1. Several hominin species evolved in Africa over millions of years, including Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus. 2. Homo erectus was the first hominin to migrate out of Africa, spreading across Asia and Europe between 1.8 million to 100,000 years ago. 3. Neanderthals evolved in Europe and western Asia between 250,000-30,000 years ago before going extinct, while modern humans emerged in Africa around 200,000 years ago.

1. UNIT: 6
HUMAN
EVOLUTION

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

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
• Australopithecus 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 ergaster

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