Asking What It Means to Be Human

Arizona State University

On one of the most memorable days of her life, Kaye Reed found herself holding the jawbone of an ancestor who lived 2.8 million years ago. It was a discovery that changed our understanding of the timeline for the entire human species.

In this few inches of fossilized bone and five teeth was new evidence revealing the existence of human relatives 400,000 years earlier than previously thought. This would be an exciting day for anyone, but for Reed, an anthropologist who studies humans in the past and present and how they live, it was an experience years in the making.

(continue reading)

Icon-O
The editorial staff of ORBITER magazine humbly pursues life's Big Questions, illuminating the human condition and our place in the universe.