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The Human Race

The Human Race. Our Origins. Evolution of Primates. Primates Mammals with 5 flexible fingers Earliest dwelled in trees-arboreal Needed special adaptations for this: Opposable thumb….Why? Binocular vision Eyes in front of head Field of vision of eyes overlap—depth perception….Why?

Thomas
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The Human Race

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  1. The Human Race Our Origins

  2. Evolution of Primates • Primates • Mammals with 5 flexible fingers • Earliest dwelled in trees-arboreal • Needed special adaptations for this: • Opposable thumb….Why? • Binocular vision • Eyes in front of head • Field of vision of eyes overlap—depth perception….Why? • Rotating Shoulders

  3. Evolution of Primates • Primates divided into 2 groups: prosimians and anthropoids • Prosimians • First primates • i.e. Loris • 30-40 million year fossils show they were common • Nighttime hunters… How can you tell?

  4. Evolution of Primates • Anthropoids • Monkeys, apes, and humans • Smaller eyes--day active primates • Color vision • Larger brains • Replaced prosimians rapidly

  5. Anthropoids • Anthropoids—3 categories • Monkeys • Have tails • Old World—Asia and Africa • New World—Central and S. America • Apes • NO TAILS • Larger brains than monkeys • Chimps, gibbons, orangutans, bonobo, etc. • Humans • Our closest genetic primate relative is?

  6. Evolution of Humans • Vocab: • Bipedal: walk upright on two legs • Hominid: bipedal primates such as humans and their closest fossil relatives

  7. Hominids • Hominids are the ONLY bipedal primates: • Locking knee joints • Spine enters skull at bottom of head • Femurs (thigh bone) tapers in • Big toe in line with others Laetoli Footprints

  8. Hominid vs. chimpanzee • Chimps most closely related primate to humans—95% similarity in the sequence of our genes! • Human’s jaw more arc shaped with smaller canines; chimps’ U with larger canines and larger gaps. • Hominid spine S– chimps’ is C shaped • Hominid pelvis is bowl-shaped, chimps’ long • Hominid thigh bones taper in—chimps’ out • Human Evolution Video Clip

  9. Early Hominids • Darwin Descent of Man • 1871 • Said fossilized remains of ape and human common ancestor should be found in Africa

  10. Early Hominids • Genus Australopithecus • LucyAustralopithecus afarensis • Fossil found in Africa • Hominids—shape of pelvis and femurs showed they were bipedal. How? • Short—3’6’’ • Brain size of chimps • Jaws more rounded than apes • Teeth like humans

  11. LUCY 3.5 million years old 40% complete Female

  12. Showed us: • walked upright • first • brain size grew • AFTER.

  13. SKULLS • Lucy had a small skull like an ape, but she wasn’t one. • LUCY APE

  14. SKULLS A. afarensis (Lucy) Homo sapien

  15. LUCY • She walked upright • She was a bipedal hominid • Bowl-shaped pelvis • Thigh bones taper in • Locking knee joint

  16. LUCY VS. APE

  17. Early Hominids • Genus Australopithecus A. afarensis • Genus Homo Homo habilis H. erectus H. sapiens NOT A COMPLETE LIST! THERE ARE OTHERS! Time

  18. APESHomo sapiens Homo erectus transitional species Homo habilis Australopithecus afarensis common ancestor to ape and H. sapiens

  19. Homo habilis • Means: Handy man • Small structure like Lucy • Skull 2X’s the size of Lucy • 2- 1.8 mya in Africa • Tools made of bone and stone.

  20. Homo erectus • Peking man • Africa / Asia / Europe • Larger than H. habilis • Larger brain • Excellent tools, used fire • 1.5 mya – “immediate” ancestor

  21. Where Did H. sapiens evolve? • Two hypotheses: • Out of Africa: • idea like Darwin’s • states H. sapiens evolved IN Africa and spread to rest of world • Multiregional • H. erectus left Africa and THEN evolved into H. sapiens • Out of Africa hypothesis supported by most evidence—fossils of modern-like humans found in Africa H..sapiens H. erectus H..sapiens H..sapiens H. erectus H..sapiens

  22. Early H. sapiens • Homo neanderthalensis -discovered in Neander Valley in Belgium • Massive skulls, protruding brows • 400,000-100,000 years ago • Great controversy- did they die off (genes no longer) or did they evolve with us (interbred so genes still in our gene pool)? • Modern H. sapiens probably evolved in Africa and replaced Neanderthals.

  23. APESHomo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens Mated???? Homo erectus transitional species Homo habilis Australopithecus afarensis common ancestor to ape and H. sapiens

  24. NEWSFLASH!!!!! • 2009 Recent analysis of Ardipithecus ramidus… aka “Ardi” found in 1994. • A hominid with opposable big toes like chimps and apes • 1.2 million years OLDER than Lucy, and our oldest known common ancestor with other primates (4.4 mya)! • 47 inches tall • Show that chimps have actually evolved MORE than humans since our common ancestor

  25. APESHomo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens Mated???? Homo erectus transitional species Homo habilis Australopithecus afarensis common ancestor to ape and H. sapiens ARDI?????

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