Primates Primate research • Avaria-Llautureo et al. (2025) interpret the areas of northern continents with variable but nontropical climates as the most likely ancestral locations for the
crown group of primates, which only colonized tropical areas later in their evolutionary history. • Evidence from the study of brain
endocasts of extant and extinct mammals, indicative of cortical expansion in the areas of the brain involved in producing cognitive functions that began early on during the primate evolution, is presented by Melchionna et al. (2025), who argue that selection for complex cognition likely drove the evolution of primate brains. • Lang et al. (2025) study the size of the olfactory bulbs in extant and fossil members of
Euarchontoglires, and report evidence of a reduction of the olfactory bulb size at the base of the primate
crown group, as well as subsequent reductions in different primate groups. • A study on the diversity of craniofacial morphology of extant and extinct primates from
Madagascar, providing evidence of similarity of cranial shapes in smaller taxa and more diverse cranial morphologies in larger taxa such as
Megaladapis, is published by Toyoda (2025). • Thompson et al. (2025) provide new estimates of body mass for 10 species of extinct lemurs. • Evidence from the study of size of brain and its components in extant primates and Oligocene and Miocene simians, interpreted as indicative of convergent brain enlargement in multiple simian lineages and of shifts in brain proportions before brain enlargement in simians, is presented by
Kay et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of extant and fossil primates, providing evidence of a significant association between brain size and manual dexterity throughout the evolutionary history of primates, is presented by Baker, Barton & Venditti (2025). • Kirk et al. (2025) describe a primate frontal bone from the Eocene
Devil's Graveyard Formation (
Texas, United States), with similarities to the frontal bone of
Rooneyia viejaensis, and interpret its anatomy as indicating that both the studied specimen and
Rooneyia as more likely to be
stem haplorhines than stem
simians. • Evidence from the study of the anatomy of
manubria and sternebrae of extant and fossil simians, indicating that the anatomy of the sternum can provide information on the form of the
thorax and the positional repertoire of the clavicles in fossil simians, is presented by Middleton, Alwell & Ward (2025). • Novo et al. (2025) study the phylogenetic affinities of
Soriacebus and
Mazzonicebus, and interpret them as more likely to be
pitheciines than
stem-
platyrrhines. • Perry et al. (2025) describe new fossil material of
Homunculus patagonicus from the Miocene
Santa Cruz Formation (Argentina), provide new body mass estimates for the studied species, and interpret
H. patagonicus as an arboreal primate with a mixed diet of fruits and leaves. • A study on tooth wear and probable diets of Miocene and Pliocene
Old World monkeys from the Turkana Basin (
Kenya) is published by Fehringer et al. (2025). • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of extant and fossil members of
Colobinae is published by Arenson (2025). • Pallas et al. (2025) revise elbow anatomy and locomotor adaptations of
Microcolobus on the basis of the study of known fossils and new specimens from the Miocene Nakali Formation (
Kenya), reporting evidence of arboreal adaptations, and evidence that elbow anatomy of
Microcolobus can be distinguished from those of
Cercopithecoides bruneti and
Paracolobus enkorikae. • Brasil et al. (2025) revise the species-level taxonomy of South African
Parapapio, and argue that the available evidence does not support assignment of the studied fossil material to more than one species. • The oldest known adult femora of
Theropithecus cf. oswaldi darti and
Theropithecus cf.
oswaldi oswaldi, providing evidence of early appearance of anatomical adaptations to squatting behavior in the
Theropithecus lineage, are described from the Afar Depression (
Ethiopia) by Pallas et al. (2025) . • A study on the diet of
Theropithecus atlanticus from the Plio-Pleistocene site of
Ahl al Oughlam (
Morocco), as indicated by tooth wear, is published by Louail et al. (2025). • A mandible of an indeterminate primate (either an ape or, more likely, a member of
Pliopithecoidea) comparable in size with small gibbons is described from the Miocene strata from Moghara (
Egypt) by
Pickford & AbdelGawad (2025), expanding known diversity of primates from Moghara. • A study on the
ulnar morphology of
Pliobates cataloniae, providing evidence of an extensive range of movement in the forearm, is published by Raventós-Izard et al. (2025). • Bouchet et al. (2025) identify fossil material of a purported pliopithecid from the Miocene strata from the Trinxera del Ferrocarril-Sant Quirze site and a purported
crouzeliid from the Can Feliu 2 site (Vallès-Penedès Basin;
Spain) as likely belonging to a single, medium-sized crouzeliid species belonging to the subfamily Anapithecinae. • Description of the anatomy of the skull and teeth of
Laccopithecus robustus and a study on its affinities is published by Harrison (2025). •
Ungar, Wilcox & Begun (2025) compare tooth wear in primates from the Miocene site Rudabánya (
Hungary), and report evidence indicating that the studied individuals of
Rudapithecus hungaricus on average consumed harder foods than individuals of
Anapithecus hernyaki. • Beaudet et al. (2025) study the morphology of the
atlas of
Otavipithecus namibiensis and
Nacholapithecus kerioi, and report evidence of similarities with the vertebrae of baboons, gibbons and members of the genus
Pan, with
Otavipithecus similar in particular to
Pan in the overall morphology of the atlas. • Kithinji, Kikuchi & Nakatsukasa (2025) describe a
catarrhine talus from the Miocene strata from the Nachola site (
Kenya), likely belonging to a member of the genus
Nyanzapithecus, and interpret its anatomy as indicating that
Nyanzapithecus was less agile while walking and running in the trees than extant Old World monkeys of similar size. • Pugh, Strain & Gilbert (2025) study the anatomy of teeth of
Samburupithecus kiptalami and interpret it as a late-occurring African member of the family
Oreopithecidae. • A study on the morphology of the lumbar vertebrae of
Ekembo nyanzae,
Morotopithecus bishopi and
Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, and on its implications for the knowledge of the locomotion of the studied apes, is published by Williams et al. (2025). • Revision of the fossil material and species differences of members of the genus
Ekembo is published by McNulty, Begun & Kelley (2025). • A study on the morphology and affinities of
Kapi ramnagarensis is published by Gilbert et al. (2025), who interpret the studied primate as a
stem-
hylobatid. • Radović et al. (2025) describe a
molar of an indeterminate member of
Graecopithecini from the vicinity of Veles, representing the first late Miocene hominid reported from
North Macedonia. • A study on the tooth wear of
Lufengpithecus lufengensis, providing evidence of a diet that included tough foods such as leaves, is published by Fan et al. (2025). • Li et al. (2025) determine hominoid-bearing strata of the Yuanmou Basin (Yunnan, China) to be approximately 7.7 million years old on the basis of dating of carbonate crystals within hyena
coprolites, report palynological evidence of presence of a diverse vegetation growing in a subtropical humid climate, and interpret the studied area a preserving favorable environmental conditions for hominoids such as
Lufengpithecus during the late Miocene, unlike other parts of Eurasia where hominoids declined at that time. • Evidence from the study of faciodental remains of
pongines from northern
Vietnam, interpreted as consistent with the presence of two large and two small species of
orangutans during the Late Pleistocene, is presented by Cameron et al. (2025); in a subsequent study the same authors revise the diversity of the Middle and Late Pleistocene pongines from northern Vietnam on the basis of variability of post-canine teeth, recognize two new species of
Pongo from the Late Pleistocene of Làng Tráng and Kéo Lèng caves, and reclassify
"Pongo" hooijeri and
"Pongo pygmaeus" kahlkei as species belonging to the genus
Langsonia, interpreted as a primitive member of the Ponginae.
General paleoanthropology • Sekhavati, Prang & Strait (2025) study the evolution of foot morphology in early hominins, and interpret their findings as supporting the hypothesis of a
Pan-like
chimpanzee–human last common ancestor. • Casado et al. (2025) compare ligament insertion sites on the
radius in extant humans and apes and fossil hominins, and interpret them as indicative of diverse locomotor behaviors in fossil hominins, including arboreal locomotion in
Australopithecus and
Paranthropus. • Steer et al. (2025) compare the
scaphoid morphology in extant humans and African apes and fossil hominins, and report evidence of morphological differences between scaphoids of different hominin taxa which might be related to diverse functional pressures acting upon their wrists. • Mateos et al. (2025) revise the assumptions made in archaeology and paleoanthropology about hominin scavenging, argue that scavenging is part of the foraging repertoire of all hominin species and population, and argue that scavenging and hunting by hominins were not mutually exclusive. • Marchal, Reed & Prat (2025) review the stratigraphic and taxonomic distribution and history of discovery and publication of hominin fossils from the Omo-Turkana Basin. • Evidence of adaptations to vertical climbing in the talus of
Ardipithecus ramidus similar to those seen in gorillas and chimpanzees is presented by Prang et al. (2025), who interpret their findings as consistent with evolution of the human lineage from an African ape-like ancestor rather than from a generalized arboreal ape-like ancestor. • Braga,
Alemseged & Gilissen (2025) compare the relationships between endocranial and facial growth, dental development and basicranial morphology in African apes, extant humans and extinct hominins, reporting evidence of developmental differences during early ontogeny in fossil hominins. • Lawrence, Hammond & Ward (2025) compare the orientation of the
acetabulum in fossil hominins and extant primates, reporting evidence of humanlike condition in early
Australopithecus. • Evidence from the study of nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotope composition of tooth enamel of
Australopithecus from the
Sterkfontein Member 4 (
South Africa), interpreted as indicating that the studied specimens had a plant-based diet and did not regularly eat mammalian meat, is presented by Lüdecke et al. (2025). • Madupe et al. (2025) provide evidence of protein preservation in tooth enamel of the
Australopithecus africanus specimen Sts 63 from Sterkfontein Member 4, and identify the studied individual as a male. • Martin et al. (2025) argue that the morphology of the
Little Foot specimen does not support its referral to the species
Australopithecus prometheus, and consider
A. prometheus to be most likely a
junior synonym of
Australopithecus africanus. • Evidence from the study of internal bone structure of
phalanx bones of
Australopithecus sediba and
Homo naledi, interpreted as indicative of different dexterous abilities and climbing strategies of the studied hominins, is presented by Syeda et al. (2025). • A study on the surface organization of the
endocast of the
Taung Child is published by Hurst et al. (2025). •
Haile-Selassie et al. (2025) describe new fossil material of
Australopithecus deyiremeda from Burtele (
Ethiopia), assign the foot described by Haile-Selassie et al. (2012) to the same species, and report that
A. deyiremeda had a more primitive dental and postcranial morphology than
Australopithecus afarensis, that its feet had greater ability for grasping than modern most fossil hominins, and that it had a diet dominated by
C3 foods, similar to the earlier
Australopithecus anamensis. • Evidence of morphological variation among maxillae of specimens of
Australopithecus afarensis from Hadar (Ethiopia), possibly linked to sexual dimorphism, is presented by Hanegraef & Spoor (2025). • A study on curvature of
occipital condyles of
Australopithecus afarensis and extant hominins, providing evidence that
A. afarensis was
Pan-like in condylar morphology and development, is published by Grider-Potter et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of clavicles of
Australopithecus afarensis, interpreted as consistent with continued arboreal behavior throughout life of the studied hominin, is presented by Farrell & Alemseged (2025). • Hanegraef, David & Spoor (2025) determine the range of variation of size and shape of dental arcades of
Australopithecus afarensis, and argue that their findings can be used to assess whether other Plio-Pleistocene hominin specimens fall within the range of variation of
A. afarensis, helping with their taxonomic interpretations. • New fossil material of
Australopithecus afarensis, providing new information on the morphological variation of members of this species, is described from the Upper Laetolil Beds (
Tanzania) by Harrison, Rein & Kwekason (2025). • Evidence of more significant sexual dimorphism in
Australopithecus afarensis and
A. africanus compared to chimpanzees and modern humans is presented by Gordon (2025). • A study on the inner structural morphology of teeth of
Australopithecus sediba, providing evidence of closer similarity to teeth of other members of the genus
Australopithecus than to teeth of early members of the genus
Homo, is published by Davies (2025). • Zanolli et al. (2025) study the anatomy and affinities of the
Pleistocene hominin mandible SK 15 from
Swartkrans Member 2,
South Africa (the
holotype of
Telanthropus capensis), and interpret this specimen as belonging to a previously unrecognized species of
Paranthropus,
P. capensis. • Mongle et al. (2025) describe hand and foot bones of
Paranthropus boisei from
Koobi Fora (
Kenya), providing evidence that hands of
P. boisei were likely capable of grips similar to those of modern humans but also that they likely differed in habitual thumb use, and report evidence of morphological similarities in the hand morphology of
P. boisei and modern gorillas, possibly related to use of hand in processing of plants for food. • Evidence indicating that derived skull morphology of
Paranthropus boisei might have resulted in a reduction of its capacity for morphological evolution toward new adaptive peaks is presented by Jung et al. (2025). • A study on the morphology of the
oval window in
Paranthropus robustus, interpreted as spanning the ape-human spectrum, is published by Fernandez & Braga (2025). • Fossil material of a young adult hominin specimen, including a complete tibia and a nearly complete femur articulating with a partial
hip bone, is described from the Hanging Remnant of the Swartkrans Formation (South Africa) by Pickering et al. (2025), who assign the studied individual to the species
Paranthropus robustus. • Madupe et al. (2025) identify sex of four specimens of
Paranthropus robustus on the basis of their enamel peptides, and report probable evidence of existence of distinct subgroups within this species. • Sillen, Dean & Balter (2025) reconstruct life histories of individuals of
Paranthropus robustus from Swartkrans and Kromdraai (South Africa) on the basis of the analysis of strontium isotope composition of their teeth, and report evidence of exploitation of both savanna and riparian woodlands, as well as evidence of dispersal and lifelong local residence of different individuals. • Evidence from the study of
paleosols from the hominin and archaeological sites from the Gona Paleoanthropological Project area (
Ethiopia) ranging from the
Oldowan to the
Late Stone Age, interpreted as indicative of reliance of hominins on riverine ecosystem edge and gallery forest resources throughout their evolutionary history, is presented by Stinchcomb, Rogers & Semaw (2025). • Williams et al. (2025) interpret early members of the genus
Homo and, after the emergence of the
Acheulean,
Paranthropus boisei as the most likely makers of the Oldowan tools. • Prat (2025) reports evidence of association of Oldowan tools from Lower Pleistocene sites and localities in East Africa both with members of the genus
Homo and members of the genus
Paranthropus, and interprets members of both genera as likely Oldowan toolmakers. • Evidence of consistent production of Oldowan technology throughout a period of approximately 300,000 years (from 2.75 to 2.44 million years ago) is reported from the Namorotukunan site (Koobi Fora Formation;
Kenya) by Braun et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of Oldowan tools from the Nyayanga site (
Kenya), indicating that hominins living at least 2.6 million years ago produced the studied tools from nonlocal stones transported over long distances, is presented by Finestone et al. (2025). • Villmoare et al. (2025) describe new fossil material of members of the genera
Australopithecus and
Homo from the
Ledi-Geraru Research Project area (Ethiopia), providing evidence of coexistence of members of the two genera in the
Afar Region before 2.5 million years ago. • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of members of the genus
Homo is published by Ni et al. (2025), who recover African and Asian
Homo erectus/
Homo ergaster populations as not forming a
monophyletic group, and recover
Harbin,
Dali,
Jinniushan,
Xiahe and
Hualongdong hominins as forming a monophyletic group closely related to
Homo sapiens. • Fannin et al. (2025) report evidence of behavioral shifts of early members of the genus
Homo after 2.3 million years ago involving avoidance of
C4 plants and ingestion of
18O-depleted waters, possibly related to shift towards consumption of plant underground
storage organs such as
tubers, and report evidence indicating that these behavioral shifts preceded changes in tooth morphology. • Coil (2025) proposes that the expansion of hominins out of Africa was facilitated by rich Eurasian carnivore community that created multiple scavenging opportunities for early hominins, and reports evidence that sustained hominin presence in Eurasia was followed by decrease in carnivore richness at the end of the Early Pleistocene. • Curran et al. (2025) describe cut-marked bones interpreted as evidence of presence of hominins at the Grăunceanu site (
Romania) at least 1.95 million years ago; their conclusions are contested by Kindler et al. (2025), who do not find the interpretation of purported cut marks as produced by hominins to be robustly supported. • Doiron et al. (2025) report evidence indicating that early Pleistocene hominins from
Olduvai Gorge (
Tanzania) lived in environment with stable proportions of
C3 and
C4 plants throughout wetter and drier period, and with changing lake chemistry through time, including increased lake alkalinity during drier intervals. • Evidence of systematic production of technologically and morphologically standardized bone tools by hominins living 1.5 million years ago is reported from Olduvai Gorge by de la Torre et al. (2025). • A study on facial features of infants of early members of the genus
Homo from the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia), Drimolen and Kromdraai (South Africa), providing evidence of presence of diagnostic facial features in the studied individuals from South Africa, is published by Braga & Moggi-Cecchi (2025). • Evidence indicating that
Homo habilis, unlike most australopiths but like modern humans, was not adapted to bite forcefully on its molar teeth is presented by Ledogar et al. (2025). • Bae & Manthey (2025) revise the
Out of Africa I model on the basis of anthropological discoveries from preceding years and advances in evolutionary biology, interpreted as indicating that not only
Homo erectus, but also smaller-bodied, anatomically variable hominins might also have been capable of long-distance dispersal out ot Africa. • Pietrobelli et al. (2025) study the anatomy of
fibular ends of
Homo floresiensis, interpreted as indicative of presence of a versatile ankle joint consistent with a locomotor repertoire including obligate bipedalism as well as climbing. • Hakim et al. (2025) report the discovery of stone artifacts from fossiliferous layers from the Calio site (
Sulawesi,
Indonesia) that are at least 1.04 million years old and possibly up to 1.48 million years old, providing evidence that hominins colonized Sulawesi as early as (or earlier than)
Flores. • Burhan et al. (2025) report evidence of early human presence at the
Leang Bulu Bettue site (Sulawesi, Indonesia) at least from the late Middle Pleistocene, as well as evidence of a technological shift at the site approximately 40,000 years that might have been caused by replacement of an early hominin population by modern humans or by different, uncertain trigger. • Evidence linking the decline of
Homo floresiensis and one of its primary prey (
Stegodon florensis insularis) at
Liang Bua to severe summer aridification of their environment is presented by Gagan et al. (2025). • Chapman et al. (2025) reconstruct the skeleton of the leg of
Homo naledi, and interpret its anatomy as casting doubt on the capabilities of
H. naledi for endurance running. • Baab (2025) presents a virtual reconstruction of the skull of the
Turkana Boy. • Suwa et al. (2025) present new magnetostratigraphic data for the KGA19 locality of the Konso Formation (
Ethiopia), and argue that purported 2.0-1.9 million-years-old
Melka Kunture site-complex reported by Mussi et al. (2023) might actually be approximately 1.6 million years old. • Melis & Mussi (2025) reconstruct the landscape at Melka Kunture at the time of its settlement by early hominins, providing evidence of presence of a floodplain with a meandering river, and evidence of recurrent occupation of well-drained spots by
Homo erectus and
Homo heidelbergensis. • Samim et al. (2025) determine distinct geochronological ages for the Lower, Middle and Upper Nariokotome tuffs (Turkana Basin, Kenya), improving age constraints for archaeological sites within the Nachukui Formation. • Baab et al. (2025) present a reconstruction of the cranium of the DAN5/P1 specimen of
Homo erectus from
Gona, Ethiopia, providing evidence of presence of a mosaic of morphological features seen in
Homo erectus and in more
basal members of the genus
Homo. • Mercader et al. (2025) present evidence indicating that
Homo erectus occupying the Engaji Nanyori locality (
Olduvai Gorge,
Tanzania) one million years ago lived in extremely dry environment, and showed ability to adapt to such environment through the strategic use of water resources present in the studied area. • Falk, Zollikofer & Ponce de León (2025) hypothesize that structures buried within the
lunate sulcus expanded and became part of the external cortical surface during the hominin evolution, resulting in fragmentation of the lunate sulcus, and report possible evidence of fragmentation of the lunate sulcus in
Dmanisi hominins. • Evidence from the study of hominin teeth from the Dmanisi assemblage, interpreted as indicative of presence of two distinct, coexisting hominin species at the Dmanisi site, is presented by Nery et al. (2025). • Huguet et al. (2025) report the discovery of the midface of a hominin living between 1.4 million and 1.1 million years ago from the
Sima del Elefante site (
Spain), representing the oldest hominin face from Western Europe reported to date, and assign it to
Homo aff. erectus. • Review of known record of technologies used by hominins living in Europe from 1.4 million years ago to 600,000 years ago is published by Rodríguez-Álvarez & Lozano (2025). • Vialet et al. (2025) reevaluate the age and morphological affinities of the frontal bone of a Pleistocene hominin from Kocabaş (
Turkey) studied by Mori et al. (2024), and determine the studied fossil to be between 1.6 and 1.2 million years old. • Fan et al. (2025) provide evidence of presence of open vegetative landscapes at the
Majuangou site (China) during the Early Pleistocene, interpreted by the authors as facilitating dispersal and cultural development of hominins. • Review of the nomenclature of the Middle Pleistocene hominins is published by Reed (2025). • A study aiming to determine the connection between facial morphology and geography in Middle Pleistocene hominins is published by Olsen & White (2025). • Review of the studies of skeletal proteomes of Middle and Late Pleistocene hominins, as well as of challenges in the proteomic analyses of the Pleistocene material, is published by Welker et al. (2025). • Schroeder & Komza (2025) study the morphological variation of skull of Middle Pleistocene hominins from Africa, and interpret it as consistent with attribution of the studied hominins to a single
ecological species lineage. • Balzeau et al. (2025) revise the morphology of the
Florisbad Skull, do not confirm the presence of pathological features reported by Curnoe & Brink (2010), and report evidence of presence of anatomical traits different from those of
Homo sapiens. • Miedzianogora, Shipton & Pope (2025) interpret the lithic assemblage from the Middle Pleistocene strata from the
Kabwe mine (
Zambia) as a likely transitional Early Stone Age/Middle Stone Age industry, and interpret this assemblage as indicating that early Middle Stone Age might be associated with hominins other than
Homo sapiens. • Evidence from the study of starch grains found on basalt tools from the
Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site (
Israel), indicating that Middle Pleistocene hominins from the site processed diverse plants, is preserved by Ahituv et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of stone tools, ochre fragments, animal remains likely accumulated by hominins and funerary practices of hominins from the Tinshemet Cave (Israel), interpreted as indicative of development of uniform behavior among mid-Middle Palaeolithic Levantine hominins that was likely related to interactions between different
Homo groups, is presented by Zaidner et al. (2025). • Yeshurun et al. (2025) interpret the assemblage dominated by
aurochs from Unit III in Nesher Ramla (Israel) as more consistent with multiple episodes of isolated, planned and selective hunting by Middle Paleolithic archaic humans than with mass hunting, as interpret the studied assemblage as consistent with the interpretation of archaic humans occupying the site as living in small, disconnected groups. • Nishiaki et al. (2025) determine that the hominin occupations of the Anghilak Cave (
Uzbekistan) represent late Middle Paleolithic. • Key et al. (2025) report evidence of hominin occupation of the
Chequer's Wood and Old Park site (United Kingdom) during the
Marine Isotope Stages 17–16, as well as evidence of occupation of the site by Acheulean hominins during the
Anglian glacial stage. • Evidence of controlled fire-making 400,000 years ago is reported from the Barnham site (United Kingdom) by Davis et al. (2025). • Falguères et al. (2025) determine a minimum age of approximately 286,000 years for the
Petralona skull, and interpret this individual as a member of a hominin lineage distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans. • A study on the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Italy), providing evidence that the pre-Neanderthal hominins occupying the site exploited the straight-tusked elephant carcass from the site not only as a food source but also as a source of raw material for tool production, is published by Mecozzi et al. (2025). • Liu et al. (2025) report the discovery of a new assemblage of wooden tools from the 300,000-year-old site of Gantangqing (甘棠箐) in southwest China, interpreted as digging sticks and small pointed tools, and expanding known range of hominins using wooden tools during the early Paleolithic. • A study on teeth of Hualongdong people, providing evidence of presence of a mixture of primitive and derived dental features, is published by Wu et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of carbon isotopic data from tooth enamel of Pleistocene mammals from the Hualongdong site, indicating that Hualongdong people lived in environment that included a mosaic of dense forests and open woodlands, is presented by Ma et al. (2025). • Hui, Wu & Balzeau (2025) study internal structures of the
Maba Man, and report evidence of presence of combination of morphological features also present in different hominin species. • Shao et al. (2025) determine that hominin occupation of the
Xujiayao site (China) occurred in a period covering the
Marine Isotope Stages 7 and 6. • Evidence from the Donggou site in the
Nihewan Basin (China), indicating that hominins occupied the site between 76,000 and 74,000 years ago and used flexible strategies to adapt to unstable environment, is presented by Xu et al. (2025). • Curnoe et al. (2025) describe a hominin tooth from the Late Pleistocene strata from Gua Dagang (Trader's Cave) in the
Niah National Park (Sarawak,
Malaysia), interpreted as evidence of presence of an archaic hominin population in northern Borneo at the time or shortly before the first appearance of
Homo sapiens in the studied area. • Feng et al. (2025) present a new reconstruction of the
Yunxian 2 cranium, and interpret this individual as an early member of the
Homo longi lineage that also includes the majority of Asian
Chibanian hominins. • Tsutaya et al. (2025) identify the
Penghu 1 mandible as belonging to a male
Denisovan individual on the basis of paleoproteomic evidence. •
Fu et al. (2025) retrieve mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the Pleistocene hominin skull from Harbin (China) which is the holotype of
Homo longi, and report that it falls within the variation of previously sequenced Denisovan mitochondrial DNA; Fu et al. (2025) retrieve 95 endogenous proteins from the same individual, and interpret them as supporting the assignment of the Harbin individual to a Denisovan population. • Mishol et al. (2025) compare the Middle Pleistocene hominin skulls with the Denisovan anatomical profile reconstructed by Gokhman et al. (2019), recover the holotype of
Homo longi, Dali Man and
Kabwe 1 as showing particularly high resemblance to the predicted Denisovan profile, and interpret Kabwe 1 as more likely to be close to the root of the Neanderthal–Denisovan clade than to be a Denisovan. • Trájer (2025) compares the climatic suitability of habitats occupied by Denisovans for development of several diseases, and argues that Denisovan genetic legacy might have contributed to pathogen resistance in modern humans. • Yang et al. (2025) study variation in Denisovan ancestry across East Asia, interpreted as resulting from admixture among diverse early modern human lineages with differing levels of Denisovan ancestry, and report evidence of exceptionally limited Denisovan ancestry in
Jōmon people. • Ruan et al. (2025) report the discovery of a
Quina technological system from the Longtan site, providing evidence that Middle Paleolithic technologies similar to those used by European Neanderthals were also used in southwest China 60,000-50,000 years ago. • Evidence from the study of the mortality pattern of bisons from the
TD10.2-BB bone bed layer from the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca (
Spain), interpreted as indicating that human groups occupying the site exploited bison sustainably, is presented by Rodríguez-Gómez et al. (2025). • A study on evolutionary processes that resulted in the emergence of a mosaic of primitive and derived anatomical traits in the Middle Pleistocene hominin populations from the Neanderthal lineage is published by Rosas et al. (2025). • Evidence indicating that, on average, Neanderthals had thicker cranial vault and its individual layers compared to modern humans is presented by Natahi et al. (2025). • Review of evidence of biological and technological adaptations of Neanderthals to cold environments is published by
Holliday et al. (2025). • Macak et al. (2025) link the variant of
AMPD1 present in Neanderthals to reduced AMPD activity in muscle extracts, and find possible evidence of its impact on athletic performance, but find no evidence of its significant impact on average human physiology. • Possible evidence of impact of Neanderthal-derived
single nucleotide variants within the EC1.45
enhancer cluster on
SOX9 expression and jaw development in modern humans is presented by Uttley et al. (2025). • Palancar, García-Martínez & Bastir (2025) study the morphology of the Neanderthal cervical spine, and report evidence that Neanderthals may not have a reduced cervical lordosis compared to modern humans. • Beasley, Lesnik & Speth (2025) argue that reconstructions of Neanderthal diets based on studies of bulk collagen nitrogen stable isotope ratios should take into account that results of stable nitrogen isotope analyses might be affected by consumption of animal foods laced with maggots by Neanderthals. • Evidence from the Velika Balanica cave (
Serbia), indicating that toolkit originally thought to be devised for cervid processing in the Near East was used by Neanderthals occupying the site for ibex exploitation, is presented by Milošević et al. (2025). • Radović et al. (2025) describe new hominin dental remains from the Velika Balanica cave, reinforcing evidence for Neanderthal presence in the central Balkans approximately 300,000 years ago. • Buzi et al. (2025) describe complete inner nasal structures of the early Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura (
Italy), and interpret their anatomy as indicating as the characteristic facial morphology of Neanderthals was not a direct result of adaptations of their upper airways to cold climate. • Piccirilli et al. (2025) identify the human tooth from the
Grotta del Poggio site (Italy) as belonging to a Neanderthal, and identify the human talus from the same site as belonging to a modern human from the Middle Bronze Age. • Evidence of presence of inner ears with morphology similar to those seen in late Neanderthals is reported in Middle Pleistocene Neanderthals from
Ehringsdorf and Reilingen (Germany) by Urciuoli et al. (2025). • Evidence indicating that
Schöningen spears are approximately 200,000 years old is presented by Hutson et al. (2025). • Urciuoli et al. (2025) report evidence of reduction of morphological diversity of bony labyrinths in the Neanderthal lineage after the start of
Marine Isotope Stage 5, interpreted as possibly related to a
population bottleneck. • Evidence from the study of body parts of large mammals from Neumark-Nord (
Germany), interpreted as indicating that Neanderthals occupying the site during the
Last Interglacial intensively processed carcasses of large mammals for marrow and grease, is presented by Kindler et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of Neanderthal stone tools from the
Mousterian levels from the El Castillo cave (
Cantabria,
Spain), indicating that
flint used to produce the tools was sourced from locations ranging between 23 and 420 km from the site, is presented by Herrero-Alonso et al. (2025). • A study on remains of animals hunted by Neanderthals from the level D of the
Axlor site (Spain), providing evidence of Neanderthals hunting different prey depending on the season, is published by Uzunidis et al. (2025). • Evidence indicating that Neanderthals from the
Scladina cave (
Belgium) crafted bone tools from remains of cave lions, and selected long bones (tibia) for production of chisel-like tools that were subsequently fractured to produce bone retouchers, is presented by Abrams et al. (2025). • A study on Neanderthal remains from the
Goyet Caves (Belgium), providing evidence that Neanderthal cannibalism was targeted towards gracile, short-statured female individuals and possibly towards immature individuals, is presented by Cosnefroy et al. (2025), who interpreted cannibalistic behavior of Neanderthals from the studied site as possibly resulting from conflict between different Neanderthal groups. • A modified part of a reindeer femur, identified as a tool used by Neanderthals for flaying carcasses, is described from the Abri du Maras site (
France) by Doyon et al. (2025). • Neanderthal tracks produced in coastal dune landscapes are reported from two new tracksites from
Portugal by Neto de Carvalho et al. (2025). • Evidence from the study of calcium and stable strontium isotope composition of remains of the Neanderthal individual from Gabasa (Spain), interpreted as indicative of a hypercarnivorous diet, is presented by Dodat et al. (2025). • Degioanni et al. (2025) determine the extent of environments that were suitable from Neanderthal occupation in Europe between 90,000 and 50,000 years ago, report that the extent of suitable areas did not significantly decrease immediately prior to the disappearance of Neanderthals, and argue that the climate change was not the primary cause of the decline of European Neanderthals. • Evidence from the study of a
hip bone from the El Sidrón site (Spain), indicative of a previously unrecognized variability of the morphology of the Neanderthal pelvis, is presented by Torres-Tamayo et al. (2025). • Pigott et al. (2025) mitochondrial genome from a bone of a 46 to 45,000 years old Neanderthal from the Starosele site (
Crimea), and report evidence of affinities of the studied individual with Neanderthals from the Altai region of
Russian Siberia. • A study on
ochre use by Neanderthals associated with the Crimean
Micoquien is published by d'Errico et al. (2025), who identify ochre pieces in the studied sample with characteristics that are hard to explain through utilitarian activities alone, and might be evidence of symbolic use of ochre by Neanderthals. • Amadei, Lin & Fattorini (2025) calculate that recurrent gene mixing resulting from small-scale
Homo sapiens immigrations could have resulted in genetic assimilation of Neanderthals with modern humans. • The first association of shell beads and
Châtelperronian industry is reported from the La-Roche-à-Pierrot site (
France) by Bachellerie et al. (2025). • Villanea et al. (2025) identify one of the
haplotypes of the
MUC19 gene in modern humans as inherited from Neanderthals who in turn likely inherited it from Denisovans, and find this haplotype to be under positive selection in modern humans and possibly linked to adaptations of Indigenous Americans to their environment. • Evidence from the study of the Bété I site from the Anyama locality (
Ivory Coast), indicative of human occupation of West African wet tropical forests dating to around 150,000 years ago, is presented by Ben Arous et al. (2025). • Velliky et al. (2025) describe
Middle Stone Age artifacts made from ochre from the
Blombos Cave (
South Africa), interpreted as retouchers and pressure flakers. • Hallett et al. (2025) report evidence of expansion in human niche breadth that began around 70,000 years ago, resulting in distinctive ecological flexibility of humans contributing to their successful dispersal out of Africa. • Röding et al. (2025) study the morphology of teeth of a juvenile hominin individual from the Pleistocene Mugharet el'Aliya cave site (
Morocco), and interpret it as consistent with affinities with the
Homo sapiens lineage. • Timbrell et al. (2025) provide evidence of ecological differences between northwestern and eastern Africa during the
Middle Stone Age, and argue that those differences might have been drivers of cultural diversification between human populations producing Middle Stone Age technology. • A study on the timing of transition between the Middle and
Late Stone Age at
Olduvai Gorge (
Tanzania), as indicated by new chronology of middle and upper units of Naisiusiu Beds, is published by Stanistreet et al. (2025). • Godinho et al. (2025) report limited effectiveness of machine learning models trained on data from collections of late modern individuals from the Luis Lopes collection (
Portugal) in sex determination of mandibles from the temporally and geographically distant Late Pleistocene population from
Jebel Sahaba (
Sudan). • Falcucci & Kuhn (2025) compare stone tool assemblages from northern
Ahmarian and post-Ahmarian layers at
Ksar Akil (
Lebanon) with
Protoaurignacian assemblages from Italy, and find no evidence indicating that Protoaurignacian originated from Levantine Ahmarian technologies. • Jiang et al. (2025) provide evidence of rapid increase in fire activity in the
East China Sea region since 50,000 years ago, interpreted as linked to increase in fire utilization by humans. • Kaifu et al. (2025) report evidence from sea travel from
Taiwan to
Yonaguni conducted in 2019, using a
dugout canoe produced with Upper Paleolithic tools, indicating that Paleolithic people were capable crossing the strait separating Taiwan and the
Ryukyu Islands in spite of strong currents; Chang et al. (2025) report that such sea crossing required awareness of the
Kuroshio Current, adjustment of paddling to counteract it, and choice of the right departure place by the Paleolithic people. • A study on the Late Paleolithic Dadong site in the
Changbai Mountains (China), providing evidence of three distinct phases of human occupation overlapping with major climatic shifts of Marine Isotope Stage 3, Last Glacial Maximum and post-Last Glacial Maximum, is published by Xu et al. (2025). • Evidence from experiments with raw and roasted turtle remains processed with replicated Paleolithic stone tools, interpreted as indicating that in-shell roasting of turtles observed at the Paleolithic sites in the Mediterranean Basin and the Iberian Peninsula resulted in reduction of labor during processing of cooked animals, is presented by Nabais et al. (2025), who interpret cooking and processing of turtles observed at the Paleolithic sites as likely to be a cognitively sophisticated and socially transmitted behavior. • Evidence from the study of mammalian remains from the
Isturitz cave (France), indicative of stability of hunting strategies of people occupying the site during the
Marine Isotope Stage 3 in spite of climate cooling and opening of landscapes, is presented by Berlioz et al. (2025). • Kitagawa et al. (2025) report evidence from ballistic experiments with arrows and spears shot using crossbow, bow and spear-thrower, from the study of their damage type and size and from comparison with
Aurignacian osseous projectile points, indicating that breakage patterns of the studied armatures depend mostly on the raw material and size of the armature rather than on the launching mechanism, and argue that hunting gears with diverse launching mechanisms might have been used from the onset of the early
Upper Paleolithic. • Matthews et al. (2025) study new palaeoclimatic record from Llangorse (South Wales,
United Kingdom) near the earliest British archaeological sites, and find that repopulation of the northwest margin of Europe by humans after the
Last Glacial Maximum was supported by local summer warming. • Schürch, Conard & Schmidt (2025) study the raw material sourcing of tools from the
Gravettian and
Magdalenian sites in
Germany, and interpret their findings as indicating that territories of foraging groups that occupied the studied sites spanned across 300 km. • Lahaye et al. (2025) use
hyperspectral imaging to identify previously unknown paintings from the Mayenne-Sciences cave (
France). • Sparacello et al. (2025) study projectile impact marks from remains of a Paleolithic individual from the Riparo Tagliente site (
Italy), interpreted as possible evidence of a conflict between different groups of hunter-gatherers, and among the oldest possible evidence of such conflicts. • Evidence of exploitation of diverse birds for food, utilitarian purposes and ornamentation by Upper Paleolithic human groups from the
Romito Cave (Italy) is presented by Carrera & Martini (2025). • Mori et al. (2025) confirm that the AC12 cranium from the Upper Paleolithic
Arene Candide site (Italy) represents the oldest human skull with evidence of
artificial modification from Europe reported to date. • Marginedas et al. (2025) interpret evidence of manipulation of human remains from the Magdalenian site Maszycka Cave (
Poland) as consistent with
cannibalistic behavior. • Evidence from the study of a large mitogenome dataset from human populations from
Sahul and western Pacific, indicating that settlement of Sahul began by 60,000 years ago through at least two distinct routes, is presented by Gandini et al. (2025). • The oldest evidence of human occupation of high-altitude territories in
Australia reported to date, indicative of occupation of Dargan Shelter in the upper
Blue Mountains during the
Last Glacial Maximum, is presented by Way et al. (2025). •
Archer et al. (2025) find evidence indicating that a cut on a sthenurine kangaroo tibia from the
Mammoth Cave in Western Australia reported by Archer, Crawford & Merrilees (1980) was produced long after the death of the animal and likely after the fossilization of the bone, interpret the tooth of
Zygomaturus trilobus gifted to Kim Akerman by Indigenous Australians from Mount Hart in the
Kimberley region as originating from southern Australia, and argue that the First Peoples in Australia collected fossils and transported them over long distances. • New evidence interpreted as supporting dating of the
White Sands footprints to the Last Glacial Maximum is presented by Holliday et al. (2025). • Madsen et al. (2025) review stone tool assemblages from North America that are older than cultural deposits of
Clovis age and preserve evidence of technological similarities with approximately 20,000-years-old tools from northern
Japan, and characterize them as representing American Upper Paleolithic
lithic technology. • Wygal et al. (2025) revise evidence of ecology and behavior of the first Alaskans from the study of stone and mammoth ivory tools from the Holzman site in the
Tanana Valley. • A study on the human distribution in South America during the late Pleistocene is published by Becerra-Valdivia (2025), who reports evidence of adaptation of humans to cold environments during the
Antarctic Cold Reversal and widespread occupation of the continent that likely happened after the
Younger Dryas. • A study on mammalian assemblages from sites in southern South America dated before 11.600 calibrated years
B.P. and on evidence of their associations with humans is published by Prates, Medina & Perez (2025), who report evidence indicating that extinct megafauna were the principal prey item of early foragers in the studied area, who broadened their diet by including other animals only after the decline of abundance of megafauna. • Labarca, Prieto & Massone (2025) reconstruct subsistence strategies of early hunter–gatherers in southern South America, based on faunal remains from the Late Pleistocene sites Cueva Lago Sofía 1 and Tres Arroyos 1, and interpret the people occupying the sites as primarily exploiting canids and camelids, with extinct mammals exploited as supplementary resources. • Ben-Dor & Barkai (2025) argue that cultural and technological innovations of the Upper Paleolithic were driven by human need to restore non-protein energy intake in the aftermath of Late Pleistocene extinctions of large-bodied, fat-rich megafauna. • Guagnin et al. (2025) identify rock art and artifacts from sites south of the
Nafud desert (
Saudi Arabia) as evidence of human occupation of the interior of northern Arabia during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, made possible by use of seasonal water bodies. • A late
Epipalaeolithic clay figure depicting an interaction between a woman and a goose, interpreted as presenting a mythological scene consistent with an animistic belief system, is described from
Nahal Ein Gev II (
Israel) by Davin,
Munro & Grosman (2025). • Stimpson et al. (2025) describe a skeleton from the Thung Binh 1 cave site (
Tràng An Landscape Complex World Heritage Site,
Vietnam) dated 12 500–12 000 years before present, interpreted as belonging to an individual with affinities with a Late Pleistocene indigenous hunter–gatherer population and unrelated to East Asian farmer populations, and preserving evidence of a neck injury interpreted as likely caused by a small projectile. • Hung et al. (2025) revise 54 hunter-gatherer burials from archaeological sites from southern China and Southeast Asia ranging from the latest Pleistocene to the Middle Holocene, and identify early examples of smoke-dried mummification of the dead similar to practices recorded in Australian and New Guinean societies, with the oldest confirmed examples of mummification from Huiyaotian in China predating both
Chinchorro mummies and Ancient Egyptian mummies. • Evidence from the study of ribcages of fossil
Homo sapiens, indicative of impact of climatic conditions on size and shape of ribcages in the studied individuals, is presented by López-Rey et al. (2025). • Alperson-Afil & Rabinovich (2025) report evidence from experimental burial of a wild boar in a
Natufian-like open-air grave, indicative of post-depositional modifications of the grave and its contents similar to those observed in Natufian grave sites, interpret Natufians as possessing deep knowledge of the different phases of postmortem changes, and interpret Natufian funerary practices as requiring collective effort and likely reinforcing social cohesion. • Evidence from the study of ancient DNA of individuals living in Eurasia in the time interval spanning from 45,000 to 1700 years ago, indicative of persistence of individuals with dark or intermediate skin colors in Europe up to the
Iron Age (coexisting with individuals with light skin colors since the
Mesolithic), is presented by Perretti et al. (2025). • Guyon, Heyer & Chaix (2025) study kinship systems in
Neolithic and
Bronze Age European populations as indicated by ancient DNA evidence, and interpret genetic diversity observed in Neolithic and Bronze Age sites as compatible with a patrilocal residence system, but do not firm evidence conclusively supporting a patrilineal descent in the studied populations. • Weber et al. (2025) study the clinical consequences of injuries of
Ötzi, and argue that the studied individual likely survived for several hours after being subjected to interpersonal violence, and that he was able to bandage his wounds. • Nogué et al. (2025) review studies from the precedings years and methods used in the study of long-term human influences on past ecosystems. • Glantz & Radovčić (2025) review the history of study of paleoanthropological records from
Croatia and Central Asia, and argue that geopolitical and scientific hegemonies resulted in paleoanthropology disproportionately representing the work of scholars studying the material from areas such as western Europe, Levant and Africa and the theoretical perspectives emanating from these scholars, while the paleoanthropological records from the former socialist sphere were interpreted as discontinuous or as edges and outposts, resulting in their marginalization.
Rodents Rodent research • Quintana Cardona & Riera Pons (2025) study the morphology of the
cribriform plate of a member of the genus
Hypnomys from the Ses Tapareres Cave in
Menorca (
Spain), and interpret the sensory systems of
Hypnomys as better developed than those of
Myotragus balearicus and
Nuralagus rex. • Sinitsa (2025) revises known fossil record of members of the genus
Glis. • Čermák (2025) revises the anatomy and affinities of
Ameniscomys selenoides on the basis of the study of known and new fossil material, and names a new subfamily Ameniscomyinae. • Grau-Camats et al. (2025) describe new fossil material of
Miopetaurista webbi from the
Gray Fossil Site (
Tennessee, United States) and interpret the species as likely closely related to the Eurasian species
M. thaleri. • Zonneveld et al. (2025) interpret the accumulation of middle Pleistocene mammal bones from the
Làng Tráng cave complex (
Vietnam) as mainly resulting from scavenging activities of porcupines. • Candela, García-Esponda & Noriega (2025) revise the
holotype of
Paradoxomys cancrivorus from the Miocene strata in northeast
Argentina, and reassign it to the species
Coendou magnus. • Fernández et al. (2025) revise the fossil material of late Pleistocene
caviines from the
Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), and reaffirm the validity of
Galea tixiensis. • White et al. (2025) describe fossil material of 44 specimens of
Neochoerus aesopi from the fossil outcrops at Térapa, representing the northernmost late Pleistocene (
Rancholabrean) record of
Neochoerus in
Mexico reported to date. • Escamilla et al. (2025) describe fossil material of members of the genera
Prolagostomus and
Chasicomys from the Miocene strata in the Calahoyo locality (Jujuy Province, Argentina), representing the first recorded co-occurrence of members of the two genera and extending known temporal range of
Prolagostomus. • Rasia (2025) revises the composition of the
dinomyid assemblage from the Miocene
Ituzaingó Formation (Argentina), and reduces its taxonomic diversity from 18 genera and 27 species to 13 genera and 19 species. • New information on the anatomy and affinities of
Telicomys giganteus, based on the study of a new specimen, is provided by Rasia et al. (2025). • A study on the brain morphology of Pliocene specimens of
Eumysops chapalmalensis is published by Fernández Villoldo et al. (2025). • Netto et al. (2025) report evidence indicating that morphology of
atlas and
axis in extant members of the family
Echimyidae is shaped by phylogenetic relatedness and by ecological factors, and interpret the vertebral morphology of
Eumysops chapalmalensis as consistent with the interpretation of this rodent as terrestrial or semi-fossorial. • Peralta et al. (2025) describe a tooth of a member of the tribe
Echimyini from the
Greenlandian strata in the
Entre Ríos Province (Argentina), with morphology indicative of affinities with the extant Amazonian genus
Lonchothrix, and interpret this finding as consistent with existence of a biogeographic connection between Amazonia and the southern cone of South America during the early Holocene. • Busker, Pérez & Krause (2025) describe the first fossil material of
Perimys erutus and
P. intermedius from the Miocene (
Colhuehuapian) strata from the Sacanana locality (
Sarmiento Formation;
Chubut Province, Argentina), increasing known diversity of caviomorph rodents from the site. • Solórzano et al. (2025) identify fossil material of
Acarechimys minutus from the Miocene strata from the Laguna del Laja site (
Cura-Mallín Formation,
Chile), and interpret this finding as indicating that the
Santacrucian mammalian fauna from Laguna del Laja was not fully
endemic. • Bogel, Vassallo & Becerra (2025) reconstruct jaw adductor muscles of
Actenomys priscus, estimate its bite force, and report evidence of closer similarity of its musculature and (estimated) bite force to those of
octodontids than to those of extant
tuco-tucos. • De Santi & Verzi (2025) revise the Pleistocene tuco-tuco species
Ctenomys latidens, interpreting it as a distinct species and likely a
senior synonym of
C. dasseni and
C. intermedius. • A study on the evolution of the morphological variation of skulls and mandibles of tuco-tucos, based on data from extant and extinct taxa, is published by De Santi, Álvarez & Verzi (2025). • A study on the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of extant and fossil birch mice is published by Zhu et al. (2025). • Crespo et al. (2025) study the composition of the early Miocene
muroid assemblage from the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (
Spain), and interpret the studied rodents as living in an environmental that was transitional between forests of west Europe and drier interior of the Iberian Peninsula. • A study on the evolutionary history of the family
Platacanthomyidae, as indicated by genomic data from extant species and by fossil record, is published by Kang et al. (2025). • Chang et al. (2025) describe new fossil material of
Eospalax simplicidens from the Pleistocene Sanmen Formation (Shaanxi, China), extending known geographical range of this species and providing new information on its skull anatomy. • A study on changes of the first molar during the evolutionary history of the
Kislangia lineage in Western Europe during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene is published by Agustí, Lozano-Fernández & Piñero (2025). • A study on the evolution of tooth morphology of
arvicoline rodents, as indicated by data from fossil record and by data on development of teeth of extant arvicolines, is published by Lafuma et al. (2025), who interpret their findings as indicating that morphological evolution of teeth was shaped by tooth development. • A study on the affinities and evolutionary history of
Megaoryzomys curioi, as indicated by mitochondrial sequences extracted from its remains, is published by Bover et al. (2025). • Fox & Blois (2025) identify molars of
pack rats from the Project 23 Deposits of the
La Brea Tar Pits as belonging to
big-eared woodrats. • A study on the morphology of
molars of Pleistocene large-bodied rats from the
Mata Menge site (Flores,
Indonesia) and on their affinities is published by Hayes et al. (2025), who report evidence of similarities of the studied molars with those of
Hooijeromys nusatenggara and
Verhoeven's giant rat. • Vincent et al. (2025) describe the brain endocasts of the
Tenerife giant rat and the
Gran Canaria giant rat, providing evidence of changes of brain structure likely resulting in reduction of senses in the studied rats compared to their relatives. • Review of the fossil record of rodent assemblages from the Siwaliks, and of changes of their composition throughout the Neogene, is published by Badgley et al. (2025). • Rodríguez-Sánchez et al. (2025) study the composition of the rodent assemblage from the GIIb and GIIIa Subunits of Galería site (
Spain), and interpret it as indicative of presence of an open grassland with a Mediterranean climate during the Middle Pleistocene.
Other euarchontoglires Miscellaneous euarchontoglires research • Čermák et al. (2025) revise the taxonomy of Pliocene lagomorphs from the Tollo de Chiclana section of the Guadix Basin (
Spain). • A study on the morphology of skull and teeth of
Prolagus michauxi from its type locality of Sète (
France) is published by Sen (2025). • Kalaitzi & Kostopoulos (2025) describe new fossil material of
Trischizolagus from the Pliocene strata from the Megalo Emvolon-4 site (
Greece), providing new information on the cranial anatomy of
T. dumitrescuae. • A study on the evolutionary history of the
European rabbit in southwestern Europe, as indicated by fossil record of 55 populations spanning from the Middle to Late Pleistocene, is published by Pelletier (2025). • Chester et al. (2025) describe a specimen of
Mixodectes pungens from the Paleocene
Nacimiento Formation (
New Mexico, United States) representing the most complete
mixodectid specimen reported to date, and interpret its anatomy as supporting the
primatomorphan affinities of mixodectids. • New information on the anatomy of the skull of
Plesiolestes nacimienti is provided by Crowell, Beard & Chester (2025). • Monclús-Gonzalo et al. (2025) study the relationship between tarsal shape and locomotor behavior in extant primates and apply their findings to plesiadapiforms and early euprimates, reporting evidence of diverse locomotor repertoires in the latter group. • Patnaik et al. (2025) identify fossil material of
Paraulacodus indicus in the
Sivapithecus indicus locality of Rashole in Siwaliks (Jammu and Kashmir,
India), and interpret this finding as indicating that fossils from the Rashole locality and nearby Sunetar-2 site (including fossils of
Kapi ramnagarensis and
Ramadapis sahnii) can be dated as approximately 13 million years old. • Toussaint, Youlatos & Nyakatura (2025) determine possible vertical descent behaviors in 13 extinct members of Euarchontoglires, and argue that adaptations for vertical locomotion might have promoted use of upright postures in early euprimates. ==Laurasiatherians==