The Smithsonian's Human Origins Program | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

The Smithsonian's Human Origins Program | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program
Anthropocene:
The Age of Humans
Interactive Timeline
Digital Collection
Adventures in
the Rift Valley
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Hall of Human Origins
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What Does It Mean To Be Human?
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I believe one of the things that differentiates humans from animals is our concept of beauty.
- Aubrey, Greenville, SC
Being able to change and adapt to what lies ahead of us.
- Coralie, Cody, WY
to make meaningful relationships to make memorises with those around us.
- Abbey, Melbourne
Other creatures don't spend half their lives trying to halt inevitable Death. We do. It's a curse.
- C.S. Brineman, Little Rock, AR
To imagine the future and study the past. The soul, greater purpose and to persevere.
- Gavin Li, Bunnies Home Ground
Being human means we are made in God's image and always being who we are and not someone else.
- Kurth, North Carolina
The meaning to be human is you're a part of the most populated species
- charles, Saanich
There is no real meaning to being human, but often, our humanity is brought up when we commit mistakes. To be human is to fail. But it is also those of us who are resilient that commit to trying again. To be human is to fail, and try again.
- Alastair, California
To speak a language, to be able to invent things, and have knowledge. We also have a bigger brain size.
- Bob, Vermont
To be human is to be aware of our emotions and our wrongdoings, to love and be loved, and to expand our knowledge of the world.
- Allison, California
El concepto del significado, ser humano es muy amplio porque se ve de varios ambitos, para mi el ser humano significa un ser de demasiada evolucion,para llegar a tener una identidad unica,el ser humano se adapta a muchas situaciones y logra superarse.
- laura Milena Mogollòn Moreno, Espinal/ Tolima
To be an incredible step in this universes attempt to understand itself
- Joshua Jones, Portland, ME
Featured Research
View more Human Evolution Research >>
'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia
New digs and geological dating in Liang Bua Cave, Indonesia, show that Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the “hobbit” for its small size, became extinct around 50,000 years ago – tens of thousands of years earlier than originally thought.
For Teachers
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AP Biology Curriculum Materials
Are you an AP Biology teacher? Click here for freely downloadable curriculum materials aligned to the AP learning objectives that use human case studies to teach core evolutionary principles and a resource to help teachers create a comfortable and supportive classroom environment for teaching evolution.
Lesson Plans
Comparison of Human and Chimp Chromosomes (Grades 9-12)
Investigating Common Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models (Grades 9-12)
Human Evolution: Religious Perspectives
More Resources >>
The Hall of Human Origins offers a welcoming place to explore one of the most exciting areas of science, the study of human evolution. Despite strong public interest in the science, however, many people find this topic troubling when viewed from a religious perspective. Representatives of diverse religious communities encourage a larger, more respectful understanding of both the scientific evidence and religious belief.
Featured Media
View all Multimedia >>
How To Tell a Rock from a Stone Tool
How can you tell if a rock is actually an early stone tool? Watch this video to find out.
Designing the Exhibition
This video takes you behind-the-scenes into the process of designing and building the Smithsonian's Hall of Human Origins.
Fun Facts
Why do we have wisdom teeth?
When our back molars are impacted in our jaw, they don’t
seem
very wise! They’re the last teeth to come into place, and having them was helpful to our early ancestors who ate tough, uncooked foods that wore away their teeth. But with cooking and making food softer, the size of our jaws has diminished, often with room for the last molars to form in the jaw…but – ouch! – not enough room to erupt.
Human Evolution Research
Climate and Human Evolution
Climate Effects on Human Evolution
Survival of the Adaptable
Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
East African Research Projects
Olorgesailie Field Blog
2011 Olorgesailie Dispatches
2004 Olorgesailie Dispatches
1999 Olorgesailie Dispatches
Olorgesailie Drilling Project
Kanam, Kenya
Kanjera, Kenya
Ol Pejeta, Kenya
Olorgesailie, Kenya
Evolution of Human Innovation
Adventures in the Rift Valley: Interactive
Asian Research Projects
'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia
Earliest Humans in China
Bose, China
Anthropocene: The Age of Humans
Fossil Forensics: Interactive
What's Hot in Human Origins?
Digital Archive of Ungulate and Carnivore Dentition
Instructions
Carnivore Dentition
Ungulate Dentition
Human Evolution Evidence
Behavior
Primate Behavior
Footprints
Footprints from Koobi Fora, Kenya
Laetoli Footprint Trails
Footprints from Engare Sero, Tanzania
Stone Tools
Early Stone Age Tools
Hammerstone from Majuangou, China
Handaxe and Tektites from Bose, China
Handaxe from Europe
Handaxe from India
Oldowan Tools from Lokalalei, Kenya
Olduvai Chopper
Stone Tools from Majuangou, China
Middle Stone Age Tools
Later Stone Age Tools
Burin from Laugerie Haute & Basse, Dordogne, France
La Madeleine, Dordogne, France
Getting Food
Bone Tools
Butchered Animal Bones from Gona, Ethiopia
Katanda Bone Harpoon Point
Oldest Wooden Spear
Punctured Horse Shoulder Blade
Stone Sickle Blades
Projectile Point
Carrying & Storing
Oldest Pottery
Pottery Fragment
Hearths & Shelters
Fire-Altered Stone Tools
Terra Amata Shelter
Burial
Qafzeh: Oldest Intentional Burial
Recording Information
Assyrian Cylinder Seal
Blombos Ocher Plaque
Ishango Bone
Making Clothing
Bone Awls
Bone and Ivory Needles
Art & Music
Figurines
Carved Ivory Running Lion
Female torso in ivory
Ivory Horse Figurine
Ivory Horse Sculpture
Lady of Brassempouy
Lion-Man Figurine
Willendorf Venus
Jewelry
Ancient Shell Beads
Carved Bone Disc
Cro-Magnon Shell Bead Necklace
Oldest Known Shell Beads
Musical Instruments
Ancient Flute
Rock Art
Ancient Pigments
Apollo 11 Plaque
Other Decorated Objects
Carved antler baton with horses
Geometric incised bone rectangle
Tata Plaque
Human Fossils
Species
Fossils
Mystery Skull Interactive
Shanidar 3 - Neanderthal Skeleton
3D Collection
Artifacts
Fossils
Primates
Genetics
One Species, Living Worldwide
Human Skin Color Variation
Ancient DNA and Neanderthals
Dating
Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
Human Family Tree
Snapshots in Time
Swartkrans, South Africa
Olorgesailie, Kenya
Shanidar, Iraq
Human Characteristics
Walking Upright
Tools & Food
Bodies
Brains
Social Life
Language & Symbols
Humans Change the World
Education
Introduction to Human Evolution
Lesson Plans
Nuts and bolts classification: Arbitrary or not? (Grades 6-8)
Patterns of Human Genetic Diversity (Grades 9-12)
Patterns of Human Phenotypic Diversity (Grades 9-12)
The Origins and Evolution of Human Bipedality (Grades 9-12)
Comparison of Human and Chimp Chromosomes (Grades 9-12)
Hominid Cranial Comparison: The "Skulls" Lab (Grades 9-12)
Investigating Common Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models (Grades 9-12)
For College Students
Fun Facts
Why do we get goose bumps?
Chickens, chimpanzees, and you - what do they have in common?
Grandparents are unique to humans
How strong are we?
Humans are handy!
Humans: the running ape
Our big hungry brain!
Our eyes say it!
The early human tool kit
The short-haired human!
The “Nutcracker”
What can lice tell us about human evolution?
What does gut got to do with it?
Why do paleoanthropologists love Lucy?
Why do we have wisdom teeth?
Human Origins Glossary
Learning Unity and Diversity in Alabama
Teaching Evolution through Human Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Books
Exhibit
Exhibit Floorplan
Exhibit Floorplan Interactive
Print Floorplan PDF
Reconstructions of Early Humans
Human Origins Traveling Exhibit
Chesterfield County Public Library
Orange County Library
Andover Public Library
Ephrata Public Library
Oelwein Public Library
Cedar City Public Library
Milpitas Library
Spokane County Library
Cottage Grove Public Library
Pueblo City-County Library
Springfield-Greene County Library
Peoria Public Library
Orion Township Public Library
Skokie Public Library
Wyckoff Free Public Library
Tompkins County Public Library
Otis Library
Fletcher Free Library
Bangor Public Library
Payne Theological Seminary
Columbia Theological Seminary
Yuma County Library
Hood Theological Seminary & Livingstone College
Broward County Public Library
Human Origins Do it Yourself Exhibit
Exhibit Field Trip Guide
Acknowledgments
Events
Human Origins Program Team
Broader Social Impacts Committee
What We Do
Members & Member Resources
Leonisa Ardizzone
Jim Miller
Betty Holley
Nancy Howell
Wes McCoy
Lee Meadows
Jamie L. Jensen
David Orenstein
Michael Tenneson
Ilia Delio
Fatimah Jackson
Shai Cherry
Connie Bertka
David Haberman (Emeritus)
Fred Edwords (Emeritus)
Elliot Dorff (Emeritus)
Francisca Cho (Emeritus)
Peter F. Ryan (Emeritus)
Mustansir Mir (Emeritus)
Randy Isaac (Emeritus)
Mary Evelyn Tucker (Emeritus)
Wentzel van Huyssteen (Emeritus)
Joe Watkins (Emeritus)
Tom Weinandy (Emeritus)
Members Thoughts on Science, Religion & Human Origins (video)
Science, Religion, Evolution and Creationism: Primer
BSIC Public Event Videos and Audio
The Evolution of Religious Belief: Seeking Deep Evolutionary Roots
Laboring for Science, Laboring for Souls:  Obstacles and Approaches to Teaching and Learning Evolution in the Southeastern United States
Public Event : Religious Audiences and the Topic of Evolution: Lessons from the Classroom (video)
Evolution and the Anthropocene: Science, Religion, and the Human Future
Imagining the Human Future: Ethics for the Anthropocene
Human Evolution and Religion: Questions and Conversations from the Hall of Human Origins
I Came from Where? Approaching the Science of Human Origins from Religious Perspectives
Religious Perspectives on the Science of Human Origins
Become Involved
Submit Your Response to "What Does It Mean To Be Human?"
Volunteer Opportunities
Submit Question
Products
"Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins" (book by John Gurche)
What Does It Mean To Be Human? (book by Richard Potts and Chris Sloan)
For Press
Multimedia
Slideshows
Bronze Statues
Reconstructed Faces
Videos
Audio
FAQ
Support Our Work