Anthropology

Using advanced sequencing technologies, University of Oklahoma anthropologists demonstrate that human DNA can be significantly enriched from dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) enabling the reconstruction of whole mitochondrial genomes for maternal ancestry analysis--an alternative to skeletal remains in ancient DNA investigations of human ancestry.

A new study by scientists at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and Harvard Medical School offers surprising new insight into the genetic ancestry of modern humans. The research, published today in the journal Current Biology, also rewrites the timeline of when ancient humans interbred with other hominids by thousands of years.

Think your DNA is all human? Think again. And a new discovery suggests it’s even less human than scientists previously thought.

Forensic researchers have for the first time established science-based standards for identifying human remains based on X-rays of an individual's spine, upper leg or the side of the skull.

Residents of the remote equatorial islands of Melanesia share fragments of genetic code with two extinct human species. That's the key finding of a new study published March 17 in the journalScience.

Researchers have presented one of the first computerised tomography (CT) scans of a mummified individual from southern Africa, and also completed the first successful aDNA (ancient DNA) extraction from such remains.

The saint's legend speaks of a king who died a dramatic death in battle outside the church in Uppsala, Sweden, where he had just celebrated mass. But what can modern science tell us about his remains?

Henry VIII may have suffered repeated traumatic brain injuries similar to those experienced by football players and others who receive repeated blows to the head, according to research by a Yale University expert in cognitive neurology.

The first complete sequences of the Y chromosomes of Aboriginal Australian men have revealed a deep indigenous genetic history tracing all the way back to the initial settlement of the continent 50 thousand years ago, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology.

The modern plagues of obesity, physical inactivity and processed food have been definitively established as modern causes of colon cancer.

Genes are the latest trend in nutrition, at least going by the burgeoning legion of Internet companies offering diets tailored to our genetic make-up. These services are relatively affordable and simple to use.

A new study led by evolutionary biologist Alistair Evans of Monash University in Australia, took a fresh look at the teeth of humans and fossil hominins.

Biological anthropologists have discovered a new way of examining the fragile teeth of children who lived between the 11th and 15th centuries without damaging them.

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Imperial College London and Royal Veterinary College scientists used the full DNA sequences of Schistosoma mansoni parasites from Africa and the French Caribbean to discover the fluke’s origins, map its historic transmission and identify the secrets of its success.

The discovery spawned a number of hypotheses about the effects these genetic variants may have on the physical characteristics or behavior of modern humans, ranging from skin color to heightened allergies to fat metabolism…generating dozens of colorful headlines including “What your Neanderthal DNA is doing for you” and “Neanderthals are to blame for our allergies” and “Did Europeans Get Fat From Neanderthals?”