Human evolution, evolved

What makes us human? In the exciting new Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins at the American Museum of Natural History, visitors learn that the answer lies, in large part, in our ability to think symbolically. Here, through the vivid imagery of sculpture, painting, video, and the ultimate set of symbols--language--the fascinating and still-unfolding story is told of how human beings came to be the distinct creatures we are--and how creativity lies at the heart of what sets us apart from the other animals.

On first entering the Spitzer Hall, visitors are greeted by the skeletons of a modern human and our chimpanzee and Neanderthal relatives, reminders that the search for our origins depends on the ever-expanding fossil record, gleaned from painstaking fieldwork the world over. But the eye-catching backdrop for this trio--huge panels picturing cells in mitosis and colorful chromosomes--sends the unmistakable message that cutting-edge DNA research has been added to the tool box, greatly enhancing the work of researchers decoding those finds. For example, DNA has been used to map modern humans' evolution and subsequent migration out of Africa, and to determine that despite all the differences in skin color, body type, and facial features, humans are genetically 99.9% the same.

The Spitzer Hall, the successor to the Museum's original Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, draws on the latest hominid finds by Museum scientists and their colleagues. Among them, the Hall boasts a vial of extremely rare 40,000-year-old Neanderthal DNA from the first laboratory in the world to have successfully extracted this elusive genetic material. The Hall is also home to a cast of the "Little Foot" fossil, the most complete skeleton of the human predecessor Australopithecus, found in South Africa in 1997. Only one other museum in the world displays a cast of "Little Foot."

Raising provocative questions about what makes us unique are an interactive feature on our closest animal relatives, the bonobos and chimpanzees, and their use of symbols to communicate; a robotic painter that "decides" when its creations are complete; and videos exploring intriguing behaviors of other species that resemble a human capacity for making tools, music, and art. All hint at some type of intelligence but fall short of what we think of as human.

The Australopithecus afarensis couple, featured in the original Hall, has been moved to give visitors a 360[degrees] view, a surprising sense of how small they were, and a chance to follow in their fossilized footsteps. The popular miniature of the French dig site La Micoque is preserved here too, as are copies of deer paintings from the cave of kascaux, now lit with flickering light as if seen with Ice Age torches. Three original dioramas have undergone renovation and a new one has been added: "Peking Man" about to be pounced upon by a hyena, representing "hominids as hunted, not hunters," says Ian Tattersall, Curator in the Division of Anthropology, who, along with Rob DeSalle, Co-Director of the Museum's Institute of Comparative Genomics, co-curated this permanent exhibition hall.

The Spitzer Hall of Human Origins presents the most up-to-date evidence of human evolution, bringing to bear both time-honored methods and the latest in genetic science to approach the most tantalizing mysteries of humankind: who we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future of our species.

The Museum is deeply grateful to lead benefactors Anne and Bernard Spitzer, whose marvelous generosity inspired and made possible the new Spitzer Hall of Human Origins.

The Museum also extends its gratitude to The Mortimer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc., and Arlene and Arnold Goldstein for their generous support.