Hominid evolution and development
Childhood is perhaps the defining feature of humanity. But how did it evolve? And when? Apart from Neanderthals, growth patterns of prehistoric humans are rarely studied because of the dearth of fossils that combine evidence from the head as well as the body. This is why the 3.3-million-year-old juvenile partial skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis — […]
Childhood is perhaps the defining feature of humanity. But how did it evolve? And when? Apart from Neanderthals, growth patterns of prehistoric humans are rarely studied because of the dearth of fossils that combine evidence from the head as well as the body.
This is why the 3.3-million-year-old juvenile partial skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis — the earliest known juvenile hominid skeleton of any kind — is so important.
This Nature Web Focus looks at what we know about the evolution of human development, and features exclusive video interviews with the scientists behind this discovery alongside current research, features and analysis, and an archive of related palaeontological finds.
In this focus
