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Human Evolution: Aditi Pai

Human evolution began approximately 6-7 million years ago with the earliest hominids splitting from the ape line. Important stages in human evolution include Australopithecus afarensis 3.2 million years ago, Homo habilis 2 million years ago, Homo erectus 1 million years ago, and Homo sapiens 200,000 years ago. Theories of human evolution include the "Out of Africa" hypothesis that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and migrated worldwide, replacing earlier human species. Bipedalism, increased brain size, tool use, language, and culture are key human characteristics that evolved over millions of years.

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42 views55 pages

Human Evolution: Aditi Pai

Human evolution began approximately 6-7 million years ago with the earliest hominids splitting from the ape line. Important stages in human evolution include Australopithecus afarensis 3.2 million years ago, Homo habilis 2 million years ago, Homo erectus 1 million years ago, and Homo sapiens 200,000 years ago. Theories of human evolution include the "Out of Africa" hypothesis that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and migrated worldwide, replacing earlier human species. Bipedalism, increased brain size, tool use, language, and culture are key human characteristics that evolved over millions of years.

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Human evolution

Aditi Pai
"Hominid" refers to members of the human
family, Hominidae, which consist of all
species from the point where the human line
splits from apes towards present day
humans.

Habitual bipedal locomotion (movement on


two legs), an upright position, and a large
brain that has lead to: tool use, language, and
culture characterize hominids.
Human evolution
A. History
B. Important stages in human evolution
C. Theories of human evolution
D. ‘Human Characteristics’
E. Are we still evolving?
History

• 1856-Neander Valley
– Discovery of a skull that was not quite human
• 1859 – Darwin
publishes ‘The
Origin of Species’

• 1871- Darwin
predicts that
ancestors of humans
would be found in
Africa
• Up till 1930s BC D
– Humanity evolved A
in Europe
Bush model

• 1950s--1960s
– Many significant ABCD
fossils discovered
Linear model
• 1970s – present
– more fossils
– molecular
techniques
– ‘tree model’ of
human
evolution
Current Controversy

6-7 m y old fossil

Earliest bipedal
hominid?
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Important stages in human
evolution
1. 3.2 million years ago
2. 3 million years ago
3. 2 million years ago
4. 1 million years ago
5. 200, 000 years ago
6. 150, 000 years ago
"Hominid" refers to members of the human
family, Hominidae, which consist of all
species from the point where the human line
splits from apes towards present day
humans.

Habitual bipedal locomotion (movement on


two legs), an upright position, and a large
brain that has lead to: tool use, language, and
culture characterize hominids.
3.2 mya: The southern ape of afar
• Fossil:
– “Lucy” (discovered
1974, Ethiopia)
– Australopithecus
afarensis

Male
Fossil of “Lucy”

Female
Australopithecus afarensis

• Habitat: savannah and woodland

• Food: leaves, fruit, seeds, nuts, termites and


eggs, grasses (?)

• Physical characteristics:
– low forehead, flat nose, no chin
– small brain
– long dangly arms, short legs
– facultative bipedal (upright on ground but could
dangle from branches)
– sexually dimorphic
Paranthropus boisei Homo habilis
3 mya: Paranthropus boisei
• Habitat: open terrain

• Food: nuts, roots and tubers

• Physical characteristics:
– enormous jaw with chewing muscles,
– large back teeth, small front teeth
– specialized as vegetarians

• Not direct human ancestors


3 mya: Homo habilis-the ‘handy man’
• Habitat: open terrain
• Food: Scavenged for meat
• Physical characteristics:
– small jaw and teeth
– shorter arms
– increase in brain size (because of
carnivorous diet and mode of feeding)
– capable of speech
Oldowan Tools

Made tools
Human migration

• 1.9 mya humans began to leave


Africa to other continents
Homo ergaster
2 mya: Homo ergaster
• Habitat: dry -hot habitat

• Food: scavenger for meat

• Physical characteristics:
– Tall with long limbs
– Smooth and dark skin
• Temperature regulation through sweating
– Narrow pelvis (lead to narrow birth canal)
• Mothers needed support of partner and group to raise babies
Acheulean bifaces
Homo erectus
Homo erectus
• brain, almost human size
• stocky, human-like body (larger than Homo habilis)
• Java, China, and Africa
• use of fire
• increased but infrequent group hunting
• language
• crude shelters and some migration to colder areas
• used tools
Homo heidelbergensis
1mya: Homo heidelbergensis
• Food: hunted for meat

• Physical characteristics:
– Large brain
– Tall
• Direct ancestors of Homo sapiens
Boxgrove tools

H.heidelbergensis made Hand axes, wooden spears etc.


200,000 ya: Homo neanderthalensis

male female
200,000 ya: Neanderthal man
• Habitat: cold
• Food: hunted for meat
• Physical characteristics:
– Large face with massive ridges
– No chin
– Short stocky body (conserve heat)
– Muscular
• Language
• Social relationships important
What happened to the
Neanderthals?

• Extinct 28, 000 ya


• Competition from Homo sapiens?
Homo sapiens
• 120, 000 ya
• Physical characteristics:
– Eyebrow ridge small or absent
– Prominent chin
• Tools --antler, bone, stone
• Clothing, jewelry, artwork, musical
instruments
Theories of human evolution
• Humans evolved in sub-Saharan
Africa and spread from there
or
• Humans evolved independently in
several places around the globe
Out of Africa hypothesis

• Homo sapiens evolved in a single


speciation event in Africa ~ 250, 000 ya

• Migrated to other regions, replaced


Homo erectus
Multi-regional hypothesis

• Local populations of Homo erectus evolved into


Homo sapiens

• Mixed genes

• Retained local characteristics


Support for multi-regional
hypothesis

• No break in culture in S.E Asia

• Can explain the occurrence of


regional characters
Races
• Original skin color- black

• Divergence from original black color to


many different colors
How different are the races?
• No genetic discontinuities between races
• Genetic differences between races only
10% of genetic diversity among humans
• No evidence for major biological
differences
Support for ‘out of Africa’ hypothesis

1. Level of diversity in maternally


inherited mitochondrial DNA of
humans from around the world
highest among Africans
Support for ‘out of Africa’ hypothesis

2. Based on genetic diversity all


non-Africans descended from a
small band of humans that left
Africa ~ 100, 000 ya
Support for ‘out of Africa’ hypothesis

3. The Y-chromosome too shows


no sign of any non-African DNA
Human migration
• Australia --- ~60,000 ya
• Europe --- ~70,000 ya
• Near East --- ~90,000 ya
• Africa --- ~130, 000 ya
Who were the first
Americans?

• 13,000 ya
• Crossed Bering Strait
Human characteristics
• Bipedal gait
• Big brain
• Tool making
• Social relationships
• Art
• Culture
Bipedalism
• When?
– Before Australopithecines
• Advantages:
– Freed hands to carry objects
– See predators better in grasslands
– Access to foods not previously available
– Carry children
– Protection from sun in grasslands
Evolution of bipedalism

1. Carrying objects
2. See predators
3. Aquatic environment (?)
Evolution of big brain
• Meat eating from Homo habilis onwards
– Did not require large intestines
– Energy freed up for other organs including
brain
or
• Cooked tuber eating in Homo erectus
– Hunter-gatherers rely less on meat than
tubers
– Reliance on scavenged meat is difficult.
Tool making
• Homo habilis onwards
• Tool-making was considered a
‘human trait’
– Discovery of tool-making in
chimpanzees
– Tool making in Australopithecines?
Social relationships, art, and culture

Homo sapiens survived extinction in late


Pleistocene
– ‘bottlenecks’ (drastic reduction in
population size )
– cultural explosion
– Societies became co-operative (‘troop-to-
tribe transition’)
Are we still evolving?

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