The inference of Neanderthal cognition, including their cultural and linguistic capabilities,
has persisted as a fiercely debated research topic for decades. This lack of consensus is …

Neural networks are modified and reorganized throughout life, even in the matured brain.
Synapses in the networks form, change, or disappear dynamically in the plasticity state. The …

Efforts to name and classify Middle Pleistocene Homo, often referred to as “Homo
heidelbergensis” are hampered by confusing patterns of morphology but also by conflicting …

Study purpose Deleterious mutations would be rapidly purged from natural populations
along with the extinction of their carriers. The currently observed mutations in existing …

Background It is believed that natural selection acts on the phenotypical changes caused by
mutations. Phenotypically, from fishes to amphibians to reptiles, the emergence of limbs …

For decades, interdisciplinary research efforts have accumulated insights that diminish the
significance of the classic nature versus nurture dichotomy, instead calling for a nuanced …

The recent technological developments have allowed to use molecular-biology tools for
archaeological studies. This way, some ancient nucleic-acid and peptide remains can be …

Palaeogenomic data have illuminated several important periods of human past with
surprising implications for our understanding of human evolution. One of the major changes …

Human KLK8/neuropsin, a kallikrein-related serine peptidase, is mostly expressed in skin
and the hippocampus regions of the brain, where it regulates memory formation by synaptic …

The population genetics of Pleistocene hominins is deduced from three types of data:
coalescent processes and haplotype trees estimated from surveys of genetic variation in …