Select a Fossil Specimen

Paranthropus boisei
KNM ER 406
295 Kb

Homo ergaster
KNM WT 15000
326 Kb

Paranthropus aethiopicus
KNM WT 17000
209 Kb

QuickTime Virtual Reality

QTVR is a technology developed by Apple Computer to allow the manipulation of an object through 360 degrees. QTVR stitches together the digital images to form an interactive movie (.mov) file, where you control the movement of the object. In order to view these movies, you will need to have QuickTime 4, which is available free from Apple at www.apple.com/quicktime/ (if you are a Netscape user, you'll need to install the Plugin, which is part of the install process).

Here at the Human Origins Program, we have utilized this tool to bring fossil casts in the National Collection to life. Clicking on the links to the left will open a new browser window, in which you can rotate the skull by clicking and holding over the image. Then drag the cursor to the left or right. There are also zoom controls and a re-centering control for moving a zoomed object within the window, so that you can examine a particular feature in finer detail. Using these skulls, try to recognize the anatomical features we've discussed in this site.

Please note the file sizes (given below each specimen), as they can take some time to download, especially if you have limited bandwidth. Enjoy.

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