Our branching family tree

In the picture

1. 1Small braincase and projecting jaw: an early hominin
2. 2Thicker brow and larger braincase: a later relative
3. 3Tall rounded braincase and flatter face: closer to modern humans
4. 4Heavy crest on a side limb: a branch that left no descendants
5. 5Bone fragment: the raw evidence scientists piece together

Examples

• A museum display showing several skull casts side by side with different shapes
• A dig site where researchers brush sediment off a fragment of bone

Quiz: Our branching family tree (Age 17)

1. 1

   According to the fossil evidence, what shape best describes the human family of hominins?

   • Two separate lines, one leading to apes and one to humans
   • A single straight line from early to modern forms
   • A branching bush with many side lines
2. 2

   What is the main evidence palaeoanthropologists use to reconstruct human origins?

   • Fossils such as skulls and bones
   • Observing the behaviour of living apes alone
   • Written records left by early peoples
3. 3

   What does a hominin side branch with no descendants tell us?

   • Side lines were just earlier stages of the main line
   • Some hominin lines ended without leaving any descendants
   • Every hominin line eventually led to modern humans

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.