Virtual Human Origins Educational Lab

Take part in virtual lab activities!

Human Evolution Lab

This activity is designed for students in grades 6-8 to collect and analyze data with scientists from the Human Origins Educational Laboratory. Students will explore how humans have evolved and determine the evolutionary relationships among modern humans and our extinct relatives. 

Virtual Lab Worksheet 

Students can use this worksheet to collect data while going through the three part activity.

Worksheet for Hall of Human Origins Educational Laboratory virtual lab experience

Three-part activity

Part I: What are the major changes that have taken place in human evolution? 

Start by watching this video clip. Take notes about how humans have evolved over the past seven million years.

Part II: Comparing hominin and ape anatomy

Begin by watching this video tutorial and then explore the Meet the Relatives activity. Fill out the data table on your question sheet. 

Part III: Determining evolutionary relationships

Watch this instructional video and use the data table that you filled out in the previous section to complete a cladogram (evolutionary tree). 

Additional Resources for Teachers

Teacher's Guide for the Human Evolution Virtual Lab Activity

 

Genetics Lab

This activity is designed for students in grades 9–12 to collect and analyze data with scientists from the Human Origins Educational Laboratory.  Explore how scientists measure and study human genetic variation. 

Virtual Lab Worksheet 

Use this worksheet to collect data while going through the three-part activity

Worksheet for Hall of Human Origins Educational Laboratory virtual lab experience 

Virtual Lab Experience: Three-part activity

Part I: Race and human health

Start by watching this video clip. Discuss why the concept of race is not considered a scientific concept and is not useful for studying genetic variation.

Part II: Comparing genetic variation using gel electrophoresis

Begin by going to the Genetic Science Learning Center simulation to practice doing gel electrophoresis. Next, based on the video tutorial,  construct a hypothesis predicting which species, humans (Homo sapiens) or chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), have more genetic variation. 

Part III: Comparing genetic variation using DNA sequencing

After watching this video clip, copy and paste the mtDNA sequences from your worksheet onto the EZBiocloud website to compare them. Examine the percent similarity between individuals from various populations. 

Additional Resources for Teachers

Teacher's Guide for Genetics Virtual Lab Experience