2011 Science News of the Year: Humans

While the Han Chinese (left) don’t show genetic contributions from Denisovans, Australian Aborigines (right) do.
BLACKRED/ISTOCKPHOTO; GARY RADLER/ISTOCKPHOTO

Asia takes a bow

Often overlooked as a geographic player in human evolution, Asia has stepped into the scientific spotlight. New comparisons of ancient and modern DNA indicate that Stone Age humans migrated to Asia in two stages.