Human Evolution and Evolutionary Studies

The Physical Anthropology Department of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is one of the best human evolutionary studies centers in the world.

The original description of Australopithecus afarensis, the species that includes the world famous “Lucy,” was made in the Physical Anthropology Laboratory.  The original molding of all hominid specimens from the Hadar site, Ethiopia, were also made in the Museum’s laboratory. 

Members of the physical anthropology department, such as Drs. Bruce Latimer and Yohannes Haile-Selassie, have been participating and conducting paleontological field research in Africa for the last 16 years.  They have been part of most of the professional publications on early human evolution.  Some of these publications have even named new species in the human family tree.

With the tremendous human and ape skeletal collection housed in the department, it has been an attraction point for researchers in human skeletal variation, human osteology, physiology, anatomy, and evolution. Moreover, since the late 1970’s, this department has acquired hundreds of fossil hominid casts from Africa, Asia, and Europe.  These are also attractions for researchers and students of human origins and evolution.