SA Special Editions

Many kinds of archaic humans walked the planet at the same time. How did Homo sapiens come to be the last species standing?

The latest molecular analyses and fossil finds suggest that the story of human evolution is far more complex—and more interesting—than anyone imagined

An astonishing trove of fossils has scientists, and the media, in a tizzy over our origins

Swings between wet and dry landscapes pushed some of our ancestors toward modern traits—and killed off others

By honing ax-making skills while scanning their own brains, researchers are studying how cognition evolved

Shortly after Homo sapiens arose, harsh climate conditions nearly extinguished our species. The small population that gave rise to all humans alive today may have survived by exploiting a unique combination of resources along the southern coast of Africa

DNA analyses find that early Homo sapiens mated with other human species and hint that such interbreeding played a key role in the triumph of our kind

A graphical tour of our evolutionary advantages starts with anatomy

Recent findings lay bare the origins of human hairlessness—and hint that naked skin was a key factor in the emergence of other human traits

The capacity to engage in shared tasks such as hunting large game and building cities may be what separated modern humans from our primate cousins

Analyses of anatomy, DNA and cultural remains have yielded tantalizing insights into the inner lives of our mysterious extinct cousins

Pairing up might have been the best move our ancestors ever made

The rise of senior citizens may have played a big role in the success of our species

New evidence of ancient ingenuity forces scientists to reconsider when our ancestors started thinking outside the box

We asked scientists for their views on the evolution of our species

For the first time in the history of our species, we are never alone and never bored. Have we lost something fundamental about being human?

For 30,000 years our species has been changing remarkably quickly. And we're not done yet

How will future generations make the voyage from our earthly home to the planets and beyond—and what will that mean for our species?

Genome comparisons reveal the DNA that distinguishes Homo sapiens from its kin