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Supported by a Grant from the National Science Foundation
Footsteps Through Time:
Four Million Years of Human Evolution
THE MUSEUM'S WEST WING houses our fabulous anthropology exhibit, Footsteps Through Time: Four Million Years of Human Evolution. The permanent exhibit — which covers 7,000 square feet and features five galleries filled with more than a hundred touchable replicas of early humans, primates, and futuristic cyborgs (part human, part machine) — officially opened to the public on February 9, 2002.
This compelling exhibit is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. It transports visitors on a fascinating 65-million year journey through time, spotlighting all the major anthropological finds relating to human evolution. Footsteps Through Time: Four Million Years of Human Evolution represents a major milestone in the Museum's nearly 90-year history. It is especially significant as it reflects the Museum's original mission: to display the life and history of humankind.
The exhibit begins with the Primate Hall, where guests can compare their hands, feet, and brains to those of other primates; immerse themselves in chimp culture; and see Mbongo, representing the nearly extinct Mountain Gorilla. The adjacent Hominid Hall showcases a variety of intriguing dioramas, including a Neandertal burial from more than 60,000 years ago, depicted exactly as it was discovered by archaeologists; a Cro-Magnon exhibit featuring Chauvet Cave in France (home of the world's oldest cave paintings); and a touchable replica of Kenyanthropus platyops, the latest find by the renowned archaeologists Meave and Louise Leakey.
The third stop is the mind-boggling Time Tunnel, traversing millions of years and chronicling 200 of the most significant human technological breakthroughs. Next, visitors can marvel at the Human Lab, offering a rare glimpse at the future of human evolution as influenced by scientific revelations such as gene selection and cloning. The final stop is the hands-on Dig Site, where visitors can roll up their sleeves and learn proper methods to dig up a prehistoric dire wolf, look for the Laeotoli footprints, and determine the implications of modern finds for future archaeologists.
 The five galleries offer an in-depth and intriguing look at human evolution, says the Museum's Curator of Physical Anthropology, Rose Tyson. "This exhibit represents the most comprehensive physical anthropology display that the Museum has showcased since the 1915 Panama-California Exposition," says Tyson, who has been with the Museum of Man for 30 years.
These galleries were painstakingly designed to engage visitors and help them start thinking about age-old questions, including time, genetics, and the environment. The exhibit is unique in that guests are invited to touch nearly all of its contents. Another exhibit highlight features five renowned scientists — Donald Johanson, Cheryl Knott, Meave Leakey, Tim White, and Shirley Strum — who appear on videos situated throughout the venue to discuss their work.
In addition to a $1.95-million grant from the National Science Foundation, the exhibit received $400,000 in support from local sponsors such as the Parker Foundation, the James Copley Foundation, the Ackerman Family Foundation, the Billingsly Foundation, and the Dr. Seuss Fund. The funding also covers ongoing workshops, lectures, family programs, and educational websites related to the exhibit.
Educational programs accompanying the exhibit include the design of outreach kits to target our audiences of sixth and seventh graders in 500 schools county-wide. Special kits are also be available for check-out through the Museum Library. Teacher and docent training, family days, and special gallery guides are part of the program.
Web sites for the general public and for educators are available:
For free lesson plans, curricula, fun activities, and information for classes, visit
www.abouthumanevolution.net
A virtual tour of the exhibit to enhance the understanding of evolution is presented at
www.abouthumanevolution.org
This project integrates the talents of all Museum departments, renowned scientists, and a host of specialists to bring forth a tactile and exciting product for an international community. We invite our members to share in the excitement of this monumental program to gain a better understanding of the future by expanding our knowledge of the past.
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Laetoli footprints
3 million years old
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stone tools
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Footsteps Through Time programs are funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation
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Funding for the Human Lab provided by Invitrogen.
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Exhibitions
Footsteps