I write about life sciences, health and the environment. My first book "The Genesis Quest" is about how life on Earth began and is out now
How regrowing your own teeth could replace dentures and implants
For the more than 7 per cent of people over the age of 20 who don’t have any of their own teeth, the only option is artificial substitutes. But an era of regrowing living teeth may now be almost upon us
Archaeology: a grounded discipline
Long-held notions – such as the perceived lack of intelligence among hunter-gatherers or the causal link between agriculture and centralized power – are now being re-examined
70,000 years ago humans underwent a major shift – that’s why we exist
Ancient humans in Africa changed their behaviour in a major way 70,000 years ago, which could explain how their descendants managed to people the rest of the world
A drowned landscape held clues to the lives of ancient human relatives
More than 6,000 animal — plus two Homo erectus — fossils came from the seafloor off Java
First full genome of Ancient Egyptian sequenced
An ancient Egyptian's complete genome has been read for the first time. The DNA of a man who lived in Egypt over 4500 years ago offers a new window into the ancient society.
An ancient Egyptian's complete genome has been read for the first time
The genome of a man who lived in Egypt over 4500 years ago offers a new window on the ancient society and hints at connections with Mesopotamia
The remarkable tale of how humans nearly didn’t conquer the world
Over tens of thousands of years, waves of Homo sapiens set out across Europe and Asia, only for their societies and cultures to mysteriously vanish. At last, ancient DNA is revealing why
Women's pelvises are shrinking – how is that changing childbirth?
Over the past 150 years, the rise in Caesarean sections and changes in diet could have led to smaller pelvises among women – which may make vaginal birth more difficult but could also reduce common conditions associated with childbirth
Why you should assume that even the simplest animals are conscious
There is mounting evidence that even surprisingly simple animals, like invertebrates, have a level of consciousness - but not in the way you might think
First skull of mysterious human ancestor
An ancient skull discovered in China has been confirmed to belong to a Denisovan.
We finally know what the face of a Denisovan looked like
The Denisovans, a mysterious group of ancient humans originally identified purely from DNA, finally have a face
Ancient humans’ extraordinary journey to South America
Humans first arrived in South America through a series of extraordinary migrations – and genetic studies now reveal more about how they settled and then split into four distinct groups on the continent
Ancient humans evolved to be better teachers as technology advanced
As our ancestors developed more advanced tools and cultural practices, they also developed new ways of explaining concepts to others – culminating in the emergence of complex language
We’re about to unlock the secrets of ancient human brains
For the first time, we have a method for extracting proteins from preserved soft tissues like brains – which could be a treasure trove of evolutionary information
Your imagination doesn’t get worse as you age – but it does change
It’s natural to associate wild flights of fantasy with children and a more mundane internal world with adult life. The latest research, though, shows that isn't the whole picture