DIGGING FOR ANSWERS Does digging up the bones of ancient humans sound spooky Maybe But it's an important way of finding out how modern humans- like you got here And that's just what paleoanthropologists do These scientists can figure out how early humans walked what they ate and even how smart they were all thanks to fossils Explore More IN THE MID 1800S ENGLISH SCIENTIST CHARLES DARWIN BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST TO SAY THAT HUMANS AND APES CAME FROM THE SAME ANCESTOR 4 CHARLES DARWIN
DIGGING UP FOSSILS IS SLOW WORK THEN IT CAN TAKE YEARS TO PUT THEM TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT THEIR HISTORY Fossils are what is left behind when something dies They can come from a plant or an animal They may take thousands or even millions of years to form Fossils help scientists piece together the puzzle of human evolution 5
1 HOW A FOSSIL FORMS When a plant or animal dies the soft parts break down Hard parts like bone and teeth are left behind Sometimes these remains become buried in sediment which is bits of stones sand shells or mud from rivers and oceans Sediment builds up in layers and can harden into rock 2 3 3 4 A DEAD ANIMAL IS COVERED IN SEDIMENT WHICH PRESSES DOWN ON THE REMAINS THEY SLOWLY TURN TO ROCK AND BECOME A FOSSIL 6
Over time water from the ground works its way into the bones that are buried under sediment Minerals from the water fill tiny open spaces in the bones Slowly the minerals replace the bone The minerals harden and become rock Now the remains are a fossil SCIENTISTS CHIP AWAY AT ROCK TO FIND THE FOSSILS THAT HAVE FORMED UNDERNEATH 7
