The newly opened Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins
presents the remarkable history of human evolution from our
earliest ancestors millions of years ago to modern Homo sapiens.
The innovative Spitzer Hall combines the most up-to-date
discoveries in the fossil record with the latest in genomic
science to explore the most profound mysteries of humankind: who
we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future
of our species. Although the human family originated many
millions of years ago, we know a great deal about our remarkable
past. The rich human fossil record dates back more than six
million years, and scientists are finding exciting new specimens
all the time. Around six or seven million years ago, the first
members of our human family, Hominidae, evolved in Africa. They
spent much of their time in trees, as did their close primate
relatives, the ancestors of today's chimpanzees and gorillas.
After several million years of human evolution, only one hominid
species remains: Homo sap