There are two species of lice that infest humans: pubic lice, Pthirus pubis, and human head and body lice, Pediculus humanus.

Weiss points out that our evolutionary ancestors were uniformly hairy so why did two types of lice emerge.

“I was having difficulty envisioning a clear separation of habitats between the groin and other parts of our [...]

New analytical techniques have been brought to bear on Thomas Jefferson’s Y chromosome, in a study to be reported in the April issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

The presidential chromosome turns out to belong to a rare class called ‘K2′, which is found at its highest frequency in the Middle East and Eastern [...]

“Adolescent girls and boys all are at risk for experimenting with sex, alcohol and drugs,” explains Carolyn Tucker Halpern. “Those who mature early are known to be at higher risk for these problems. But within that group, girls who have an older boyfriend appear to be at an extra risk for multiple high-risk behaviors such [...]

Analysis of Neolithic remains by researchers at University College London suggests that no European adults could digest milk at the time.

However, the advent of dairy farming meant that a gene for an enzyme capable of breaking down lactose spread quickly.

According to Mark Thomas of UCL, “The ability to drink milk is the most advantageous trait [...]