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Becoming Human Worksheet

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Becoming Human Worksheet
Nova Program: Becoming Human Part III.

Watch the program at the following link: http://video.pbs.org/video/1327194805Complete the worksheet below.

How many millions of years ago did humans diverge from apes? 6 million years ago
As recently as 50,000 years ago, there were _4_ different kinds of humans.
What species of Homo migrated out and populated the Middle East? _Homo erectus _
What species of Homo migrated out and populated Europe? _Homo neanderthalensis_
List major physical differences between these two species:
Homo sapiens Homo neanderthalensis larger brain
Which ancestor pioneered what it means to be “human”? _Homo erectus_
When did Homo erectus first appear on the African plains? _2 million years ago_
Who was the first group who had bodies like ours, lived in social groups, and cared for each other? _Homo erectus_
Who is Turkana boy?
What did the wave of Homo that led to Indonesia give rise to? dwarf homo erectus
How far back have the fossils of Homo erectus from China been dated?
_700,000 years ago_
What might the artifact found in the “Pit of Bones” at Atapuerca represent (in addition to the obvious use as a tool)? hand ax, it was an offering
Why would the presence of this artifact (and its implications) be important to our understanding of human evolution and of Homo sapiens?
Members of Homo sapiens more closely related to
Homo Neanderthalensis
Compare these two species:
H. neanderthalensis H. sapiens larger Brains short heavy set Body hunters Food Source Why are the teeth of children particularly helpful in providing information about extinct hominids?
It tells us how fast they were growing up
How are the sizes of the parietal and temporal lobes of H. neanderthalensis different from that of H. sapiens? Why would it matter? slightly smaller. Important for cognition. limited thinking powers
What specialized hunting tools did Neanderthals lack? throwing spears and arrows
When did Neanderthals vanish from the

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