Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds (natural sciences and humanities) with the aim of investigating the history of humankind from an interdisciplinary perspective using comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities, languages and social systems of past and present human populations, as well as those of primates closely related to humans.

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Not all bonobos are the same – three genetically distinct populations in the Congo

Evolutionary Genetics

Historically small population at high risk of extinction

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Lengthened consonants mark the beginning of words

Linguistic and Cultural Evolution

A new study shows that word-initial consonants are systematically lengthened across a diverse sample of…

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Oldest DNA from South Africa decoded to date

Archaeogenetics

10,000-year-old human genomes are genetically similar to those of ethnic groups living in the region today

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