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1 February 2014 The Mystery of the Skulls: What Can Old Bones Tell Us about Hominin Evolution?
Mike Darwin Yerky, Carolyn J. Wilczynski
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Abstract

In this activity, students examine nine hominin skulls for specialized features and take measurements that will enable them to determine the relatedness of these species. They will ultimately place each specimen on a basic phylogenetic tree that also reveals the geological time frame in which each species lived. On the basis of their data, and using similar scientific methods as paleoanthropologists, students will come to evidence-based conclusions about hominin evolution similar to those accepted by the scientific community (e.g., Tattersall & Schwartz, 2001; Sawyer et al., 2007; Palmer, 2010).

©2014 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Request permission to photocopy or reproduce article content at the University of California Press's Rights and Permissions Web site at www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp.
Mike Darwin Yerky and Carolyn J. Wilczynski "The Mystery of the Skulls: What Can Old Bones Tell Us about Hominin Evolution?," The American Biology Teacher 76(2), 109-117, (1 February 2014). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2014.76.2.7
Published: 1 February 2014
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KEYWORDS
bipedalism
cranial capacity
foramen magnum
geological time scale
Hominin evolution
phylogenetic tree
scientific inquiry
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