Monkey business: What howler monkeys can tell us about the role of interbreeding in human evolution by (author unknown)

Did different species of early humans interbreed and produce offspring of mixed ancestry? Recent genetic studies suggest that Neanderthals may have bred with anatomically modern humans tens of thousands of years ago in the Middle East, contributing to the modern human gene pool. But the findings are not universally accepted, and the fossil record has not helped to clarify the role of interbreeding, which is also known as hybridization. Now a study of interbreeding between two species of modern-day howler monkeys in Mexico is shedding light on why it's so difficult to confirm instances of hybridization among primates -- including early humans -- by relying on fossil remains.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121207101606.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29

European Romani exodus began 1,500 years ago, DNA evidence shows by (author unknown)

Despite their modern-day diversity of language, lifestyle, and religion, Europe's widespread Romani population shares a common, if complex, past. It all began in northwestern India about 1,500 years ago, according to a new study that offers the first genome-wide perspective on Romani origins and demographic history.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121206121940.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29

Reading history through genetics by (author unknown)

An engineering study demonstrates a new approach used to analyze genetic data to learn more about the history of populations. The authors, the first to develop a method that can describe in detail events in recent history, focused on two populations, the Ashkenazi Jews and the Masai people of Kenya.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205113528.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29

Africa's Homo sapiens were the first techies by (author unknown)

The search for the origin of modern human behavior and technological advancement among our ancestors in southern Africa some 70,000 years ago has taken a step closer to firmly establishing Africa, and especially South Africa, as the primary center for the early development of human behavior.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205103005.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29

National Geographic unveils new phase of genographic project by (author unknown)

The National Geographic Society has announced the next phase of its Genographic Project -- the multiyear global research initiative that uses DNA to map the history of human migration. Building on seven years of global data collection, Genographic shines new light on humanity's collective past, yielding tantalizing clues about humankind's journey across the planet over the past 60,000 years.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205084334.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29

Lisa Lucero by josten

Lisa Lucero

Lisa Lucero (U Illinois) was named a 2012 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lucero was honored for “distinguished service in the field of archaeology, with emphasis on the role of water management in Maya society and its contemporary implications.”

via Anthropology-News http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2012/12/03/lisa-lucero/

Smadar Lavie by josten

Smadar Lavie (UC Berkeley) awarded as a 2012-2013 Scholar in Residence at the Beatrice Bain Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley.

via Anthropology-News http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2012/12/03/smadar-lavie/