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Primary Sources
Hominin Fossils (Smithsonian)
This collection of viewable hominin fossil 3D models was produced by the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program by 3D scanning casts and other replicas which are now on display in the Hall of Human Origins at the National Museum of Natural History. The skulls are different colors because as they fossilized they absorbed minerals from the surrounding soil, and different minerals cause different colors. The black areas show where researchers reconstructed missing parts.
eFossils
eFossils.org is dedicated to sharing information about early fossil hominins and their evolutionary context. eFossils is a collaborative website in which users can explore important fossil localities and browse the fossil digital library.
eLucy
eLucy can help you learn more about the world’s most famous fossil, Lucy, a member of the species Australopithecus afarensis, who lived 3.2 million years ago. Discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia, Lucy is unique because over 40% of her skeleton was recovered, making her one of the most complete australopithecine fossils ever found. This website provides activities and lessons that will help you to learn about Lucy’s place in human evolution.
eSkeletons
eSkeletons provides an interactive environment in which to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy through our osteology database.
AfricanFossils.org
This virtual lab showcases a spectacular collection of fossils and artifacts found mostly at Lake Turkana in East Africa. The digital collection of animals, human ancestors, as well as ancient stone tools offers a unique tool for scholars and enthusiasts to explore and interact with the collection online.
MorphoSource
MorphoSource is a digital repository where researchers, museum curators, and the general public can find, download, and upload 3D media representing physical objects, most commonly biological specimens.
Darwin Manuscript Project
Charles Darwin's surviving 46,032 pages of scientific manuscripts—his original notes, notebooks, and drafts—contain the crucial documentary evidence for the birth and maturation of his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. We currently offer digital access to all of the 34,643 folios that deal directly with the theory of evolution.
Darwin Correspondence Project, University of Cambridge
Read and search the full texts of more than 9,000 of Charles Darwin’s letters, and find information on 6,000 more. Discover complete transcripts of all known letters Darwin wrote and received up to the year 1873.
Data
The William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set
The William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set consists of craniometric measurements taken from 2524 human crania from 28 populations. Up to 82 measurements were obtained from these crania. In addition, Dr. Howells obtained data from 524 "test" crania (crania not included in the main data set). Sex was estimated from crania by Dr. Howells and is also provided in both data sets, and additional notes are provided about the provenance of the "test' crania.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.
GenBank
GenBank ® is the NIH genetic sequence database, an annotated collection of all publicly available DNA sequences
NCBI Gene
Gene integrates information from a wide range of species. A record may include nomenclature, Reference Sequences (RefSeqs), maps, pathways, variations, phenotypes, and links to genome-, phenotype-, and locus-specific resources worldwide.
AnthroKIds: Anthropometric Data of Children
This Web points to the results of two studies which collected anthropometric data of children. The report of the first study, performed in 1975, exists here as a scanned document with an HTML "front end" and as data in several formats. The second study, performed in 1977, exists here as only data, however users can access the data via a more graphically oriented interface. The textual descriptive portion of the report is being currently added.
Army Anthropometric Survey (ANSUR)
A public dataset drawn from the 2012 U.S. Army Anthropometric Survey
Duke Lemur Center Database
Since its establishment in 1966, the Duke Lemur Center has accumulated detailed records for over 4300 individuals from over 40 closely related yet biologically diverse prosimian primate taxa. Here we release verified data for over 3,700 of them, representing the 27 taxa in the table below.
Matrix of Comparative Anthropogeny (MOCA), Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny* (CARTA)
The Matrix of Comparative Anthropogeny (MOCA) is a collection of comparative information regarding humans and our closest evolutionary cousins (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans i.e, "great apes"), with an emphasis on uniquely human features.
Additional Resources
Paleopathology Association - Paleopathology Links
"The goal of the following list is to use the potential of the Internet in order to share knowledge about new and ongoing projects, journals and institutions active in the area of Paleopathology and related sciences worldwide."
John Hawks Weblog: Paleoanthropology, Genetics and Evolution
"John Hawks is the Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. I work on the fossil and genetic record of human evolution."
Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University
"The Center for the Study of Human Origins (CSHO) in the Department of Anthropology at New York University was inaugurated in 2002. Its mission is to enhance and facilitate research on all fields of biological anthropology and archaeology that are broadly related to the study of human origins and evolution from a biological and cultural perspective."
The Institute of Human Origins
"The Institute of Human Origins, a non-profit, multidisciplinary research organization affiliated with Arizona State University, is dedicated to the recovery and analysis of the fossil evidence for human evolution.
Evolution Library, PBS
The PBS Evolution Project's goals are to heighten understanding of evolution and how it works, to dispel common misunderstandings, to illuminate why it is relevant to our lives, to improve its teaching, to encourage a national dialogue, and to prompt participation in all aspects of the project.
Human Origins: What Does it Mean to Be Human?
"The Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian isdedicated to understanding the biological and cultural foundations of human life. The Human Origins Program strives to develop public awareness about human origins and evolutionary history. The dissemination of new research and new ideas in the field of paleoanthropology is central to our mission."
Becoming Human
"The Institute of Human Origins (IHO) conducts, interprets and publicizes scientific research on the human career. IHO's unique approach brings together scientists from diverse disciplines to develop integrated, bio-behavioral investigations of human evolution."
Nash Collection of Primates in Art and Illustration, University of Wisconsin
The Nash Collection of Primates in Art and Illustration comprises digital images drawn from a variety of historical sources and reveals how nonhuman primates have been depicted over time. This collection includes examples of fine art, printed illustration, and sculpture, as well as other media.
Living Links Center for the Advanced Study of Ape and Human Evolution
"The primary mission of the Living Links Center is to study human evolution by investigating our close genetic, anatomical, cognitive, and behavioral similarities with great apes."
