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Walk This Way: A Skeleton Find (March 11, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

Mystery is afoot in Africa. Archaeologists working in Ethiopia have discovered the 4 million-year-old skeleton of a...human? The construction of the skeleton’s ankles indicates that this new species was a biped (walked on two feet), pushing human origins farther back in time than ever imagined. The skeleton was found only 40 miles from the site where the famous “Lucy,” at 3.2 million years the oldest known hominid species, was excavated.

Much detective work still needs to be done before the bones reveal their full story. Its gender is still unknown, and its skull is missing, but scientists are confident that, after careful cleaning, preparation, and study, they will have valuable clues to figuring out our transition from ape to human.

Guests

Bruce Latimer, executive director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, Ohio

Related Links and Resources

BBC News, March 7, 2005: Scientists Unearth Early Skeleton

Cleveland Museum of Natural History: New Human Ancestor Fossil Discovery in Afar Region of Ethiopia

Newscientist.com, March 7, 2005: World's Oldest Biped Skeleton Unearthed

For Discussion:

• How does this discovery change what we know about human evolution?

• What is bipedalism?

• How can scientists tell that this species was a biped?

• Who was “Lucy”? What was so important about her discovery?

Activities

It’s so becoming on you! Tracing Human Life, from Newspapers in Education, takes you on a guided tour of the excellent Becoming Human: Paleoanthropology, Evolution and Human Origins, a video documentary that starts the evolution trip at the very beginning and travels to the present. You’ll also learn about how archaeologists excavate and analyze a site, date their finds, and evaluate the evidence. At the Learning Center’s Primate Bipedalism - Understanding Standing Up lesson plan, you’ll explore the anatomy of walking on two feet and how it set us apart from the apes. The Building Bodies activity illustrates bipedalism by constructing two virtual skeletons.

Everything old is new again. New Fossils Help Piece Together Human Origins (National Geographic, January 21, 2005) discusses other recent hominid finds in the same region of Ethiopia. How do these fossils fit with the latest skeleton? Links to more articles about fossil finds help paint a picture of human evolution. How Did Humans Evolve? (PBS Online Lessons in Evolution) offers two entertaining and effective activities that involve students in the archaeological process.

I love Lucy. To know her is to love her, so get acquainted at Arizona State University’s Lucy page and the BBC’s Human Evolution: Mother of Man, where you’ll also find an interview with Lucy’s discoverer. More info about the remarkable find can be found at Johanson finds 3.2 million-year-old Lucy (PBS Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries).

Early risers. The Life and Times of Early Man has a simply written summary of early man’s development, including a cheat sheet! The Ancient History Lesson Ideas page has a variety of activities, from reproducing cave art to creating a prehistoric community.

You’ll find more pieces of the puzzle at these Science Friday Kids’ Connection pages: November 19, 2004, Hour Two: A Common Denominator -- Anthropology Update, March 19, 2004, Hour Two: Human Origins Update, and June 13, 2003: Hour Two: Way Back When: The Discovery of the Oldest Homo Sapiens Remains

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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