Ancestral Lines. Evolutionary biologists use a cladogram, the treelike diagram of evolutionary branches or clades, to organize species into lines of evolutionary descent across time.
Biologists use three types of evidence to deduce evolutionary connections: genetics, morphology, and geologic dating. (Behavior, normally a key part of evolutionary studies, can only be inferred in extinct species — for example, by examining the ecology in which the species flourished and the species adaptations for eating and locomotion.) Analyses of primate fossils and the genetic relatedness of living primates converge to the conclusion that humans and chimpanzees branched from a common ancestor about 7 million years ago. Interactive Documentary. Becoming Human is an interactive documentary experience that tells the story of our origins.
Journey through four million years of human evolution with your guide, Donald Johanson. Transcripts are available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Sinhala. Please note: The Documentary has been converted to HTML5 - the Flash version has been retired. Human Culture: Characteristics of Culture. Ancestry5_large.jpg (Image JPEG, 3000x1536 pixels) - Redimensionnée (51%)
World-resources-map-r2.gif (Image GIF, 1450x1450 pixels) 7 Billion: How did we get so big so fast? [VIDEO] Worldclock.swf (Objet application/x-shockwave-flash)