https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/frequently-asked-questions

https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution

https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-family-tree

1. a. Determine and describe thepatternsrepresented by your findings. (See your list of trends and conclusion statement for help.)

b. List those features that all of the species have in common.

c. Identify those features which are most useful for distinguishing between the species.

1. Which two skulls are most similar? Defend your answer using information from your data.

1. A common misconception is that humans evolved from chimpanzees. It can therefore be confusing to some people that there are still chimpanzees. Use your lab experience and https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/frequently-asked-questions to explain the correct relationship between living chimps and living humans?

1. We observed that when fossil hominid skulls are arranged from oldest to most recent, they generally show small differences from skull to skull, trending toward the modern condition and the oldest showed more ape-like features than later ones. What does this suggest about the biological relationship, if any, between apes and humans?

1. Why do you think the canine tooth reduced in size so much from earlier to later hominins?

1. Members of the generaAustralopithecusandHomoshare a common ancestor with the other apes (gorilla and chimpanzee), but australopithecines were more closely related to that ancestor than humans. Using your data, what features of the australopithecine skulls seem less human-like and more ape-like?