• When you tape down your thumb, you’ll get a sense of how hard it would be to do many things if our hands were shaped differently. Even a simple task like placing a straw in a bottle becomes difficult!

Ask An Anthropologist

Ask An Anthropologist is an educational resource for students, teachers, parents, and life-long learners. We encourage anyone interested in anthropology to make use of its content.

Becoming Human Logo

Powered by Becoming Human

Becoming human brings together interactive multimedia, research and scholarship to promote greater understanding of the course of human evolution.

Early human history: Who are you? illustration

Who Are You?

Have you ever wondered how your cat, dog, bird, lizard, or fish is related to you? Animal bodies today are like living history books. They tell us a story that goes back at least 500 million years.
A Brief History of History Thumbnail image

A Brief History of History

What does it mean to be human? Take a look at the story of how we became…well…us. The search for our first ancestors who looked and acted like people today is the search for what it means to be human.
Because your DNA says so - illustration

Because Your DNA Says So

Your DNA is unique, and it makes you a human, not any other animal. Sequencing DNA lets us identify genetic similarities and differences that relate to species similarities and differences.
Mussels on a beach with microlith spears and two hikers in the background

Mussels, Migration, and Microliths

ASU researcher Curtis Marean has spent over 20 years excavating caves in South Africa. He wants to learn about the relationship between climate and environmental change and human evolution.