Anthropology and the Study of Human Evolution

-Gingerlily's Department, 2003-2004

Evolution means change over time. In this department we will study biological evolution with a particular emphasis on our human journey. Humans have evolved on this planet for more than four million years. Changes over time in the genes, the environment, and cultural developments have shaped human bodies and behavior.

This department incorporates reading, writing, math, art, and social science into the scientific framework. We will visit the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Man in our search for understanding of evolution and what makes us human.

Here are some links to help you learn more about evolution:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/change/family/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/triumphoflife/

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/index.html

and a video about Lucy: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/04/3/l_043_01.html

Charles Darwin http://www.aboutdarwin.com/

Here are some really cool links to learn more about genetics:

Click here to watch PBS Nova Human Genome Project (We didn't get to see this in class. It is an excellent program!)

http://www.oneworld.net/penguin/genetics/GE1.html

http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/teachercenter/pag000064.htm

http://www.dnaftb.org/dnaftb/1/concept/ (there some information about Mendel here)

On this page you can see some of the exhibits from the Museum of Man.
http://www.abouthumanevolution.net/html/footstepstory.htm

Neandertals: A Cyber Perspective
http://sapphire.indstate.edu/~ramanank/

For answers to all your who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about Neanderthals, visit this site. Divided into sections by topic, such as "The Fate of Neandertals," "Hunting and Diet," and "Linguistic Capability," this site is an easy-to-navigate resource.

Becoming Human
http://www.becominghuman.org/

The Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University offers this eye-catching broadband site full of information on human evolution. Visit this site to find out what a prehistoric archeologist does on the job, take a virtual walk in a real-life excavation, ogle some hominid Object VRs, or watch a documentary on human origins hosted by Donald Johanson. The site also provides a daily news update on current excavations and finds around the world.

Neanderthals on Trial
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neanderthals/

In 1856, bones of an unrecognizable hominid turned up in Germany's Neander Valley. This early human and others like it -- sturdy, large-headed individuals -- came to be known as Neanderthals. Despite a century and a half of study and debate, Neanderthals remain an enigma. Were they our ancestors, or an evolutionary dead-end? Were they assimilated into early modern (Cro Magnon) populations, or were they wiped out en masse in a Pleistocene genocide? "Neanderthals on Trial" investigates this long-standing mystery.

The Missing Link
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/link/history.html

According to the theory of evolution, all four-limbed animals - everything from human beings to dinosaurs - are descended from a single creature, the first to crawl from water on to land. Yet finding that vital bridge between fish and four legs has proven elusive. A paleontological tour-de-force and suspenseful scientific detective story, "The Missing Link" follows a trail of clues from Pennsylvania to Greenland, including the crucial rediscovery of a tiny fossil jaw that had lain unnoticed in a dusty museum drawer for decades.

Presentation:

Charles Darwin (under construction)

Evolution Revolution rap (under construction)