Origins of Man Activity

Origins of Man WebQuest:

OBJECTIVE

To gain knowledge and understanding of basic evolution theory, and the evolutionary record, and to apply such in the form of an analytical essay on the search for the "missing link."

TASK

In this web-based activity you play the role of an esteemed paleoanthropologist who is to give the keynote address at the annual conference of the American Paleoanthropologists Association. The theme of this year's conference is:

The Search for the "Missing Link"

Are We Any Closer To Discovering Our True Ancestor?

In your written speech to the Association and invited guests you must state clearly whether you feel that the discoveries of the last few years have furthered or negated progress towards the discovery of a "missing link" between apes and humans. You must explain your reasoning with relevant supporting detail.

Your speech should be between five and nine paragraphs long and double-spaced. You have five classes to prepare it.

WEB RESOURCES

Best of History Web Sites
Evolution (PBS)
National Public Radio (online)
The Smithsonian Institution Human Origins Program

TEXT RESOURCES

The World's History by Howard Spodek
"Father of Us All?" Time(July 2002)
"The First Pioneer" National Geographic(August 2002)

STEPS

1. Introduction to Darwin and Evolution Theory
The goal of the first step is to help you learn about Charles Darwin and his evolution theory:
a. Go to "Teachers & Students" section at Evolution (PBS). Click on "Videos for Students."
Watch "Who was Charles Darwin?" in Quicktime.
Note: What was Darwin's "simple" idea? Why was Darwin hesistant to publish his findings?
b. Watch "Did Humans Evolve?"
Note: Did man descend from chimps? What does DNA sequencing tell us?

2. The Evolutionary Record
The goal of the second step is to help you learn about the evolutionary record of humans:
a. Go to the "Humans" section of Evolution (PBS). Click on the "Origins of Mankind." (If the page is blank, click on "Low Bandwidth Version" in the upper left corner.)
Read about key members of members of the Hominid Family Tree that are represented on the linked chart
Another source that can help you is The Smithsonian Institution Human Origins Program. From the home page, go to the "Hall of Ancestors" and then the "Human Family Tree."

3. Impact of the Toumai Discovery
The goal of the third step is to help you learn about the impact of the recent discovery of the Toumai skull on theories regarding the origins of humans:
a. Read "Father of Us All" and "The First Pioneer."
Note the physical characteristics of Toumai and why they seem to fly in the face of conventional thinking on the origins of humans.
b. Listen to NPR reports on the recent discovery of "Toumai" -- an eight million year old hominid found in Chad -- at National Public Radio.
Search for and listen to "Toumao the Human Ancestor," "Reaction from Lucy's Discoverer." What does Johanson think is the significance of the Toumai find? Finally listen to the "Oldest Human Ancestor Found" report on humain remains found in Ethiopia in 2003.

4. Since you will be looking at skulls for the most part it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with key distinguishing characteristics.
Go to the Smithsonian Institute Human Origins Program
-enter the Hall of Ancestors; scroll to bottom and click Enter Hall. Navigate to the link that reads "Examine the cranium" to learn more about anatomical features.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/

Next, visit one or more of the following sites for an overview of early hominids and to examine pictures of early hominid fossils:
Evolution (PBS)
-click on Human sections and then Origins of Humankind. Riddle of the Bones is a feature on Lucy.
(If it doesn't launch then Shockwave may not be installed on your machine.)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

Archaelogy.info
-enter the Human Ancestry section for an overview of hominid species
http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/evolution.htm

The Talk Origins Archive
-the Prominent Hominid Fossils section provides a brief list of the most prominent hominids and some pictures too
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/specimen.html#ramidus

Modern Human Origins
-this section on hominids features close-up pictures of fossils of early hominids
http://www.modernhumanorigins.com/hominids.html

Encarta
-the article entitled The First Humans Australopithecines is helpul
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761566394&pn=2#s15

Other sites of interest (optional):
eSkeletons Archive
The e-Skeletons Project website enables you to view the bones of a human, gorilla, and baboon and gather information about them
http://www.eskeletons.org/

BBC Caveman
-has a feature on a. afarensis including a 3D view of skull
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/cavemen/

"Fossils of Oldest Known Human Found"
-article about ardipithecus ramidus discovery in 2001
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/7/11/222403.shtml

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