Becoming Human

Becoming Human brings together interactive multimedia, research and scholarship to promote greater understanding of the course of human evolution

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Earliest evidence of symbolic behavior found

December 03, 2014

Long overlooked fresh water shells lying in a museum drawer for more than a century have yielded the earliest evidence of symbolic behavior, according to an article in Nature this week..

The article is entitled “Homo erectus at Trinil on Java used shells for tool production and engraving“, by Josephine C. A. Joordens et al. The abstract of the article states:

Lucy is forty!

November 24, 2014

Lucy, the three million year old fossil skeleton, turns 40 today. Om November 24, 1974 a young paleoanthropologist named Donald Johanson was returning to camp. He glanced over his shoulder and something caught his eye. A bit of bone protruding from the sloping ground.

Living High

October 23, 2014

Human residence at high altitude for prolonged periods is confirmed in a Podcast issued by the journal Science this week.

Oldest Human Genome Reported

October 23, 2014

The finding of the oldest human genetic material is reported this week. A femoral shaft (thigh bone without ends to fit with hip and knee)was found in Siberia and dated to 45,000 years ago.

Revisiting the Hobbit

October 23, 2014

On the tenth anniversary of the announcement of a close human relative, Homo floresiensis, nicknamed The Hobbit, noted paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer revisits the find in an article in Nature this week.

An introduction to the history and crafting of early stone tools - Launch the Presentation Explore human lineage through time: discover your roots over a span of 7 million years - Launch the Interactive Timeline Journey through the story of human evolution in an interactive documentary experience - Launch the Documentary

Becoming Human is an interactive documentary experience that tells the story of our origins. Journey through four million years of human evolution with your guide, Donald Johanson.

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Building Bodies

Upright posture and the ability to walk on two legs are crucial, major adaptations associated with the divergence of the human lineage from a common ancestor with the African apes. Learn how we stood up!
Chromosome Connection

Students are taken on a chromosome comparison "adventure", in which the banding patterns are compared on the chromosomes of humans and apes. Play Chromosome Connection!

Becoming Human

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Building Bodies

Chromosome Connection