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Human Origins Exhibit Entrance

What Does It Mean To Be Human?

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What I think it means to be human is having a conscience and being able to empathize with others. It means being able to reason and make choices. It means being vulnerable and fallible. It means to be curious and think abstractly

- Charles, Philadelphia

Being a human goes deeper than evolutionary trait distinctions. Every period has traits that still exist so there will always be inquiry of our differences in character. As I see it, having the capacity to practice free will is being human.

- Shawna, Parkersburg, WV

To eat chicken nuggets lmao

- Derek, Chicago

being human means to have emotions, the ability to have a thought process and hold conversations w/others. we're a very unique mammal.

- Kristan Ward, Terre Haute, Indiana

We have the ability to think rationally, and tell the difference between right and wrong.

- beep, Southern California

He chooses the way of his life and the way of his manner according to sensations and emotions,but rarely he thinks! So he is a human!

- Masoud Masserrat, Iran

Being a human means that you can use all of yourself to protect what is yours: the environment.

- Najya A. Williams, Washington, D.C.

To seek eternal happiness and have kindness and compassion for all positivity and life around us.

- Ashley, UK

To be human is the ability to wonder and discover things about who you are meant to be. Humans are unique in the sense that they can set goals for themselves, build relationships, and act based on will rather than instinct.

- Jack, Fargo, ND

Eating Pizza

- PizzaLover101, Pizzaland

A human is an individual that is able to communicate with other individuals with a purpose and intent. Humans have desires and an intuitive nature that influences their actions.

- Bela, South Carolina

To have morality

- Ginny, Nevada

Featured Research

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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

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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

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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

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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

What can lice tell us about human evolution?

Humans have three kinds of lice living on our bodies - lice that inhabit our heads, bodies, and pubic area. Researchers found that the DNA of head and body lice - which actually have special adaptations for living on our clothing - diverged from each other around 190,000 years ago, indicating that humans began making and wearing clothing around this time.