SCIENCE For the first time, scientists have been able to extract the DNA of ancient hominins from cave dirt. (Smithsonian) Get to know your “Hominin History” with our fun GeoStory. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas A genuinely exciting new study documents how scientists extracted ancient DNA from the dirt of ancient caves. What is … Continue reading Dirty DNA
SCIENCE Humans’ ability to control fire is among the most important technological advances in our evolutionary history. Research on Neanderthal cave sites is offering new insights on this old enigma. Maybe not as old as we think. (Sapiens) Could Neanderthals start a fire? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map. Discussion Ideas Most people think that … Continue reading We Didn’t Start the Fire (Until Much Later Than We Thought We Did)
SCIENCE Scientists have discovered a new species of human ancestor deep in a South African cave, adding a baffling new branch to our family tree. (Nat Geo News) How might H. naledi change “Hominin History”? Browse our fun GeoStory to find out! Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Nat Geo Explorer-in-Residence Lee Berger led the … Continue reading Meet H. Naledi, a Long-Lost Ancestor
SCIENCE Two lower jawbones point to East Africa as the birthplace of our evolutionary lineage. One jaw is a new discovery, while one was discovered by the Leakey family 50 years ago. (Nat Geo News) Read our interviews with Meave and Louise Leakey to understand the evolving life of a paleoanthropologist. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. … Continue reading Scientists Identify Oldest Human Fossil
SCIENCE A zigzag engraving on an ancient mussel’s shell may transform scientific understanding of what has long been considered a defining human capacity: artistic creativity. (Nat Geo News) Use our resources to better understand “What Makes Us Human.” Teachers, scroll down for a short list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas The Nat Geo News article quotes one paleoanthropologist as saying the … Continue reading Artistry on the Half-Shell?
