I recently visited the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to gain a new perspective on what we learned in Anthropology this semester. In this paper I will be discussing the Human Origin exhibit that is currently being shown at The Academy of Sciences and how it relates to all that I have learned this semester. This particular exhibit shows the various physical forms that hominins took as they evolved over 4 million years ago. I loved being able to see in person the actual skulls on display. It made what we learned in class this semester all the more real. It also felt great to be able to understand what the exhibit was talking about.
The exhibit was most similar to that of Chapter 11 in our textbook, called Early Hominins. This is because the exhibit went into detail to not only show but also describe in depth species of hominins, from the Sahelanthropus tchadensis who lived around 7 to 6 million years ago and the Australopithecus robustus who were walking on this planet up until 1.5 million years ago. This part of the exhibit was what interested me the most because I loved being able to see the actual different kinds of skulls and be able to compare sizes.
Over the last few million years, scientists and archaeologists have discovered around twelve new different hominin species. What I have noticed overall is that these different species don’t last. There is always a newer and more evolving species that comes next. A big part of this idea makes me wonder if modern humans have the ability to survive, or if another, greater species will be created. The main part of the exhibit contained fossil skulls that were linked to species so people are able to see what kind of skull it is and where it was found around the world. Some of these places included Africa, Europe, and Asia, which relates to the some of the information that we read in our textbooks. The different kinds of species were quite significant with: height, body shape, cranial capacity, mandibular size and shape, and intelligence. These were only some of the main differences. The strongest common denominator for hominins is bipedalism, however even that is debated in some of our earliest ancestors, such as the Orrorin or Ardipithecus ramidus/kadabba. In a paper written on the ecological energetics of early Homo, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Herman Pontzer wrote “Body mass estimates indicate early Homo, both males and females, were approximately 33% larger than australopiths, consistent with archeological evidence indicating an ecological change with the origins of our genus.” Height and weight were probably the most noticeable changes throughout the evolution of Hominins. However, we see many of the features on the skull that have changed over generations. Australopithecus afarensis and robustus both acquired …show more content…
This is in Ethiopia. These tools include not just large pieces of rocks for pounding, but also the first known creation of stone tools. There were sharp marks created by striking a hard stone against quartz or obsidian. These makrs end up creating a sharper edge. This is called percussion flaking and was very effective in making handaxes as well as pounding stones. The exhibit was very hands on and contained a brief summary of the tools, when they were crafted, and some examples of these kinds of rocks that we were able to touch and hold for
The exhibit was most similar to that of Chapter 11 in our textbook, called Early Hominins. This is because the exhibit went into detail to not only show but also describe in depth species of hominins, from the Sahelanthropus tchadensis who lived around 7 to 6 million years ago and the Australopithecus robustus who were walking on this planet up until 1.5 million years ago. This part of the exhibit was what interested me the most because I loved being able to see the actual different kinds of skulls and be able to compare sizes.
Over the last few million years, scientists and archaeologists have discovered around twelve new different hominin species. What I have noticed overall is that these different species don’t last. There is always a newer and more evolving species that comes next. A big part of this idea makes me wonder if modern humans have the ability to survive, or if another, greater species will be created. The main part of the exhibit contained fossil skulls that were linked to species so people are able to see what kind of skull it is and where it was found around the world. Some of these places included Africa, Europe, and Asia, which relates to the some of the information that we read in our textbooks. The different kinds of species were quite significant with: height, body shape, cranial capacity, mandibular size and shape, and intelligence. These were only some of the main differences. The strongest common denominator for hominins is bipedalism, however even that is debated in some of our earliest ancestors, such as the Orrorin or Ardipithecus ramidus/kadabba. In a paper written on the ecological energetics of early Homo, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Herman Pontzer wrote “Body mass estimates indicate early Homo, both males and females, were approximately 33% larger than australopiths, consistent with archeological evidence indicating an ecological change with the origins of our genus.” Height and weight were probably the most noticeable changes throughout the evolution of Hominins. However, we see many of the features on the skull that have changed over generations. Australopithecus afarensis and robustus both acquired …show more content…
This is in Ethiopia. These tools include not just large pieces of rocks for pounding, but also the first known creation of stone tools. There were sharp marks created by striking a hard stone against quartz or obsidian. These makrs end up creating a sharper edge. This is called percussion flaking and was very effective in making handaxes as well as pounding stones. The exhibit was very hands on and contained a brief summary of the tools, when they were crafted, and some examples of these kinds of rocks that we were able to touch and hold for