Yale Press originally released this 1-minute video in 2013, but it has now resurfaced. It’s the vision of paleoartist John Gurche of his own direct ancestry, essentially the face of human evolution over the past six-million years.
The video is based on Gurche’s book – Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins – published by Yale Press. In the book, Gurche used fossil discoveries and forensic techniques to create reconstructions of long-lost human ancestors. Daily Kos, which published this video late last week, said:
The only face missing is the recently discovered Homo naledi.
It’s a mesmerizing video.
So let the comment war begin, and please … be polite.
Bottom line: A 1-minute video showing reconstructions of long-lost human ancestors – created using fossil discoveries and forensic techniques – from the 2013 book Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins by John Gurche.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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