Human Evolution Teaching Resources

The New York Times, Archaeology & Anthropology Section This section of the Science Times contains many articles relevant to research on human evolution. We have listed some of the most pertinent ones below.

• Tools suggest earlier human exit from Africa (Nicolas Wade, January 28, 2011)
• Fossil Skeleton from Africa predates Lucy(John Noble Wilford, October 1, 2009), and accompanying Excavating Ardi slideshow
• Envisioning our distant past, video interview with Viktor Deak, an artist who reconstructs physical and digital models of distant human ancestors. 15 minutes. (June 1, 2009)
• Siberian fossils were Neanderthal's eastern cousins, DNA reveals (Carl Zimmer, December 22, 2010)

NPR Special Series: How Evolution Gave Us the Human Edge This collection includes radio stories and accompanying text on bipedalism, language, throwing, skin color, and other aspects of human anatomy, as well as delving into our ancient past and exploring human emotions and culture. The following is a sampling of the stories:

• Un-Natural Selection: Human Evolution's Next Steps 
• Evolving Culture: Where Do We Go From Here?
• Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' of Social Brains
• Monkey Business: Fairness Isn't Just a Human Trait
• Signing, Singing, Speaking: How Language Evolved
• From Grunting to Gabbing: Why Humans Can Talk
• When Did We Become Mentally Modern?
• A Handy Bunch: Tools, Thumbs Helped Us Thrive
• Baby Steps: Learning to Walk, the Hominid Way
• The Human Edge: Finding Our Inner Fish

 
Classroom Activities:

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science The following classroom activities come from the Case Study Collection of this NSF-funded organization. They have many more available, but the ones below are relevant to human evolution.

•  A Tale of Three Lice
  A Case Study on Phylogeny, Speciation, and Hominin Evolution
  By Erin Barley and Joan Sharp, Simon Fraser University
  This "clicker case" explores the questions of when hominins lost their body hair and began wearing clothing by examining the surprising phylogeny of human head, body, and pubic lice. Students are led through the scientific process as they are asked to think about hypotheses, predictions, results, and conclusions, and learn about phylogeny, speciation, and hominin evolution.  The case is presented class using a set of PowerPoint slides (~1.5MB) that includes multiple-choice questions students answer using personal response systems (“clickers”).  It could be adapted for use without these technologies.  Developed for a general biology class focusing on evolution and ecology, the case is also suitable for use in a non-majors introductory biology course.
• Of Mammoths and Men
  A Case Study in Extinction
  By Nancy Schiller and Clyde Freeman Herreid, University of Buffalo
  The discovery of a mammoth frozen in the Siberian tundra is the backdrop for this case study, which explores theories for the extinction of the great Ice Age mammals and Homo neanderthalensis. Students research evidence for and against the different hypotheses and then discuss in class the merits of each.  The case was designed for use in a freshman evolutionary biology course, where it was used as the last case in the term after studying the general principles of evolution, genetics, and biodiversity.  Instructors of courses in anthropology and paleontology might also find it appropriate. 
• The Dating Game
  A Case Study in Human Evolution
  By Shoshana Tobias and Clyde Freeman Herreid, University of Buffalo
  In this role-playing case study, students attempt to determine the identity of a variety of human fossils based on characteristics described during a “quiz show.”  The case was designed to be used in a general biology class for freshman students where the focus is on evolution. It could also be used in an anthropology or paleontology course.
• The Missing Link
  By M. Elizabeth Strasser, Sacramento State College
  The setting for this case study is a paleontological dig in East Africa, where “Sam,” an American undergraduate student, has unearthed part of what appears to be an ancestral human skull. Students read the case story and then, in the lab, they examine a number of primate skulls and are asked to make up a phylogeny based on their observations. The is case study is designed for a lower division, general education laboratory course that accompanies a lecture course in physical (biological) anthropology. 
• When Wilma Met Fred
  A Human Evolution Case
  By Bruno Borsari, Winona University
  A travel study course led by “Dr. Heinen” in Tanzania aims at searching for human fossils in an effort to better understand where humans come from. Will Dr. Heinen and his students find the “missing link” between early hominins and non-human primates? The case story is complemented by a classroom game that mimics modern TV shows where people look for an ideal “soul mate.” Students are challenged to identify in the audience mates of the same species through clues disclosed by the instructor during the “quiz” show classroom exercise. The case and game facilitate learning about human evolution and the physical/cultural characteristics of a few, selected species of early hominins. Developed for a non-majors’ introductory biology course, the case is also suitable for courses in evolution, natural history, biological anthropology, and general biology for majors with modifications. Although designed as a “clicker case” for in-class presentation using PowerPoint slides (~1.3MB) punctuated by questions that students answer using electronic personal response systems (“clickers”), the case can be adapted for use without these technologies.  

Evolution in the News From UC-Berkeley's Understanding Evolution website, this is an archive of stories from their monthly "Evo in the News" feature. The stories are based on evolutionary biology research covered in the popular media. Each story includes a text discussion of the key ideas and concepts, illustrations, podcasts, references, discussion questions, and links to related activities. We have listed the stories related to human evolution below.