Location: Pennsylvania Length: 4 min
A multi-million year old human fossil may be a truly one-of-a-kind look into the history of our species, but even the most well preserved specimen is useless in a vacuum. Fossils must be compared to each other to give scientists insight into where they fit in the long progression to modern humans. The rarity of such finds is a real obstacle. Janet Monge has a solution. As manager of the Casting Program at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, she and her volunteer assistants make highly accurate replicas of these priceless fossils.
Produced in 2011 by the University of Pennsylvania Office of University Communications
Copyright 2011 by the University of Pennsylvania Office of University Communications
Web links:
Human Evolution: The First 200 Million Years (Exhibit by University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology)
Introduction to Human Evolution (Smithsonian Institution)
Overview of Hominin Evolution (Nature)
Replicating the History of Human Evolution (University of Pennsylvania)