Optional Activities
Additional Activities
- What Can You Do That No Other Animal Can? Make a list of 10 things you did today. For each, decide: could a chimpanzee do this? A crow? A dolphin? (Researchers have found surprising cognitive abilities in all three.) Where is the line between human and non-human cognition?
- Brain Size Measurements: The hominin brain grew from about 450 cc (Australopithecus) to 600 cc (Homo habilis) to 900 cc (Homo erectus) to 1,350 cc (Homo sapiens). Measure this out and compare.
- Baby to Biped Human: infants go through a predictable sequence: lying flat, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling to stand, walking. Research the developmental timeline and connect each stage to the evolution of bipedalism in hominins. What parts of the skeleton are not fully formed at birth and why? Connect to the idea that human babies are born "early" compared to other primates because our large brains would otherwise make birth impossible.
- Neanderthal Coexistence: Modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted in Europe and Asia for thousands of years and interbred. Most non-African humans carry about 1–4% Neanderthal DNA today. Research what we know about Neanderthal culture: burial of the dead, cave art, musical instruments, use of medicinal plants. Does the evidence suggest they had symbolic thinking? What happened to them?
- The FOXP2 Gene: The FOXP2 gene is sometimes called the “language gene” because mutations in it severely impair grammar and speech in humans. Interestingly, Neanderthals had the same modern human version. Chimpanzees have a slightly different version. Research what FOXP2 actually does and what its presence in Neanderthals suggests about their language abilities. What does this tell us about the evolution of language?
- Center of Gravity Investigation Bipedalism requires a completely different center of gravity than four-limbed locomotion. Have learners find their own center of gravity by balancing on one foot with eyes open vs. closed, on flat vs. uneven surfaces. Then research how the human pelvis, spine curvature (the S-curve), and placement of the foramen magnum all changed to make upright balance possible. Connect each anatomical change to a specific fossil in the hominin lineage.