1.) Where did humans originate? Describe the genetic evidence that shows that humans originated in this location.
2.) Did humans and neandertals interbreed? Describe the evidence for this and how we were able to first access and analyze the DNA of neandertals.
3) What do you believe is the point at which a “hominin” becomes an actual “human”? How should we make this determination? What are the characteristics that define being human? Do we ever find those characteristics in the animal world?
4.) In what ways does this film expand on what you read in the assigned chapters for this essay?
Chapters to cite:
Chapter 10: Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity
Chapter 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo
Chapter 12: The Origins, Evolution and Dispersal of Modern People
Sample Solution