Human Happenings

A: The Pathway to Humanity

On the way to becoming Homo sapiens, game-changing evolutionary breakthroughs led to the development of various hominin species, now all extinct (except for us!). Here, we are introduced to these species & the breakthroughs responsible for their development, helping us understand the awesome ways in which they led to us!

B: Ever-changing Hominins

Examining Early Hominins

Use the information in the online textbook, Lesson 2, to complete the chart on the earliest hominins.

Donkeys? Monkeys? Donkey-monkeys?

Why monkeys can't talk like us (even if they wanted to)...

SciShow - Why Can't Monkeys Talk Like Us?

Smarter than the average bear, Boo-Boo!

Neanderthals aren't your average cave people...

SciShow - Neanderthals: Smarter Than You Think

Wait, we're NOT descendants of monkeys!?

Determine when each group lived (time period/length of time), what their physical features and capabilities were, and explain how each unique capability, trait, and attribute helped them to survive.

Early Humans: How We Changed Over Time

CHART - Hominids

Use the links -->

to access information about height and weight for each hominin group

Homo habilis

Homo erectus

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo sapiens

Homo habilis | Description, Tools, & FactsHomo habilis, extinct species of human, the most ancient representative of the human genus.

Homo erectus | extinct homininHomo erectus, (Latin: “upright man”) extinct species of the human genus (Homo), perhaps an ancestor of modern humans (Homo sapiens). H. erectus most likely originated in Africa, though Eurasia cannot be ruled out. Regardless of where it first evolved, the species seems to have dispersed quickly,

Neanderthal | Characteristics, DNA, & FactsNeanderthal, one of a group of archaic humans who emerged at least 200,000 years ago in the Pleistocene Epoch and were replaced or assimilated by early modern human populations (Homo sapiens) 35,000 to perhaps 24,000 years ago. They inhabited Eurasia from the Atlantic through the Mediterranean to Central Asia.

Homo sapiens - OriginHomo sapiens - Homo sapiens - Origin: The earliest candidate for hominin status is Sahelanthropus tchadensis, based on a cranium from of Chad in north-central Africa. Announced in 2002, this specimen is dated to the period between 7 and 6 mya. The distinctive mark of Hominini, the lineage that includes humans and their direct ancestors, is generally taken to be upright land locomotion on two legs (terrestrial bipedalism). The skull of S. tchadensis does not indicate with certainty if this species was at all terrestrial, although the fairly forward position of its foramen magnum (the hole through which the spinal cord exits the braincase) may suggest a

C: Humans can be superheros!

SciShow - Human mutation and superpowers

D: We're not so different, you and I...us...

Prehistory & Bipedal Hominins

Mr. Nicky guides us through the ever-changing hominins and their capabilities.

Bipedal Toolers of Stone

2-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools Unearthed in Tanzania | Archaeology, Paleoanthropology | Sci-News.comAn international team of archaeologists and paleoanthropologists has discovered a large collection of 2-million-year-old stone tools, fossilized bones and plant materials at the site of Ewass Oldupa in the western portion of the ancient basin of Olduvai Gorge (now Oldupai) in northern Tanzania.

World's first food processor, from 350,000 years ago, found near HaifaThe food processor is the oldest abrasion tool ever found.

Oldest hominins persisted across changing environmentsOldupai Gorge, known as the Cradle of Humankind, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Tanzania, made famous by Louis and Mary Leakey. New interdisciplinary field work has led to the discovery of the oldest archaeological site in Oldupai Gorge, which shows that early human used a wide diversity of habitats amidst environmental changes across a 200,000 year-long period.

Ancient humans interbred with a mysterious archaic population 700,000 years ago, a study found — it's the earliest known mating between different human speciesA new analysis of ancient DNA revealed that different populations of our human ancestors interbred as early as 700,000 years ago.

Neanderthals may have used their hands differently from humansIf you were to greet a Neanderthal with a handshake, it might feel a little awkward. Homo neanderthalensis had chunkier fingers compared to human digits -- and used their hands differently from us, a new study suggests.

"Chunkier fingers" and a different thumb angle!?

New evidence shows Neanderthals used their hand differently from us. Another variation on human adaptation and evolution!

A step in the right direction, but...

Though it may attempt to demonstrate evolution, the connection to chimpanzees and monkeys is a bit overstated...(Even according to the Theory of Evolution, this doesn't work.)

Watch out for the feet!

"Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey"

E: Where'd they all go?

Climate change may have killed hominins!

Of the different species of early humans, only Homo sapiens have managed to survive.

Scientists have used climate modeling and fossil records to search for clues to determine what led to those earlier extinctions of our ancient ancestors - Turns out that an inability to adapt to either warming or cooling temperatures may have done them in!