From space dust to sapiens and beyond.
Evolution
Practice by Topic
Evolution: The process of life evolving into new species.
The process of life evolving into new species.
Knowledge in Motion
Recent Tidbits:
Stories, Quotes, and FAQs.
The wisdom builder tidbits that feed the columns, articles, and trainer.
EVOLUTION
Featured Story
Updated This Week
Science
Story
Lived from 470 to 445 million years ago.
Asaphid trilobite
Arthropod Evolution
This trilobite fossil on display in my home is likely an Asaphid trilobite from about 450 million years ago. Trilobites were not our ancestors. Mammals arose from a different branch. Our connection lies deeper in time, through a shared bilaterian ancestor that lived about 600 million years ago, before either lineage took its separate path.
Featured QUOTE
Science
Quote
“Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.”
- Charles Darwin
- 1859
Ancient Humans
In On the Origin of Species, first published in 1859 in London, Darwin gave only a short nod to human origins, but it was enough to point the future in a new direction. That small sentence rang the bell for what would later become paleoanthropology.
Featured FAQ
Critical Thinking
FAQ
Is anecdotal evidence ever useful to prove something?
- It hints at the truth…
- …but it's not proof on its own.
Anecdotal Evidence
Anecdotal evidence is a spark, not a flame: it can prove a specific element and ignite inquiry, but needs more fuel to prove a broader point.
Updated Tidbits
History
Ancient Human Evolution TL
Earth Evolution
07 Jul 2026
(Updated 3 days ago)
Science
Story
Bilaterian Split: The Origin of Agency
Animal Evolution
07 Jul 2026
(Updated 1 week ago)
Science
Story
Animal Vocabulary: Dozens of Words
Animal Evolution
07 Jul 2026
(Updated 2 weeks ago)
Evolution
The Ever-Changing Tree of Life!
From space dust to sapiens and beyond.
The process by which new species arise is well-understood, the evidence compelling and conclusive, our knowledge complete. We can read the fossil record like a book and on these pages we see changes gradually accumulate over millennia.
Aricle Series
Multi-Part Reads
Ancient Humans
Ancient humans were humans on a long evolutionary journey, shaped by both biology and culture.
Evolution
Evolution is the story of how life changes over time through variation, selection, and inheritance, shaping everything from single-celled organisms to human minds, culture, and civilization.
Deep-Dive Articles
Holistic Paleolithic Framework: A New Look at Prehistory
A new look at dividing up the paleolithic era switches from lower, middle, and upper to Stone, Fire, Cultural, Symbolic, Cognitive, and prehistory ending specifically at 4,000 BCE.
The Evolution of Vocabulary in Ancient Humans
The evolution of language is the evolution of communication. From touch which evolved about 800 million years ago to human words. Along the journey, communication included things like gestures, postures, and grunts.
The Evolution of Vocabulary in Ancient Humans
The evolution of language is the evolution of communication. From touch which evolved about 800 million years ago to human words. Along the journey, communication ...
Dawn of Humanity: Sapiens in Their First Millennia
Our first 1,000 years as Homo sapiens were not crude half-humans waiting to become us. From the beginning, we were already remarkably capable, adaptable people ...
Human Extinction: A New Look From Homo habilis to the Neanderthals
Human extinction is not the story of one straight line leading neatly to us. It is the story of many ancient human species living at ...
Must-Reads
Ancient Humans
The Evolution of Vocabulary in Ancient Humans
The evolution of language is the evolution of communication. From touch which evolved about 800 million years ago to human words. Along the journey, communication ...
Ancient Humans
Neanderthal Clue: Reassessing Intelligence Beyond Human Bias
Neanderthals were not dim, brutish failures of human evolution. Growing evidence shows they were intelligent ancient humans with symbolic thought, culture, and abilities that challenge ...
Animals
Cultural Transmission: The Sharing of Knowledge from Crows to Libraries
Cultural transmission is the passing of learned behavior, knowledge, and traditions from one generation to the next in all animals.
New Ideas
Ancient Humans
Holistic Paleolithic Framework: A New Look at Prehistory
A new look at dividing up the paleolithic era switches from lower, middle, and upper to Stone, Fire, Cultural, Symbolic, Cognitive, and prehistory ending specifically ...
Ancient Humans
EQ: The Story of Ancient Human Brains
Ancient human brains evolved gradually over millions of years, with important bursts of change, producing minds that were often far more capable than traditional stories ...
Ancient Humans
Hominin Census: A Speculative Journey to 700,000 and 300,000 BCE
Estimates of ancient human populations of a few hundred are misleading. They lean too heavily on surviving DNA lines. DNA traces direct surviving lines, not ...
Updated Articles
TST COLUMN
01 Apr 2023
Debut
THINK WELL
Article
Researching Evolutionary Traits: The Occam Approach
Evolution
Sat 1 Apr 2023
(3 years ago)
Updated 2 weeks ago.
TST COLUMN
31 Mar 2024
Debut
History
Article
Neanderthal Clue: Reassessing Intelligence Beyond Human Bias
Ancient Humans
Sun 31 Mar 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 weeks ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Aug 2024
Debut
History
Paper
Holistic Paleolithic Framework: A New Look at Prehistory
Paleolithic Era
Thu 1 Aug 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 weeks ago.
All Evolution Timelines
March to Consciousness: The Soul Timeline
Animal consciousness is the combination of cognition and sensory input, with human consciousness being the most advanced on Earth.
