When the researchers introduced lead to human brain organoids – or “mini-brains” – carrying the archaic Neanderthal-like version of NOVA1, which is slightly different to the version that modern humans ...

Lead poisoning has plagued millions of people ever since the world became industrialized, but humans' troubled relationship with the toxic metal goes back much further in time. Our ancient ancestors ...

Lead exposure may have negatively affected Neanderthal abilities for language and speech development. Despite this knowledge, lead is still used to manufacture many vehicle batteries, ceramics, ...

Recent scientific findings suggest that Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than their Homo sapiens counterparts. This vulnerability, linked to environmental exposures such as mineral ...

Researchers found that ancient hominids—including early humans—were exposed to lead throughout childhood, leaving chemical traces in fossil teeth. Experiments suggest this exposure may have driven ...

Researchers studied ancient tooth fossils and found that a gene mutation in modern humans (right) better protected them against lead and gave them an advantage over Neanderthals (left). Kyle Dykes / ...

Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even ...

Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Manish Arora receives funding from US National Institutes of Health. He is the founder of Linus Biotechnology, a start-up ...