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For even more information on hominids, refer students to Hominid Paleobiology, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's lecture by Tim D. White, Ph.D.

• What do you think it means that there were once several different kinds of hominids coexisting on the planet?

• How do we learn about Neanderthals? What do we know about them?

• What is the main physical difference between a Neanderthal and a modern human?

• How might studying head shapes help scientists learn about human evolution?

• Why do you think Neanderthals became extinct?

Here are some of the main ideas students should take away from this video:

• More than a million years ago, some early human ancestors migrated out of Africa to Europe. This group evolved into Neanderthals. The ancestors who stayed in Africa evolved into modern humans.

• Neanderthals, colloquially known as cavemen, were first identified in Germany’s Neander Valley about 150 years ago. Many Neanderthal sites have since been discovered; findings show that Neanderthals used fire, wore clothing, and made stone tools. Neanderthals existed for more than 200,000 years, but apparently became extinct about 30,000 years ago.

• Studying the shape of the human head can provide insight into human evolution. Modern humans are very similar to Neanderthals from the neck down; however, the modern human head is more spherical, and the Neanderthal head is more oblong (like a lemon).

To further student engagement, refer students to the supplemental worksheet and crossword puzzle related to this resource.

• Before doing the crossword puzzle, watch the video with the captions on or direct students to the transcript so that they can see how to spell the words used in the puzzle.