Quiz: How to spot an archaic human

A "stretched" or elongated brain case—the roof of the skull—is a hallmark of archaic humans, the people who walked the earth before modern humans.

Question: By comparing the length of these skulls, which does not belong to a modern human?

skull outline
skull outline
skull outline

Correct!

This fossil's brain case is clearly elongated compared to the others shown here. It's actually the skull of an Neanderthal, an archaic species of human who lived mostly in Europe.

Try again.

This brain case looks high, smooth and rounded, like that of a modern human.

Try again.

This brain case looks high, smooth and rounded, like that of a modern human. It also a forwards pointing chin—a feature only modern humans possess.

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