Today is the official launch of our newest exhibit at the Cal Academy of Sciences: Human Odyssey. I've only spent about 30 minutes in the exhibit, and I've already learned a lot more about human evolution.
If you thought you understood humanity's evolutionary journey, consider these questions:
- What is the different between a "hominid" and a "homonin"?
- When did homo sapiens decline to just 20,000 people?
- What adaptations led us to be the only surviving species of the "homo" genus?
- Why is there more genetic diversity among Africans than among any other group in the world?
- Are we continuing to evolve as a species?
You will get answers to these important questions and more at our latest exhibit "Human Odyssey."
Among the neat features of the exhibit:
- an articulated model of "Lucy", the famous fossil of the Australopithecus afarensis species
- an animation showing the different walking gaits of a chimpanzee, Lucy and homo sapiens
- an interactive digital map showing humanity's journey across Africa and to the other continents over 200,000 years
- data from the latest research from the field from anthropologists, including our own Dr. Zeray Alemseged
Check it out at the Cal Academy during the day or during our popular "Nightlife" events every Thursday.