The fossils, which are kept in the Hall of Human Origins, follow the human evolution.
Curator Rick Potts, director of the human origins research in the museum, said, “What we've learned is the old icon of the march from the early humans from a primate like creature to an ape like creature to us today is not correct — that our species is part of a diverse family tree of perhaps as many as 20 species or more. What we also see is we are the only one left.”
He went on to say that the display shows how climate change helped our ancestors and encouraged them to adapt to changes.
“All of these things are part of what it means to be human from the sense of our species,” Potts added.
The collection
The museum keeps a collection of rare specimens, including a large fossil of a Neanderthal skeleton as well as two skulls which were found a century before.
Also, life-size bronze sculptures of early humans eating meat and controlling fire are on display.
Surya Jain, a six-year-old from Toronto, said, “I think it's really cool. My favorite part is the Homo erectus carrying this wildebeest, I think.”
The Hall of Human Origins in the museum is the place where more than 75 skulls, almost 6 million years old, are showcased.
The museum is home to scanned replicas of the hobbit fossil, which was discovered in Indonesia in 2003.
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough said on the same, “It will change your ideas about humanity.”
There is also a “morphing station” in the museum where visitors can get their photos transformed to know how they would have looked like as early humans.
About the museum
The Smithsonian Institution, located in Washington, is open 364 days a year. The museum holds a good collection of plants fossils, animals, rocks, meteorites etc.
Having about 185 professional natural history scientists working for it, the museum was established in 1910.
The Hall of Human Origins in the museum is the place where more than 75 skulls, almost 6 million years old, are showcased.
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