The assumption has been comfortable and long-standing: creativity is a product of abundance. When ancient humans had enough food, enough warmth, enough security, they had the mental space to innovate.

A brainy human relative who lived during an ice age nearly 150,000 years ago adapted to the bitter cold by developing a sophisticated stone-tool industry, according to a new study…

The research unveils a more intricate narrative of innovation, intelligence, and human evolution in East Asia.