Search for Human Origins
(Top Posts - Science - 070100)

Fascinating web resource (September, 1999) from
the Discovery Channel, with details on the whys and
wherefores of the search for human origins ... great
for kids and adults alike, puts TRUE science by
TRUE scientists into perspective!

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http://www.exn.net/hominids/wherethebonesare.cfm
Excerpt: "Where the Bones Are - How a Bone
Becomes a Fossil: ... 1. Die near a river bed...
2. Be exposed to the right kind of water...
3. Change organic molecules into inorganic ones..."

http://www.exn.net/hominids/handaxehill.cfm
Excerpt: "Hand Axe Hill - As recently as five years
ago, all that scientists really knew about our earliest
ancestors was when they first appeared. Molecular
biologists measured DNA differences between
humans and chimpanzees, and then averaged the
rate of genetic change over time. By calculating
backward, they determined that great apes and
our two-legged walking ancestors branched from
a common ancestor between six and four million
years ago. Such a large collection of million-year-old
stone tools will help fine tune the story of how Homo
erectus evolved into a form we would recognize as
human."

http://www.exn.net/hominids/pleistocenepark.cfm
Excerpt: "Pleistocene Park - Eritrea is going to
become, I think, a major player in terms of human
evolutionary studies, particularly for this period
between 1.5 million years and 100,000 years ago.
And that's interesting from a human evolution
standpoint because that documents the entire
evolution of Homo erectus up to the transition
to anatomically modern humans."

http://www.exn.net/hominids/datinggame.cfm
Excerpt: "The Dating Game - When did our
earliest ancestors diverge from the apes and
begin walking on two legs? When did the early
hominids first use stone tools? And when did
Homo sapiens migrate out of Africa? Answering
these key evolutionary questions depends on
accurate dating techniques."

http://www.exn.net/hominids/outofafrica.cfm
Excerpt: "Out of Africa - One of the key
questions in human evolution is when and how
our early ancestors migrated out of Africa. Now,
a remarkable discovery of stone tools embedded
in an ancient coral reef points to an answer."