In the media!

(selected coverage)

Press on the review about “Fossil apes and human evolution”

Almécija S, Hammond AS, Thompson NE, Pugh KD, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM (2021). Fossil apes and human evolution. Science: Vol. 372, Issue 6542, eabb4363.

AMNH
Why Fossil Apes are Vital to Understanding Human Evolution
Review: Studying Fossil Apes Key to Human Evolution Research

SciTechDaily
Evolutionary Dispute: Most Human Origins Stories Are Not Compatible With Known Fossils

SciNews
Hominins Originated in Africa from Ape Ancestors Unlike Any Living Species, Study Suggests

Press on the inner ear study and phylogeny in fossil apes

Urciuoli A, Zanolli C, Almécija S, Beaudet A, Dumoncel J, Morimoto N, Nakatsukasa M, Moyà-Solà S, Begun DR, Alba DM (2021). Reassessment of the phylogenetic relationships of the late Miocene apes Hispanopithecus and Rudapithecus based on vestibular morphology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 118:e2015215118.

PHYS.ORG
The inner ear hides clues on human evolution

Press on our study of the mysterious ape Oreopithecus bambolii

Hammond AS, Rook L, Anaya AD, Cioppi E, Costeur L, Moyà-Solà S, Almécija S (2020). Insights into the lower torso in late Miocene hominoid Oreopithecus bambolii. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 117:278-284.

PHYS.ORG
New study suggests ‘enigmatic hominoid’ did not walk upright and was not a tree climber

AMNH
Latest Ape from Europe Moved Unlike Any Primate Alive Today

Cienciaes.com (interview with Sergio Almécija in SPANISH – includes audio)
Antecedentes de la evolución humana.

Press on the study of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis

Almécija S, Tallman M, Sallam HM, Fleagle JG, Hammond AS, Seiffert ER (2019). Early anthropoid femora reveal divergent adaptive trajectories in catarrhine hind-limb evolution. Nature Communications 10:4778.

Nature ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION – Behind the paper (by Sergio Almécija)
Hip clues about anthropoid primate evolution from 30 million years ago

PHYS.ORG
Fossil suggests apes, old world monkeys moved in opposite directions from shared ancestor

Press on the new small fossil ape from Spain (Pliobates cataloniae)

Alba DM, Almécija S, DeMiguel D, Fortuny J, Pérez de los Ríos M, Pina M, Robles JM, Moyà-Solà S (2015). Miocene small-bodied ape from Eurasia sheds light on hominoid evolution. Science: 350:aab2625-2621-aab2625-2611.

BBC News (live interview with Sergio Almécija)
‘Newsday’

Gizmodo
This Extinct Species is Changing What We Know About Early Ape Evolution

Science World Report
Researchers Discover 11.6 Million-Year-Old Ape Fossils

Tech Times
11.6 Million-Year-Old Primate Fossil Found In Spain: Could This Be Human Evolution’s Missing Link?

Press on the first human-like hand bone

Domínguez-Rodrigo M, Pickering TR, Almécija S, Heaton JL, Baquedano E, Mabulla A, Uribelarrea D. (2015). Earliest modern human-like hand bone from a new >1.84 million-year-old site at Olduvai in Tanzania. Nature Communications 6: 7987.

CBS NEWS
Earliest human hand bone unearthed in Africa

The Washington Post
Scientists find the oldest-ever hand bone to resemble a modern humans’

NewScientist
Oldest hand hints we came down from trees earlier than thought

Mirror
World’s oldest finger dating back almost two million years dug up in Africa

Press of Almécija et al., 2015 paper on the evolutionary modeling of the human and ape hand proportions

Almécija S, Smaers JB, Jungers WL (2015). The evolution of human and ape hand proportions. Nature Communications 6: 7717.

Featured in 30+ international media, including:

​Nature
Hands hold clues to primate evolution

Science
Humans have more primitive hands than chimpanzees
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​NBC News
Chimps Might Have More Evolved Hands Than Humans
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​USA Today
Chimps are more advanced than us in one specific way

​Times Live
Human hands more ‘primitive’ than chimp’s

​Smithsonian Magazine
In Some Ways, Human Hands Are More Primitive Than Chimp Hands

IFL SCIENCE!
Human Hands Are More Primitive Than Chimpanzees’

BBC
Chimpanzees and monkeys have entered the Stone Age

Discussion of the skull morphology of Ardipithecus ramidus

Kimbel WH, Suwa G, Asfaw B, Rak Y, White TD (2014). Ardipithecus ramidus and the evolution of the human cranial base. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 111: 948-953

Nature World News
4.4 Million-year-old ‘Ardi’ Skull Reveals Close Ties to Humans

Press on Almécija et al., 2013 paper on the femoral morphology of Orrorin tugenensis and the origins of human bipedalism:

Almécija S, Tallman M, Alba DM, Pina M, Moyà-Solà S, Jungers WL (2013). The femur of Orrorin tugenensis exhibits morphometric affinities with both Miocene apes and later hominins. Nature Communications 4: 2888.

​Featured in international media, including:

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
The Most Fascinating Human Evolution Discoveries of 2013

Nature Asia
Evolution: One giant step for bipedalism

ScienceDaily
Early tree-dwelling bipedal human ancestor was similar to ancient apes and ‘Lucy’ but not living apes

PHYS.ORG
Human ancestor was less-chimp-like than thought: study

FUTURITY
Bipedal ‘Millenium Man’ Hung Out In Trees

Press on Almécija et al., 2010 paper on the thumb morphology of early hominins

Almécija S, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM (2010). Early origin for human-like precision grasping: A comparative study of pollical distal phalanges in fossil hominins. PLoS ONE 5: e11727.

ScienceNews
For ancient hominids, thumbs up on precision grip

Seeker
Ancient Hominids Had Human-Like Grip

Press on Almécija et al., 2007 paper on hand morphology of the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus and its implications for hominid hand evolution

Almécija S, Alba DM, Moyà-Solà S, Köhler M (2007). Orang-like manual adaptations in the fossil hominoid Hispanopithecus laietanus: First steps towards great ape suspensory behaviours. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274: 2375-2384.

NewScientist
Ancient ape was an early swinger

PHYS.ORG
An early ape shows its hand

SCIENCE 2.0
The Hand Of Hispanopithecus And The Mysteries Of Evolution