Science, South Africa | featured news

A series of studies released today show that a long-extinct South African creature had an intriguing mix of human and apelike traits. But scientists say they still haven’t figured out where it fits on our evolutionary family tree. The human branch of the evolutionary tree, called Homo, is thought to have arisen from a group of ancient species called australopithecines. The newly studied species is a member of this group, and so its similarities to humans are enticing for tackling the riddle of how Homo appeared.

An analysis of 2 million-year-old bones found in South Africa offers the most powerful case so far in identifying the transitional figure that came before modern humans - findings some are calling a potential game-changer in understanding evolution....

Scientists have discovered the deepest multicellular life, a worm species, a mile underground in a mine in South Africa, opening the door to the search for complex life in harsh places, including underground and in space.

The genomes of four Bushmen and one Bantu were sequenced or partially sequenced. 'If we really want to understand human diversity, we need ... to study those people,' lead author of the study says. By Thomas H. Maugh II Scientists have long known that ...

A newly discovered dinosaur species that roamed the Earth about 200 million years ago may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land, scientists in South Africa said Wednesday....