The view of some scientists that modern humans did not descend from the Neandertals gained support when scientists from Munich, Germany analyzed DNA from a Neandertal. A news article from Archeology Online News discusses the recent research and provides links to additional news clips. This site covers one of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 1997, compiled in the December 19, 1997 issue of ...

The Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian "is dedicated to understanding the biological and cultural foundations of human life." Their new site gives visitors an accessible and informative tour of the current state of human paleontology. At the heart of the site is a hypertext family tree of early human phylogeny that helps users see not only the relations between various incarnations of human...

A project involving Arizona State University's Institute for Human Origins (founded and directed by Donald C. Johanson, best-known for his discovery of "Lucy"), documentary filmmaker Lenora C. Johanson, and Terra Incognita, this site is designed to teach a general audience about human evolution and the search for early hominid life in the field. The key feature of the site is an extensive (and...

As a companion to the seven-part, eight-hour television series, PBS's Website offers an in-depth look at the history and complexities of evolution. From Darwin's Origin of Species to the role of religion, this site explores the topic in vivid detail. All interested will discover excellent information, but K-12 teachers will find the Teachers & Students section especially valuable. Here, resources...

The full-text of several books authored by University of Washington professor William H. Calvin are available online. His newest book A Brain for All Seasons (A Scientific American book of the month) is about "what sudden climate flips did to human evolution over the last 2.5 million years." Most of his other books also focus on the subjects of the brain and human evolution. The hyperlinked table...

The first Web site is an article from the New York Times (1) detailing some recent fossil discoveries that are shaking the paleontological world (free registration is required). Another relatively recent article from Guardian Unlimited (2) discusses a scientific debate surrounding the question of whether "a Western lifestyle now protects humanity from the forces that used to shape Homo sapiens."...

This Web site from Talk.Origins, a "Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and physical origins," aims to "provide an overview of the study of human evolution, and of the currently accepted fossil evidence." Recognized for excellence by a number of science and education organizations, this site has been updated to include new material concerning Homo habilus and two...

Created by Clark University Professors Charles Blinderman and David Joyce, this site explores one of the most famous scientific frauds in history. For almost forty years, Piltdown Man "inhabited a branch of the tree of human evolution, [and was] featured in professional articles and books, in newspaper reports, and even in biology textbooks read by high school students." It was not until 1953 that...

The Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory presents this multi-faceted educational Web site as part of the online feature "Genetic Origins: The study of human evolution begins with your own DNA." The Mitochondrial Control Region Web pages provides a comprehensive introduction (including first-hand lab experience) to the same methods researchers use to retrace the common...

The Journal of Evolution and Technology (JET) is "a peer-reviewed electronic journal publishing contemporary research into future science and philosophy." It deals with somewhat edgy topics that are often avoided by mainstream journals. For example, a common theme is the relationship between the human brain and computers, questioning their respective computational capacity and evolution. Despite...