When watching the NOVA series “Becoming Human” there are some big concepts you should extract from the material so here’s a summary of things to consider more carefully:
What is the molecular clock? How is it used? How has it been used to resolve questions about relationships between different species over time? What was determined about our ancestors based on the study or various forms of body lice?
What are the different theories about why primates became bipedal?
Why does the human baby’s brain take such a long time to reach maturity? Think about the differences between Salaam (brain cast) and Turkana Boy’s (brain/skeleton/dental enamel) growth patterns and those of later humans. Compare the information you received about ape and human brain growth patterns. What can we extrapolate about Salaam and Turkana Boy based on this information?
What are some of the advantages of the prolonged childhood of the bipedal primates? Why do researchers believe are we so hardwired to track the attitudes mental states of others of our species? How is the weaker mother/baby bond of humans, as compared to apes, a factor in this? What are the theories about our “calmness” as a species?
What are the ways that climate change is believed to have impacted (helped and hindered) the evolution of early hominids?
At what point in time do we see the emergence of stone tools? Who makes them first? (think nickname) How and why is the complexity of the technology used in tool making presumed to reflect complex cognitive ability over the span of all hominid species?
What are the probable indicators based on characteristics found in the fossil record that Homo erectus was a) a hunter, b) used fire? Why is the “toothless elder” Homo georgicus skull not just a fossil but also a source of valuable cultural information?
Why is Homo heidelbergensis is a significant marker for the history of humankind? (2 reasons)
What are the two migrations out of Africa that paleontologists now believe our ancestors made?
How do scientists explain the heightened adaptability of Homo sapiens? How do scientists explain the lack of variation in our genome as a species? This situation is attributed to what climatic event?
What can we say about Homo sapiens based on the ornaments, tools, and other artifacts that were found in the seaside sites in southern Africa dated at 75k y.a.?
Why is culture an important tool for adaptation strategies of Homo sapiens? How could culture extend their success?
Compare the Homo neanderthalensis and the Homo sapiens — stature, brain size, diet, toolkit, possibility of language, longevity as a species. What do you believe happened when they met? What is the likely chain of events, in your estimation, that resulted in the extinction of the neanderthals?
Finally — why is it that everywhere (except Africa where we originated) that Homo sapiens go the megafauna of the area are flatlined/wiped out within a few thousand years?