Problem
Becoming Modern Human (500-20kya)
I. To begin, imagine a setting in which different species of Homo co-existed in time and space. How would you envision them interacting?
II. Why do you think the genus Homo diverged? How do you think that the groups that would become Neandertals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens became isolated?
III. The taxonomic status of Neandertals, Denisovans, and the earliest Homo sapiens is hotly debated. How would you classify them? Do you think they are 3 different species? All the same species? Or something else?
IV. How do you think Neandertals, Denisovans, and early Homo sapiens would have coped (physiologically and behaviorally) with major shifts in sea level and dropping temperatures?
V. Consider the sculptures that you saw in the Behavior section. What do they tell you about the way these past human populations thought about the world? Were they different from modern humans? Do we know for sure Homo sapiens created them, given that some are from 40 KYA? Explain your answer.
VI. What is the significance of the abrupt change in type and use of tools? Why do you think this change occurred when it did, instead of earlier? Explain your answer.
VII. In what ways did the environment influence prehistoric humans? Be specific and use examples from the stations for your answers.