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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

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  • Human Evolution Research
    • Climate and Human Evolution
      • Climate Effects on Human Evolution
      • Survival of the Adaptable
      • Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
    • East African Research Projects
      • Olorgesailie Field Blog
      • Olorgesailie Drilling Project
      • Kanam, Kenya
      • Kanjera, Kenya
      • Ol Pejeta, Kenya
      • Olorgesailie, Kenya
      • Evolution of Human Innovation
      • Adventures in the Rift Valley: Interactive
    • Asian Research Projects
      • 'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia
      • Earliest Humans in China
      • Bose, China
    • Anthropocene: The Age of Humans
    • Fossil Forensics: Interactive
    • What's Hot in Human Origins?
    • Digital Archive of Ungulate and Carnivore Dentition
  • Human Evolution Evidence
    • Behavior
      • Primate Behavior
      • Footprints
      • Stone Tools
      • Getting Food
      • Carrying & Storing
      • Hearths & Shelters
      • Burial
      • Recording Information
      • Making Clothing
      • Art & Music
    • Human Fossils
      • Species
      • Fossils
      • Mystery Skull Interactive
      • Shanidar 3 - Neanderthal Skeleton
    • 3D Collection
      • Artifacts
      • Fossils
      • Primates
    • Genetics
      • Human Skin Color Variation
      • Ancient DNA and Neanderthals
      • One Species, Living Worldwide
    • Dating
    • Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
    • Human Family Tree
    • Snapshots in Time
  • Human Characteristics
    • Walking Upright
    • Tools & Food
    • Bodies
    • Brains
    • Social Life
    • Language & Symbols
    • Humans Change the World
  • Education
    • Introduction to Human Evolution
    • Lesson Plans
    • For College Students
    • Fun Facts
    • Human Origins Glossary
    • Teaching Evolution through Human Examples
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recommended Books
  • Exhibit
    • Exhibit Floorplan
      • Exhibit Floorplan Interactive
      • Print Floorplan PDF
    • Reconstructions of Early Humans
    • Human Origins Traveling Exhibit
    • Exhibit Field Trip Guide
  • About Us
    • Acknowledgments
    • Events
    • Human Origins Program Team
    • Broader Social Impacts Committee
      • What We Do
      • Members & Member Resources
      • Members Thoughts on Science, Religion & Human Origins (video)
      • Science, Religion, Evolution and Creationism: Primer
      • BSIC Public Event Videos and Audio
    • Become Involved
    • Products
    • For Press
  • Multimedia
    • Slideshows
    • Videos
    • Audio
  • Anthropocene: The Age of Humans

    Image of timeline spiral and earth globe with handprint
  • Interactive Timeline

    Image of figurines, bone and stone tools
  • Digital Collection

    Image of five views of fossil skull OH-5
  • Adventures in the Rift Valley

    Image of illustration of Homo erectus group butchering a dead elephant
  • Support Our Work

    Image of human hand reaching out to primate hand.
  • Hall of Human Origins

    Image of reconstructed faces of three early humans in profile view

What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Submit Your Answer or Explore Others >>
Being Human means that you are the most complex species on Earth. You walk on two legs and communicate with others. Being human is awesome!

- Ava Straccia, MA

emotions, sprit, body

- Lottie, new zealand

Humans are complex beings who are spiritually connected and have their own thoughts and morals about the world around them.

- Brooke, Astoria

Being human isn't just living. It's the thought of being alive and leaving your mark.

- Mykka, Oregon

Us, as humans are much different than every other animal or species there is living on this planet. That is because we have much more efficient ways of communicating, eating, and living our separate lives.

- George Dionis, Derry, New hampshire

To learn new things, to know and help more people, to appreciate the experience

- Hamza, Morocco

To love,sacrifice,suffer,joy in friendship,alone in a sea of people,live &die yearn meaningful connections,find truth in the eyes of another

- Laura Elizabeth, Gatineau Quebec

Being human is learning that everyone is the same no matter who you are and learn to stand face to face with your god to learn who you are.

- Nicole, PA

Being able to know Nathan Melby

- dequan, Murica

To be created in the image of God and to be able to talk with him. This distinguishes us from animals who not exhibit these characteristics

- Rebecca, Here

It means to understand and share the lifetime of all creations in the universe to love it and to contribute to its succesful evolution.

- Alex Ruelas-Mayorga, Mexico City

Being human means being sympathetic to different walks of life and being as empathetic as possible.

- Jess Bates, Kentucky

Visit the Exhibit

More Resources >>
Human Origins Exhibit Entrance

Featured Research

View more Human Evolution Research >>
image of Homo floresiensis; LB1, skeleton

'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia

New digs and geological dating in Liang Bua Cave, Indonesia, show that Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the “hobbit” for its small size, became extinct around 50,000 years ago – tens of thousands of years earlier than originally thought.

For Teachers

More Resources >>

AP Biology Curriculum Materials

Are you an AP Biology teacher? Click here for freely downloadable curriculum materials aligned to the AP learning objectives that use human case studies to teach core evolutionary principles and a resource to help teachers create a comfortable and supportive classroom environment for teaching evolution.

Lesson Plans

Comparison of Human and Chimp Chromosomes (Grades 9-12)

Investigating Common Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models (Grades 9-12)

Human Evolution: Religious Perspectives

More Resources >>

The Hall of Human Origins offers a welcoming place to explore one of the most exciting areas of science, the study of human evolution. Despite strong public interest in the science, however, many people find this topic troubling when viewed from a religious perspective. Representatives of diverse religious communities encourage a larger, more respectful understanding of both the scientific evidence and religious belief.

Featured Media

View all Multimedia >>
Rock or stone tool

How To Tell a Rock from a Stone Tool

How can you tell if a rock is actually an early stone tool? Watch this video to find out.

Video Thumbnail of Rick Potts from "Designing the Exhibition"

Designing the Exhibition

This video takes you behind-the-scenes into the process of designing and building the Smithsonian's Hall of Human Origins.

Fun Facts

Humans are handy!

Fingernails help apes, monkeys, and other primates scratch things, peel fruit, pick away the outer layers of other edibles, and perform a variety of other tasks with their fingers. Does this sound familiar? That’s because humans are primates, too! We retain this feature because of our connection with our primate relatives.

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Page Last Updated: September 14, 2018
  • Human Evolution Research
    • Climate and Human Evolution
      • Climate Effects on Human Evolution
      • Survival of the Adaptable
      • Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
    • East African Research Projects
      • Olorgesailie Field Blog
        • 2011 Olorgesailie Dispatches
        • 2004 Olorgesailie Dispatches
        • 1999 Olorgesailie Dispatches
      • Olorgesailie Drilling Project
      • Kanam, Kenya
      • Kanjera, Kenya
      • Ol Pejeta, Kenya
      • Olorgesailie, Kenya
      • Evolution of Human Innovation
      • Adventures in the Rift Valley: Interactive
    • Asian Research Projects
      • 'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia
      • Earliest Humans in China
      • Bose, China
    • Anthropocene: The Age of Humans
    • Fossil Forensics: Interactive
    • What's Hot in Human Origins?
    • Digital Archive of Ungulate and Carnivore Dentition
      • Instructions
      • Carnivore Dentition
      • Ungulate Dentition
  • Human Evolution Evidence
    • Behavior
      • Primate Behavior
      • Footprints
        • Footprints from Koobi Fora, Kenya
        • Laetoli Footprint Trails
        • Footprints from Engare Sero, Tanzania
      • Stone Tools
        • Early Stone Age Tools
          • Hammerstone from Majuangou, China
          • Handaxe and Tektites from Bose, China
          • Handaxe from Europe
          • Handaxe from India
          • Oldowan Tools from Lokalalei, Kenya
          • Olduvai Chopper
          • Stone Tools from Majuangou, China
        • Middle Stone Age Tools
        • Later Stone Age Tools
          • Burin from Laugerie Haute & Basse, Dordogne, France
          • La Madeleine, Dordogne, France
      • Getting Food
        • Bone Tools
        • Butchered Animal Bones from Gona, Ethiopia
        • Katanda Bone Harpoon Point
        • Oldest Wooden Spear
        • Punctured Horse Shoulder Blade
        • Stone Sickle Blades
        • Projectile Point
      • Carrying & Storing
        • Oldest Pottery
        • Pottery Fragment
      • Hearths & Shelters
        • Fire-Altered Stone Tools
        • Terra Amata Shelter
      • Burial
        • Qafzeh: Oldest Intentional Burial
      • Recording Information
        • Assyrian Cylinder Seal
        • Blombos Ocher Plaque
        • Ishango Bone
      • Making Clothing
        • Bone Awls
        • Bone and Ivory Needles
      • Art & Music
        • Figurines
          • Carved Ivory Running Lion
          • Female torso in ivory
          • Ivory Horse Figurine
          • Ivory Horse Sculpture
          • Lady of Brassempouy
          • Lion-Man Figurine
          • Willendorf Venus
        • Jewelry
          • Ancient Shell Beads
          • Carved Bone Disc
          • Cro-Magnon Shell Bead Necklace
          • Oldest Known Shell Beads
        • Musical Instruments
          • Ancient Flute
        • Rock Art
          • Ancient Pigments
          • Apollo 11 Plaque
        • Other Decorated Objects
          • Carved antler baton with horses
          • Geometric incised bone rectangle
          • Tata Plaque
    • Human Fossils
      • Species
      • Fossils
      • Mystery Skull Interactive
      • Shanidar 3 - Neanderthal Skeleton
    • 3D Collection
      • Artifacts
        • Bison Figurine
        • Carved Horse-Head Bead
        • Carved Ivory Mammoth
        • Cuneiform Clay Tablet
        • Fired Clay Bison
        • Fired Clay Venus from Dolni Vestonice
        • Lespugue Venus
      • Fossils
      • Primates
    • Genetics
      • Human Skin Color Variation
        • Modern Human Diversity - Skin Color
        • Modern Human Diversity - Genetics
        • Bibliography
      • Ancient DNA and Neanderthals
        • DNA: The Language of Life
        • Neanderthal Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA
        • Interbreeding
        • Neanderthal Genes for Red Hair and More...
        • Bibliography
      • One Species, Living Worldwide
    • Dating
    • Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
    • Human Family Tree
    • Snapshots in Time
      • Swartkrans, South Africa
      • Olorgesailie, Kenya
      • Shanidar, Iraq
  • Human Characteristics
    • Walking Upright
    • Tools & Food
    • Bodies
    • Brains
    • Social Life
    • Language & Symbols
    • Humans Change the World
  • Education
    • Introduction to Human Evolution
    • Lesson Plans
      • Nuts and bolts classification: Arbitrary or not? (Grades 6-8)
      • Comparison of Human and Chimp Chromosomes (Grades 9-12)
      • Hominid Cranial Comparison: The "Skulls" Lab (Grades 9-12)
      • Investigating Common Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models (Grades 9-12)
    • For College Students
    • Fun Facts
      • Why do we get goose bumps?
      • Chickens, chimpanzees, and you - what do they have in common?
      • Grandparents are unique to humans
      • How strong are we?
      • Humans are handy!
      • Humans: the running ape
      • Our big hungry brain!
      • Our eyes say it!
      • The early human tool kit
      • The short-haired human!
      • The “Nutcracker”
      • What can lice tell us about human evolution?
      • What does gut got to do with it?
      • Why do paleoanthropologists love Lucy?
      • Why do we have wisdom teeth?
    • Human Origins Glossary
    • Teaching Evolution through Human Examples
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recommended Books
  • Exhibit
    • Exhibit Floorplan
      • Exhibit Floorplan Interactive
      • Print Floorplan PDF
    • Reconstructions of Early Humans
    • Human Origins Traveling Exhibit
      • Chesterfield County Public Library
      • Orange County Library
      • Andover Public Library
      • Ephrata Public Library
      • Oelwein Public Library
      • Cedar City Public Library
      • Milpitas Library; Milpitas, CA
      • Spokane County Library
      • Cottage Grove Public Library
      • Pueblo City-County Library
      • Springfield-Greene County Library
      • Peoria Public Library
      • Orion Township Public Library
      • Skokie Public Library
      • Wyckoff Free Public Library
      • Tompkins County Public Library
      • Otis Library
      • Fletcher Free Library
      • Bangor Public Library
    • Exhibit Field Trip Guide
  • About Us
    • Acknowledgments
    • Events
    • Human Origins Program Team
    • Broader Social Impacts Committee
      • What We Do
      • Members & Member Resources
        • Connie Bertka
        • Jim Miller
        • Francisca Cho (Emeritus)
        • Elliot Dorff
        • David Haberman
        • Betty Holley
        • Nancy Howell
        • Fred Edwords (Emeritus)
        • Randy Isaac (Emeritus)
        • Wes McCoy
        • Lee Meadows
        • Mustansir Mir
        • Peter F. Ryan
        • Jamie L. Jensen
        • Mary Evelyn Tucker
        • Wentzel van Huyssteen (Emeritus)
        • Joe Watkins (Emeritus)
        • Tom Weinandy (Emeritus)
        • David Orenstein
        • Michael Tenneson
      • Members Thoughts on Science, Religion & Human Origins (video)
      • Science, Religion, Evolution and Creationism: Primer
      • BSIC Public Event Videos and Audio
        • The Evolution of Religious Belief: Seeking Deep Evolutionary Roots
        • Laboring for Science, Laboring for Souls:  Obstacles and Approaches to Teaching and Learning Evolution in the Southeastern United States
        • Public Event : Religious Audiences and the Topic of Evolution: Lessons from the Classroom (video)
        • Evolution and the Anthropocene: Science, Religion, and the Human Future
        • Imagining the Human Future: Ethics for the Anthropocene
        • Human Evolution and Religion: Questions and Conversations from the Hall of Human Origins
        • I Came from Where? Approaching the Science of Human Origins from Religious Perspectives
        • Religious Perspectives on the Science of Human Origins
    • Become Involved
      • Submit Your Response to "What Does It Mean To Be Human?"
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Submit Question
    • Products
      • "Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins" (book by John Gurche)
      • What Does It Mean To Be Human? (book by Richard Potts and Chris Sloan)
    • For Press
  • Multimedia
    • Slideshows
      • Bronze Statues
      • Reconstructed Faces
    • Videos
    • Audio
  • FAQ
  • Support Our Work