscramble the mystery of when these changes took place, providing a timeline for some of the earliest Homo sapiens who settled down to utilize marine food resources along the South African coast more than 100,000 years ago.
The oldest human burial in Kenya
An international team of researchers has identified the earliest known human burial in Africa at Panga ya Saidi, a cave near the Kenyan coast. The remains of a 2.5 to 3 year-old child were found deliberately buried in a shallow grave directly under the sheltered overhang of the cave. The child was laid carefully on their side, in a curled up position, likely wrapped in a shroud with a pillow under the child's head.
Archaeology in West Africa gives new insights into human history
New Leakey Foundation-supported research opens a new window into the prehistory of West Africa, showing a rich Middle Stone Age past.