The (Fossil) Whale Tail That Tells Tales
Evolutionary biologists use three families of mammals to demonstrate that we do, in fact, have the “transitional fossils” necessary to provide support for natural selection: horses, humans, and whales. While human evolution is my specialty, several recent stories about fossil whales have…
Are You My Early Human Relative? Not So Fast…
It costs thousands of dollars to run a summer-long paleontological excavation with a small crew in a developed country. If the dig continues for more than one field season, employs more than three people or takes place in a hard-to-reach locale, budgets climb into the millions. All…
Were Neandertals Lovers or Fighters?
Paleoanthropologists I know seem pleased that the insurance giant Geico has been doing its part to bring caveman awareness to modern Americans. But since Neandertals are both the most recognized fossil human ancestor and remain sadly misunderstood, I’m going to provide some additional…
