University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

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. Human Origins .

The Legacy of the Wisdom Tooth "So you have to have that wisdom tooth pulled; you need braces; you need to have a bite plate made; looks like a root canal"; these are familiar, frightening phrases heard many times in your life. Why were our ancestors efficient eating machines but modern humans are plagued by dental problems? The evolutionary history of human dentition affords insights into these problems. Explore how big brains and accompanying complex behaviors, like cooking and other food-preparation techniques, have ultimately affected our teeth and our whole chewing apparatus. Dr. Janet Monge

Eve and Eden in the Nineties: New Perspectives on the Evolution of Modern Humans Considerable controversy has been generated by the recent publication of genetic data which suggest that all living humans might be descended from a single African female who lived as recently as 125,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the fossil and archaeological records upon which paleoanthropologists have traditionally relied for testing their hypotheses of human evolution suggest a somewhat different scenario for the appearance and spread of anatomically and behaviorally modern people. Both approaches will be discussed and illustrated, and an attempt will be made to reconcile the competing points of view on this important issue; one that has ramifications for science and society beyond the anthropological community. Mr. Michael Speirs

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Neanderthals but "Clan of the Cave Bear" Didn't Tell You Who were the Neanderthals and what was their lifestyle really like? Where did they come from? More importantly, what happened to them? How accurately has Jean Auel portrayed these Upper Pleistocene hominids in her novels? Mr. Speirs will discuss these issues using an abundance of data and slide illustrations. Mr. Michael Speirs

Hungry Hominids: New Perspectives on Early Human Diets and Significance for Modern Human Health and Behavior For decades, many anthropologists have propounded the view that a shift from a vegetarian to carnivorous life-style was a fundamental driving force in the evolution of bipedal, large-brained hominids and the basic patterns of human social organization. However, new evidence from the fields of ethnography, primatology and archaeology has forced a rethinking of this "hunting hypothesis." Mr. Speirs will discuss both sides of the issue in this lecture. Mr. Michael Speirs

Planet of the Apes Journey back to the dawn of humankind to a time when our most distant ancestors first stood up and walked on two legs, forever setting them apart from our ape cousins. This momentous change would set a series of events in motion that would change the face of the earth. See fossil reproductions of our earliest ancestors and discover what they can tell us about a time when out ancestors had no knowledge of fire, no language, and were preyed on by big cats. Mr. Marc Meyer

The Origins of Language: What the Fossils Have to Say When did humans first speak? What did they speak? This issue has been the subject of inquiry by the likes of philosophers, linguists, and even a medieval Pope who would isolate infants from birth to see what ancient biblical language they would speak in the absence of instruction. Discover how and when language emerged through the anatomy of our fossil ancestors, and discover how this relates to the archaeological record, our brains, and our genes. Mr. Marc Meyer

Human Evolution in a Nutshell Discover the fossils and archaeological record from the past five million years of human evolution. Witness how the chimp-like australopithecine walked upright; how Homo habilis invented stone tools; and how Homo erectus ran with this idea, leaving Africa to explore the Old World. After a visit with Neanderthals we will examine the emergence of "humanity" as our ancestors evolved large brains, symbolism, religion, and a deep sense of culture. Mr. Marc Meyer

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