Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“Lucy,” the 3.2-million-year-old fossil of a human ancestor, became a household name after her discovery in 1974. But Lucy is just one of several fossils that have revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. Museum paleoanthropologist Ashley Hammond to learn about five other landmark fossil discoveries and how they’ve helped scientists piece together the puzzle of human evolution.
“Taung Child” and “Turkana Boy” are two fossil individuals who gave new perspectives on what was already known about their species. In the last 30 years, fossil discoveries revealed the existence of one of the oldest and one of the most recent hominins, Ardipithecus ramidus and Homo naledi. Discovered in 2010, Denisovan hominins left behind partial fossils, so much of what we know about them comes from their DNA.
#HumanEvolution #Fossils #Hominin #Hominid #Evolution #Anthropology
Check out our Human Evolution playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrfcruGtplwEQUS0pfn7kt7pnVg8n2v2Q&si=0zQ6OotFsE-Neh8V
For more about the discovery and legacy of “Lucy,” watch: youtu.be/U85biq24V8g?si=qWtNvvN5LLEh0PAP
Are humans still evovling? youtu.be/JU40U0KVTQI
Learn how paleoanthropologists search for human ancestors: youtu.be/jOnWmS70tFo?si=dco_H7shH7EmQPUL
00:00 – Introduction & "Lucy"
00:28 – Human Ancestor Family Tree
00:37 – Taung Child
01:14 – Turkana Boy / Nariokotome Boy
01:46 – Ardipithecus ramidus
02:14 – Denisovan hominid
03:01 – Homo naledi
03:34 – Importance of Finding Fossils
***
Subscribe to our channel:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AMNHOrg
Check out our full video catalog:
youtube.com/user/AMNHorg
This video and all media incorporated herein (including text, images, and audio) are the property of the American Museum of Natural History or its licensors, all rights reserved. The Museum has made this video available for your personal, educational use. You may not use this video, or any part of it, for commercial purposes, nor may you reproduce, distribute, publish, prepare derivative works from, or publicly display it without the prior written consent of the Museum.
© American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
“Lucy,” the 3.2-million-year-old fossil of a human ancestor, became a household name after her discovery in 1974. But Lucy is just one of several fossils that have revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. Museum paleoanthropologist Ashley Hammond to learn about five other landmark fossil discoveries and how they’ve helped scientists piece together the puzzle of human evolution.
“Taung Child” and “Turkana Boy” are two fossil individuals who gave new perspectives on what was already known about their species. In the last 30 years, fossil discoveries revealed the existence of one of the oldest and one of the most recent hominins, Ardipithecus ramidus and Homo naledi. Discovered in 2010, Denisovan hominins left behind partial fossils, so much of what we know about them comes from their DNA.
#HumanEvolution #Fossils #Hominin #Hominid #Evolution #Anthropology
Check out our Human Evolution playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrfcruGtplwEQUS0pfn7kt7pnVg8n2v2Q&si=0zQ6OotFsE-Neh8V
For more about the discovery and legacy of “Lucy,” watch: youtu.be/U85biq24V8g?si=qWtNvvN5LLEh0PAP
Are humans still evovling? youtu.be/JU40U0KVTQI
Learn how paleoanthropologists search for human ancestors: youtu.be/jOnWmS70tFo?si=dco_H7shH7EmQPUL
00:00 – Introduction & "Lucy"
00:28 – Human Ancestor Family Tree
00:37 – Taung Child
01:14 – Turkana Boy / Nariokotome Boy
01:46 – Ardipithecus ramidus
02:14 – Denisovan hominid
03:01 – Homo naledi
03:34 – Importance of Finding Fossils
***
Subscribe to our channel:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AMNHOrg
Check out our full video catalog:
youtube.com/user/AMNHorg
This video and all media incorporated herein (including text, images, and audio) are the property of the American Museum of Natural History or its licensors, all rights reserved. The Museum has made this video available for your personal, educational use. You may not use this video, or any part of it, for commercial purposes, nor may you reproduce, distribute, publish, prepare derivative works from, or publicly display it without the prior written consent of the Museum.
© American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
