Anyone who wants to understand the biological nature of humans and their special
characteristics must look far back into evolutionary history. Today's way of life is drastically …

Denisovans, a group of now extinct humans who lived in Eastern Eurasia in the Middle and
Late Pleistocene, were first identified from DNA sequences just over a decade ago. Only ten …

The oral microbiota is shaped by mutualistic coevolution with the host and by the distinct
physiology of the mouth. In an evolutionary quid pro quo, the host provides the commensal …

Straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) were the largest terrestrial mammals of
the Pleistocene, present in Eurasian landscapes between 800,000 and 100,000 years ago …

Major advances over the past decade in the field of ancient DNA are providing access to
past paleogenomic diversity, but the diverse functions and biosynthetic capabilities of this …

Little is known about the antiquity, nature, and scale of Pleistocene hunter-gatherer impact
on their ecosystems, despite the importance for studies of conservation and human …

The prevalence of chronic, non-communicable diseases has risen sharply in recent
decades, especially in industrialized countries. While several studies implicate the …

In this article, I first provide an overview of the Neandertals by recounting their initial
discovery and subsequent interpretation by scientists and by discussing our current …

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host
life and health. To date little is known about how it may have evolved during key phases …

The role of the intestine in human health and disease has historically been neglected and
was mostly attributed to digestive and absorptive functions. In the past two decades …