biol 1023 lab 9

• Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species ( the complete title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life ) in 1859
• "humans have evolved from apes" - Darwin's theory
• relatedness and descent

  • two individuals, organisms, or species are said to be related when they share a common ancestor
  • both you and your cousin have descended from your grandparents
• • related (horizontal comparison)
  • sharing of a common ancestor
• • hominoids
  • great apes (includes humans and lesser apes (superfamily)
• Modern human's closest living relatives

  African great apes
• African great apesgroup called hominid


  • Gorillas
  • Chimpanzees
  • Orangutans
  • Bonobos
• Humans and the African great apes share a common ancestor that lived approximately 5 million years ago, therefore, humans and apes are related.
• It is no more correct to say that humans evolved from apes than it is to say that apes evolved from humans
• Hominin


  • The group of organisms consisting of humans and our human-like relatives and ancestors includes genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Ardipithecus
  • humans has consisted of the rise of many different hominin species, with as many as five species coexisting during a given period of time
• the hominins are divided into six major genera


  • Homo
  • Australopithecus
  • Paranthropus
  • Kenyanthropus
  • Orrorin
  • Sahelanthropus
• Australopithecine

  The group consisting of the genera Australopithecus, Ardipithecus, Paranthropus and Kenyanthropus
• Australopithecines


  • Ardipithecus ramidus (4.4 MYA)
  • Australopithecus afarensis (4.0 - 3.0 MYA)
  • A. africanus (3.0 - 2.4 MYA)
  • A. boisei (2.3 - 1.2 MYA)
  • A. robustus (2.0 - 1.0) MYA
  • A. afarensis - known to be ancestral to the earliest members of the genus Homo

  
  

  • Short (137-150 cm in height)
  • Erect
  • Bipedal
  • Brain a little larger than a chimpanzee's
• Homo habilis(handy man)

  • lived 2.3-1.6 million years ago in Africa
  • coexisted with A. boisei and A. robustus
  • thought to be ancestral to H. erectus
  • more human-like teeth and cranium than australopithecines
  • used crude stone tools
• Homo erectus(upright man)

  • lived from 1.4 million to 250,000 years ago
  • numerous fossils of this species found in Africa, Asia, and Europe,
  • taller (165 cm), larger brained, more efficiently bipedal than Australopithecus
  • use of stone tools, use of fire, hunting and gathering lifestyle
• Homo neanderthalensis

  • Appeared about 100,000 years ago and survived until 34,000 years ago
  • and intermediate characteristics between H. erectus and H. sapiens
  • stocky with heavy muscles and about 152 cm tall
  • constructed stone, bone, and stick tools, used fire, wore clothing and skilled hunters
  • able to cope with frigid climate of the glacial periods
  • buried flowers with their dead
  • coexisted briefly with modern humans before their extinction
• Homo sapiens(wise man)

  • Evolved about 0.6-0.2 million years ago from H. erectus in Africa
  • migrated to other parts of the world replacing other Homo species
  • early modern humans (Cro-Magnons) were widespread in Europe dating back to 40,000 years ago
  • excellent tool and weapon makers, using stone, sticks, bone, and antlers as raw materials
  • skilled hunters, fine artists (cave paintings and sculptures)