- Lifelike faces of eight early human species
look out from the central part of the hall.
Artist John Gurche spent two and a half years
constructing the heads in this exhibit
using the latest forensic techniques, fossil discoveries,
and his knowledge of ape and human anatomy
to build up muscles, fat, and glands.
All the heads are cast in lifelike silicone
with the skin tones based on typical pigmentation
in the latitude where that species lived.
They're all based on a single early human fossil skull,
and they are set at the height that each species
would have stood depending on whether the skull
being reconstructed is a male or female.
Let's visit a few of them.
Here is Australopithecus afarensis.
This adult male reconstruction is of the same species
as the famous fossil skeleton from Ethiopia nicknamed Lucy.
He had a flat nose, strongly projecting lower face,
and other apelike features.
He did not have a large brain,
although his species might have made
stone tools on rare occasion.
He could walk upright and also climb trees,
a combination that helped this early human species
survive for almost 900,000 years
from about 3.85 to 2.95 million years ago in eastern Africa.
It also likely helped his species find food
and other resources when environments were changing.
This is Australopithecus africanus.
A skull of this species was the first early human fossil
ever found in Africa in 1924.
Found in South Africa
from about 2.7 to 2.1 million years ago
and often found alongside animal bones,
Australopithecus africanus was once considered a killer ape.
Now we know that members of this early human species
were sometimes eaten by predators.
Living together in groups helped
these early humans protect themselves.
The expression on her face may look like a smile,
but it might also be what's called a fear grimace
that we also see in other mammals.
Over here is Homo erectus.
Like others of her species,
this female had a larger braincase
and more prominent nose than earlier species.
Homo erectus depended on its large brain
to make tools, adjust to new habitats,
and care for the old and weak.
They butchered animals using simple stone tools.
The ability to eat meat from large animals helped
this species survive as it spread to new environments.
This is the longest-lived species on the human family tree,
spanning from about 2 million years ago
to about 143,000 years ago,
more than six times longer than our
own species has been around.
Homo erectus fossils are found in Africa and Asia.
Finally, let's visit Homo neanderthalensis.
This species lived in Europe and Asia
between about 430,000 and 40,000 years ago
and is the fossil human species
that went extinct most recently.
Like other Neanderthals, this male had a large nose
that warmed and humidified cold, dry air
and helped him survive in cold climates.
They communicated with symbols by altering objects
including making jewelry and body adornments.
Neanderthals were similar in size to modern humans
but somewhat shorter and stockier.
DNA from both fossil modern humans
and fossil Neanderthals indicate
that when earlier modern humans
migrated into Europe and Asia
and overlapped with them in time and space,
the two species interbred.
Oh, and the man bun in his hair tied back with a cloth?
That's a little bit of artistic license,
but given Neanderthal's other cultural abilities,
it's a reasonable idea.
Just before we leave this area,
let's swing back to our morphing station.
After you've had the opportunity
to look into the eyes of your ancestors,
now you can take a picture of your face and morph into one.
You can even email the picture to yourself when you're done.
Based on visitor studies conducted
soon after the exhibit opened,
this is the most popular spot in the exhibit,
and often has a line of visitors
waiting to enjoy the experience.
To learn more about this exhibition
and see photos of many of the objects
on display and much more, visit humanorigins.si.edu.