A tiny set of ancient genetic “switches” may have played a surprisingly large role in making human language possible.

A new Yale study provides a fuller picture of the genetic changes that shaped the evolution of the human brain, and how the process differed from the evolution of chimpanzees. For the study, published ...

Genes make us who we are—but are they shaped by chance, natural selection, or something else?

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American I met my first savant 52 years ago and have ...

Humans, who are classified among the five great apes, are closest genetically, i.e., DNA similarity, to chimpanzees (98.8%-99%) and bonobos (98.8%). [Blueringmedia ...