Becoming Human Video 2

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Film viewing guide for Becoming Human, Episode 2: Birth of Humanity
This documentary film focuses on the genus Homo, and specifically, the species Homo erectus. Fossil
evidence shows that Homo erectus first appears around 2 million years ago (2 Ma) in east Africa, and then
quickly moves out into Asia and Europe. Please watch the documentary and answer the questions below in
one or two sentences. I have put an approximate time for when the answer is discussed (these
independent YouTube videos may not match the time marks though).

1. How does Homo erectus (Turkana boy is one example) compare to earlier hominins? In other words,
what was the Homo erectus body and brain like? (5 min)
2. About how old was Turkana boy when he died? Why is this significant? (11 min)
3. What kind of stone tools did Homo erectus make? What does this tell us about their minds and their
culture? (17 min)
4. What is the possible evolutionary relationship between brain size and meat eating? (20 min)
5. What can genetic studies of lice tell us about human evolution? (23 min)
6. What is persistence hunting, and why is it significant? (27 min)
7. How have the fossil finds at Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia changed our understanding of the
dispersal of Homo erectus out of Africa? (35 min)
8. What might explain the small size body and brain size of Homo florensiensis? (39 min)
9. What sorts of environmental changes might account for the dispersal of Homo erectus out of Africa? (43
min)