Evolved
A Malthusian model of hybridization in human evolution
Angus Chu
Oxford Economic Papers, forthcoming
Abstract:
Early modern humans interbred with archaic humans. We explore this phenomenon through an economic lens to reveal what shaped the origins of our species. In a Malthusian growth model with initial non-hybrid humans, we derive population dynamics and the conditions for hybrid humans to emerge and survive, which explains why modern humans still carry DNA from archaic humans. It is possible for a higher hybridization rate to reduce long-run population size and raise long-run output per capita. A sufficiently high hybridization rate causes only hybrid humans to survive. This result captures the probable scenario that all modern humans are hybrid descendants of archaic and early modern humans and provides the following novel insight: modern humans, which emerged from interbreeding, caused the extinction of archaic and early modern humans. Finally, our analysis also shows that the low proportion of Neanderthal-derived DNA in modern humans is due to their relatively early extinction.
Pronounced increase in biface knapping skill half a million years ago in Britain
Ceri Shipton et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2026
Abstract:
Flake scar patterning indicates Acheulean knappers were attempting to make thin, symmetrical handaxes with regular edges. In this study we quantify these elements of handaxe form and test the variation between the first two waves of Acheulean occupation in Britain. The results show a marked contrast between these groups in thinness, symmetry, and edge regularity. Handaxes from sites such as Fordwich dated to > 0.56 Ma are crude, whereas those from sites including Boxgrove dated to ∼0.48 Ma are highly refined. This contrast in biface skill outcomes seems to have been facilitated by the use of soft-hammers and platform preparation, both of which are evident at Boxgrove. Furthermore, it suggests an increase in hominin motor control around half a million years ago that may have implications for the emergence of speech.
Worlebury Hillfort, Somerset: Interdisciplinary Reanalysis of an Iron Age Massacre
Michael Legge et al.
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, forthcoming
Abstract:
Excavations at the Iron Age site of Worlebury hillfort during the mid-late 19th century revealed a large number of human skeletal remains, interpreted as victims of a ‘massacre’. Reanalysis of these remains, combining AMS dating, osteological, aDNA, histotaphonomy, and isotope analysis, has enabled a re-evaluation of this hypothesis. AMS dating lends support to the notion that many of these individuals may have died during a single episode, while osteological analysis has identified significant evidence for perimortem trauma, and the histology supports a short period between death and deposition. The genetic data suggest that the human remains represent a group with biological links through the maternal line and connections to another nearby site, while the isotope values are consistent with a local population, consuming animals raised in a salt-marsh environment like the Severn Estuary. Our results demonstrate the value of returning to often unpromising antiquarian collections using an integrated suite of modern analytical approaches.
From bone chemistry to human demography: Uncovering copper age society at Valencina (c. 2900–2650 BC)
Leonardo García Sanjuán et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2026
Abstract:
Until recently, the study of Iberian Copper Age society was severely hampered by the limited availability of anthropological and demographic data. This was largely caused by the fact that the main reference sites for this period offered limited collections of human bone. With the turn of the 21st century this situation has gradually changed. In this paper we present a multi-disciplinary approach to a well-dated and well-contextualised collection of 126 individuals, retrieved from the Valencina Copper Age megasite (Sevilla, Spain). A host of methods are applied , including standard bioarchaeology, amelogenin peptides, stable strontium isotopes, aDNA and total mercury. The results offer the first methodologically complex view of Iberian Early Copper Age society, including themes such as burial rites, sex and age demographics, pathologies, mobility, biological kinship, ancestry and lifestyles. This reveals a fluid and diverse society based of a high degree of mobility and far-reaching connectivity, with limited social hierarchization and a striking prevalence of female leaders. This evidence suggests that further high-resolution multi-method approaches need to be taken in order to understand early complex societies world-wide, as observations based on the ethnographic record may not provide entirely valid epistemological frameworks.
The elephant in the oppidum. Preliminary analysis of a carpal bone from a Punic context at the archaeological site of Colina de los Quemados (Córdoba, Spain)
Rafael Martínez Sánchez et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2026
Abstract:
Prior to the construction and enlargement of the medical consulting room of the Cordoba Provincial Hospital (Spain) an archaeological excavation was required and carried out in 2020. These works affected one specific area along the southern slope of the site of Colina de los Quemados, identified with the Iberian oppidum of Corduba. This was abandoned after the re-foundation of the Roman town, genesis of the current city. The investigation documented successive phases of occupation, starting from the Late Bronze Age (10th-8th century BCE) to the Islamic medieval period. Among the contexts found in an intermediate phase, which contained traces of an industrial area with ovens, streets and other structures of the Iberian Late Iron Age, up to 12 spherical stone balls used in artillery were documented. This evidence, together with some numismatic finds, probably points to a military context, likely related to the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE). A carpal bone from the right forefoot of an elephant, found under a collapse corresponding to this phase, has yielded a radiocarbon dating between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. This find has important implications for the archaeological and physical evidence of the use of these animals in the Ancient World, which until now has only been supported by documentary and iconographic sources.