1. The document summarizes human evolution from early hominins to modern humans. It describes several key hominin species that evolved between 6-2 million years ago including Australopithecus afarensis and early species of Homo. 2. Homo habilis and Homo erectus are discussed as being the first hominins to use tools. Species like Homo heidelbergensis show evidence of burials and tool making. 3. Neanderthals, Homo floresiensis, and modern humans Homo sapiens are the most recent hominin species discussed, with H. sapiens originating in Africa around 200,000 years ago before migrating worldwide

1. UNIT: 6
HUMAN
EVOLUTION
CAMPBELL & REECE, 2010
CHAPTER 34 P.728-733
EDUDINK
NOTES

2. • Human evolution: refers to the evolutionary
process leading up to the appearance of
modern humans.
• The study of human evolution involves many
scientific disciplines, including physical
anthropology, primatology, archaeology,
linguistics, embryology and genetics.
INTRODUCTION

3. • The species Homo sapiens is about 200,000
years old, which is very young, considering
that life has existed on Earth for at least 3.5
billion years.
• Derived from early Homonins (Homonids)
INTRODUCTION

4. • Human evolution is characterized by a number
of morphological, developmental,
physiological, and behavioural changes .
• The most significant of these adaptations
are
• 1. bipedalism (1.9 million years ago),
• 2. increased brain size,
• 3. lengthened ontogeny (gestation and
infancy),
• 4. decreased sexual dimorphism.

5. Characters that distinguish humans
from other apes:
• Upright posture and bipedal locomotion
• Larger brains
• Language capabilities and symbolic
thought
• The manufacture and use of complex
tools
• Shortened jaw
• Shorter digestive tract

6. The Earliest Hominins
• The study of human origins is known as
palaeoanthropology
• Hominins (formerly called hominids) are more
closely related to humans than to
chimpanzees
• Paleoanthropologists have discovered fossils
of about 20 species of extinct hominins

7. A timeline for some selected Hominin
species

8. • Hominins originated in Africa about 6–7
million years ago.
• Early hominins had a small brain but probably
walked upright.
• Two common misconceptions about early
hominins:
–Thinking of them as chimpanzees
–Imagining human evolution as a ladder
leading directly to Homo sapiens
• We are taking a closer look to the Hominins
called Australopiths and Homo

9. AUSTRALOPITHS
• Australopiths are a paraphyletic assemblage
of hominins living between 4 and 2 million
years ago.
• Some species walked fully erect.
• “Robust” australopiths had sturdy skulls and
powerful jaws.
• “Gracile” australopiths were more slender and
had lighter jaws .
• Australopiths got their name from the 1924
discovery in South Africa of Australopithicus
africanus (“southern ape of Africa”)

10. AUSTRALOPITHICUS AFRICANUS
• Walked fully upright (Bipedal)
• Had humanlike hands and teeth.
• Had a brain 1/3 of present humans.
Mrs Ples” was an Australopithecus
africanus that lived more than 2-million
years ago in the Cradle of Humankind

11. AUSTRALOPITHICUS AFARENSIS
• Australopithicus afarensis skeleton was discovered
in Afar (Ethiopia) in 1974.
• It was 40% complete, 1m tall and named Lucy.
• In 1990 more A. afarensis fossils were discovered.
• It showed that they existed as a species for at least
1 million years.
• Brain size of chimpanzee.
• Longer lower jaw.
• Arms longer than humans – arboreal movement

13. EVIDENCE OF TOOL USE
• The oldest evidence of tool use, cut marks on
animal bones, is 2.5 million years old
• These bones found in Ethiopia.
• The marks on bones suggested that Hominins cut
flesh from animals using stone tools.
• Stone tool use originated before the development
of large brains.

14. HOMININS: HOMO
• The earliest fossils placed in our genus Homo are
those of Homo habilis, ranging in age from about
2.4 to 1.6 million years
• Stone tools have been found with H. habilis,
giving this species its name, which means “handy
man”

15. • Homo ergaster was the first fully bipedal, large-
brained hominid
• The species existed between 1.9 and 1.5 million
years ago
• Homo ergaster shows a significant decrease in
sexual dimorphism (a size difference between
sexes) compared with its ancestors.
• Homo ergaster fossils were previously assigned to
Homo erectus; most paleoanthropologists now
recognize these as separate species.
• Homo erectus originated in Africa by 1.8 million
years ago
• It was the first hominin to leave Africa

16. Homo egaster

17. COMPARISON BETWEEN HOMO
ERECTUS AND MODERN MAN

18. Homo neanderthalensis
• Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis, lived in
Europe and the Near East from 200,000 to
28,000 years ago.
• They were thick-boned with a larger brain, they
buried their dead, and they made hunting tools.

19. HOMO SAPIENS
• Homo sapiens appeared in Africa by 195,000
years ago.
• All living humans are descended from these
African ancestors.
• The oldest fossils of Homo sapiens outside Africa
date back about 115,000 years and are from the
Middle East.
• In 2004, 18,000 year old fossils were found in
Indonesia, and a new small hominin was named:
Homo floresiensis

20. Homo floresiensis

21. • Rapid expansion of our species may have been
preceded by changes to the brain that made
cognitive innovations possible.
• For example, the FOXP2 gene is essential for
human language, and underwent intense natural
selection during the last 200,000 years
• Homo sapiens were the first group to show
evidence of symbolic and sophisticated thought.
Art, a human
hallmark

22. SUMMERY OF OUR “ANCESTORS”

23. SUMMERY OF OUR “ANCESTORS”
1. HOMO HABILIS ~ NICKNAME: Handyman LIVED: 2.4 to 1.6 million years
ago HABITAT: Tropical Africa DIET: Omnivorous – nuts, seeds, tubers, fruits,
some meat
2. HOMO SAPIEN ~ NICKNAME: Human LIVED: 200,000 years ago to present
HABITAT: All DIET: Omnivorous - meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts, pizza,
sushi
3. HOMO FLORESIENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Hobbit LIVED: 95,000 to 13,000 years
ago HABITAT: Flores, Indonesia (tropical) DIET: Omnivorous - meat
included pygmy stegodon, giant rat
4. HOMO ERECTUS ~ NICKNAME: Erectus LIVED: 1.8 million years to 100,000
years ago HABITAT: Tropical to temperate - Africa, Asia, Europe DIET:
Omnivorous - meat, tubers, fruits, nuts
5. PARANTHROPUS BOISEI ~ NICKNAME: Nutcracker man LIVED: 2.3 to 1.4
million years ago HABITAT: Tropical Africa DIET: Omnivorous - nuts, seeds,
leaves, tubers, fruits, maybe some meat
6. HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Goliath LIVED: 700,000 to
300,000 years ago HABITAT: Temperate and tropical, Africa and Europe
DIET: Omnivorous - meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts
7. HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Neanderthal LIVED: 250,000
to 30,000 years ago HABITAT: Europe and Western Asia DIET: Relied
heavily on meat, such as bison, deer and musk ox

24. COMPARISON OF 3 HOMO SPESIES

25. HUMAN EVOLUTIONARY TREE

26. MAP OF EARLY HUMAN MIGRATION
1. Homo sapiens
2. Neanderthals
3. Early Hominids