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18 February 2025 Investigating “Humanity”: Reconstructing Human Evolution Using Skulls, Maps, Tools, & the History of Science
Armin P. Moczek, Kirstin J. Milks, Frank Brown Cloud, Lin Andrews, Raya Haghverdi
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Abstract

Although the central principles of evolution by natural selection can feel both abstruse and culturally fraught for learners of all ages, evolutionary logic is at the core of biological science: once students have a solid understanding of evolution, they can better understand everything else in biology. We present here a hands-on experience, coupled with intentional questioning strategies, that inspires students to use high-level evolutionary thinking and to begin asking excellent questions about what we know and how we know it. This activity leverages skull replicas of humans, chimps, and hominins to tap into young people's natural curiosity about where we come from and what it means to be a person—fundamental topics of inquiry for young people just coming into their own identities. Along the way, students are also exposed to important data and create arguments about what the archaeological record can currently tell us about the story of how people like us came to be.

Armin P. Moczek, Kirstin J. Milks, Frank Brown Cloud, Lin Andrews, and Raya Haghverdi "Investigating “Humanity”: Reconstructing Human Evolution Using Skulls, Maps, Tools, & the History of Science," The American Biology Teacher 87(2), 103-112, (18 February 2025). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2025.87.2.103
Published: 18 February 2025
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KEYWORDS
evolution
Human evolution
Inquiry
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