Climate and Human Evolution

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Your contribution will support our science teams as they study the span of human evolution, from earliest origins to the emergence of our species.

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Climate and Human Evolution

Explore how environment change influenced evolution – and how dramatic climate instability over the past 6 million years may have shaped human adaptations.

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Climate Effects on Human Evolution

The idea of variability selection, developed by Smithsonian researcher Dr. Rick Potts, seeks to explain how the dynamic surroundings of human ancestors shaped their ability – and ours – to adjust to a changing world.

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Survival of the Adaptable

How did humans become so adaptable, capable of thriving across the globe? Chapter 3 of the book What Does It Mean To Be Human? explores the survival story of human origins.

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Human Evolution Timeline Interactive

Explore the evidence for human evolution in this interactive timeline - climate change, species, and milestones in becoming human.

Zoom in using the magnifier on the bottom for a closer look!

Dr. Rick Potts talks about his research on early human adaptability to climate change in Africa and China.