The Evolution of Man
In the video series In Search Of Human Origins, Don Johanson the anthropologist who discovered the oldest human fossil “Lucy” leads us from Lucy’s origins as one of our earliest ancestors through the stages of evolution to the present time.
Johanson considered Lucy to be “the missing link between ape and
human”. He discovered her in the Great Rift Valley of Africa and explains that the reason anthropologists search for clues to our origins here is because
the ancient layers of the earth have been exposed here. This enables anthropologists to find fossils millions of years old that have been exposed
by erosion.
Three million years ago the Great Rift was nothing like it is today; it was green, moist and densely forested with rivers and lakes which attracted various types of animals. Here Australopithecus lived in an environment very well suited to the development of new species. The discovery of Lucy led anthropologists to discover new information about the species of Australopithecus. Lucy was tiny standing only 3 ½ feet tall. We learned that Lucy had a brain roughly 1/3 the size of ours. Because Lucy and those of her species had the unique ability to lock their knees, they were able to walk upright and on only two limbs, thus allowing them to travel great distances, manipulate objects and carry food with their hands. Due to their brain being roughly the size of a chimpanzee Lucy and her people had a severe lack of fine motor skills which limited their ability to interact fully with the environment around them. When Lucy was discovered it was learned that she had overly large molars that were chipped and pitted from crushing nuts leading anthropologists to believe that she and her species were still strictly vegetarians at this time.
The Essay on Human Origins
... been brought forward to answer the question of human origins. Scientists, archaeologists, anthropologists and religious groups have spent lots of time ... decided to name this species Homo habilis, a few years after that at Lake Turkana they discovered another Homo habilis skull, ... The Church give lots of insight about human origins. With Johansons theory of Lucy and the first family, the great debate ...
Approximately two million years ago evidence of a more advanced species Homo habilis emerged. This species appears to have had a bigger brain and thus the ability to make more efficient use of resources in the environment. It was thought that this species had undergone a major behavioral change enabling it to develop stone tools. Although Homo habilis was small at roughly 90 pounds, the development of tools enabled him to survive as a scavenger feeding on the bone marrow of other animals’ prey. It was at this time that early man obtained a taste for meat. Because Homo habilis had a larger brain there was also a need for meat to provide calories and protein to support it. Anthropologists speculated that intelligence was now becoming the key to survival in the harsh environment of Africa. Homo habilis was in direct competition with other animals for their food. Their stone tool and larger brain allowed them to compete.
About a million and a half years ago the species Homo erectus appeared. He had a brain more then twice the size of Lucy’s and much more powerful body build indicating he was more suited to strenuous physical activity. This species developed from unshaped stone the hand axe with a razor sharp edge. With his bigger brain, athletic body and razor sharp hand axe Homo erectus was now evenly matched with other animals and was an active scavenger. Homo erectus had learned to understand the environment and the habits of other animals well enough to survive. Because of their large brains Homo erectus gave birth to helpless infants and thus needed to develop a family organization to care for the infants during their years of dependency. The most important evolutionary change for this species was their ability to harness the fires that they discovered which had been ignited by lightening. They learned to use it to their advantage as fire provided warmth, light, scared away other predators and offered a way to finally cook their food. The discovery of fire changed human history. It allowed Homo erectus to move from their limited surroundings and explore more of the world. Still confined to warm places Homo erectus remained for almost a million years in the same manner of living.
The Essay on Homo Sapiens Human Species Brain
Find in this article Print article Send us feedback More Media (4 items) Article Outline Introduction, Classification, Structure and Physiology, Behavior, Cultural Attributes, Other Definitions I. Introduction Print section Human, common name given to any individual of the species Homo sapiens and, by extension, to the entire species. The term is also applied to certain species that were the ...
About a hundred thousand years ago Homo sapiens appeared on the southern tip of Africa. This species looked very much like us. These people were lightly built, had small teeth and what we refer to as a chin. There is great debate between anthropologists about how and when our ancestors became like us. Generally it seems safe to say that Homo sapiens spread throughout the world developing different cultures, religions, art and languages. Eventually different races developed. Homo sapiens exhibited different skin colors, body builds and slight variations in facial features. Homo sapiens have a larger brain enabling him to advance in technology and to master his environment.
Don Johanson states in the video series In Search of Human Origins that his theories of evolution are grounded in science with many of the puzzle pieces still missing. He looks forward to trying to fill in those puzzle pieces in the future as our race as a whole continues to develop and evolve.
