A growing body of research suggests there are effective ways to limit lingering harm – for families and doctors – in the aftermath of a medical mistake.

The Monte Verde sites in Chile have been the source of arguments among archaeologists for decades. Columnist Michael Marshall finds the row is heating up again – and could change our understanding of the first peoples in the Americas

The glymphatic system is the brain's recently discovered network for flushing out toxins. Now, we're uncovering surprising ways to boost it to protect brain health

Feverish babies in hospital are often assumed to have a serious bacterial infection and are treated with antibiotics. But a test that gauges whether the infection is bacterial or viral, which tend to be milder, could prevent unnecessary drug use

The first evidence has been discovered that Denisovans lived in south-west China. This ancient species of human spent over 100,000 years in the region and left behind incredible artefacts that tell us how they lived

The more we learn about chimpanzees, the more they resemble us – but the further back in time our shared ancestor seems to be. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how both can be true

The stories we tell about the Vikings often say more about us than them. Archaeologist Neil Price's new book The Sea-King and the Sorceress tries to show the Norse as they were, says Michael Marshall

A site in China is just the third to give us an insight into the way the enigmatic Denisovans lived. The archaeology at the site suggests the ancient humans were skilled hunters, although their stone tools were relatively simple

Taking metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug, has been linked to a lower risk of dementia over the following decades, but the association isn't conclusive

The Epstein-Barr virus has taken a huge toll on global health. Understanding how it works could offer ways to combat multiple sclerosis, cancer and more.

Evidence from hunter-gatherers suggests humans aren't diurnal but cathemeral, with bouts of activity at nighttime – a sleep pattern similar to some lemurs

For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale

Keeping pets seems to be fairly recent behaviour in the timeline of human evolution. Columnist Michael Marshall turns to the latest research on primates to understand how long we’ve had the impulse to adopt furry friends

Combining archaeological evidence with ancient DNA and data on past climates shows us how long and winding the story of human evolution is, stretching back millions of years to when the first primates arose

Melanie Challenger's Alive aims to describe the living world very differently – by insisting on agency and purpose everywhere. Michael Marshall explores

Patient safety experts say preventable harm will persist until we stop blaming individuals and meaningfully redesign the processes that give rise to mistakes

Biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson is leading an effort to prevent history from repeating.

Artistic representations of ancient humans often show large men with bulging muscles – but our ancestors were actually smaller than us, in both height and body mass. Columnist Michael Marshall reveals surprising details about the short kings of prehistory

Our brains are large compared with other animals, so it is tempting to assume there was an evolutionary advantage to them – but that may not be true at all

Surveys show that most doctors have made clinical decisions not because they were necessary, but to appease demanding patients or avoid potential complaints.