Neanderthals and sapiens were longtime neighbours in Europe

Far from wiping out Neanderthals overnight, modern humans lived alongside their shorter and stockier cousins in Europe for thousands of years, confirms a new study. Using new radiocarbon dating techniques, a team of international scientists show Neanderthals overlapped with present-day humans in Europe for between 2600 and 5400 years before disappearing about 40,000 years ago. The findings overturn previous theories that suggest late-surviving groups of Neanderthals lived in places such as Gibraltar later than 40,000 years ago.

Tiny dust grains may be from interstellar space

Scientists believe they have captured the first samples of space dust that comes from beyond our solar system.

Egyptian mummification began before the Pharaohs

Prehistoric Egyptians practised mummification well before the time of the Pharaohs, suggests an analysis of resin-soaked linen.

Did the 'Hobbit' have Down syndrome?

The so-called 'Hobbit' skeleton discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores is simply a small modern human with Down syndrome and not a new species of early human, say researchers. But Professor Colin Groves, a bioanthropologist at the Australian National University, says the papers' conclusions are "implausible".  Groves believes the authors have ignored much of the evidence in favour of LB1's status as a separate species.