A single mutation around 30,000 years ago appears to be responsible for several traits common in East Asian peoples, from thicker hair to denser sweat glands.
Our early ancestors in Central Africa, between three million and 3.5 million years ago, munched mainly on tropical grasses and sedges - a much earlier change in diet than previously believed.
Duck-billed dinosaurs had amazingly complex teeth - much more so than those of cows, horses, and other modern grazers - allowing them to chew tough and abrasive plants with great efficiency.
Bits of food stuck between the teeth of a two-million-year-old South African hominid show that, unlike almost all other known human ancestors, it ate tree bark and other hard foods.
