Biology

Phillips Academy’s Great Auk

The great auk (Pinguinus impennis) was a flightless bird of the alcid family that became extinct in the mid-19th century. The Peabody’s specimen, donated by Thomas Cochran in the 1930s, is one of only 79 skin mounts in existence today. Students become acquainted with the natural history of the great auk and the factors leading to its extinction. A sampling of other avian artifacts from the Peabody may be included in this course in order to highlight the long and varied relationship between humans and birds.

Human Osteology & Forensics

Students employ contemporary techniques of forensic anthropology in their exploration of an ethically-sourced human skeleton cast. Highlights of the human skeleton—including biological sex, age at death, and health and trauma are presented—with a special focus on the problematic identification of race from the human skeleton. Students will get hands on experience with the human skeleton and understand that forensic techniques are both useful and problematic. This program is also available as an online lesson.

Hominin Cranial Evolution

Can you tell the difference between the skulls of an ape, Neanderthal, and Homo sapiens? This interactive lab gives students the opportunity to explore, handle, compare, and contrast 14 skull casts from apes and hominids spanning the famous, 3.2-million-year-old “Lucy” to modern humans. Students learn about cranial capacity, the evolution of the human body and brain, sexual dimorphism, and which features of each skull are unique to its particular species. This program is also available as an online lesson.