ONE: As discussed in the class, Homo neanderthalensis lived in Ice Age Europe for a long time, evolving adaptations to their environment long before the arrival of Homo sapiens. Considering the physical and cultural traits that we -currently- know H. neanderthalensis and the early H. sapiens had:

1) Compare the adaptations that allowed H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens to thrive in Ice Age Europe

2) How might the adaptations in H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens be related to the extinction of the former and the continuation of the latter?

(150 words minimum; sources required)

TWO: The case of Homo floresiensis challenged our preconceived notions of what it means to be human and the “apparent” linear evolution of the lineage Homo: they controlled fired, made stone tools, they hunted, and existed at the same time as modern H. sapiens, while having a smaller body and brain than H. sapiens. Knowing this:

1) Do you think a species like H. floresiensis could exist today?

2) If H. floresiensis had been the only surviving species of the genus Homo and had left Flores to spread around the world 50,000 years ago, what would their physical appearance be like today?

(150 words minimum; sources required)

Three:We are the only living member of the genus Homo. However, this is a recent phenomenon. At different points in time, multiple Homo species were living at the same time.

Based on what we know about the physical characteristics, adaptations, material culture, and interspecies interactions of H. sapiens, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and H. floresiensis:

What do you think our world would look like today if Neanderthals, Denisovans, and H. floresiensis had never gone extinct?

How would their presence through H. sapiens history have shaped H. sapiens societies?

(150  words minimum; no sources required)