Abstract

In this activity, students examine nine hominin skulls for specialized features and take measurements that will enable them to determine the relatedness of these species. They will ultimately place each specimen on a basic phylogenetic tree that also reveals the geological time frame in which each species lived. On the basis of their data, and using similar scientific methods as paleoanthropologists, students will come to evidence-based conclusions about hominin evolution similar to those accepted by the scientific community (e.g., Tattersall & Schwartz, 2001; Sawyer et al., 2007; Palmer, 2010).