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HUMAN EVOLUTION.   Term Paper ID:19657 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Describes Homo Erectus, Rampithecus, Australopithecus, Homo Sapiens.... More...

7 Pages / 1575 Words 4 sources, 6 Citations, MLA Format $28.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Describes Homo Erectus, Rampithecus, Australopithecus, Homo Sapiens. Paper Introduction: FROM HOMO ERECTUS TO HOMO SAPIENS "The problem of defining Homo erectus is that it is viewed at present as a grade of human evolution intermediate between the small-brained early Pleistocene hominids and the large-brained Homo sapiens" (3:102). This theory of human evolution from the Natural History British Museum in London defines the controversy in the anthropological world. The evolution of man does not follow an easily marked road map. Exactly when Homo first emerged is not definitively clear. With the discovery of Homo erectus remains in 1891 in Central Java, fossils have since been found in Africa, China and Europe. It is generally accepted that the species evolved in Africa about 1.6 million years ago (3). However, some anthropologists argue that the emergence of the species is at least 2.5 million years old. (2) They base their Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Human evolution. sapiens. With the discovery of Homo erectus remains in1891 in Central Java, fossils have since been found in Africa, China andEurope. erectus 1.6 millionyears ago does the tooth-wear pattern make a dramatic shift, a change thatmight indicate the inclusion of a significant amount of meat in the diet. The differences in the dentition of the speciesindicates a change in diet. The most effective evidence for the non-hominid status wasthe early 198 's discovery that Sivapithecus was phylogentically linked tothe orangutan. In the earliest hominid,and in australopithecines in general, there was a considerable differencein body size between males and females of each species. It appears that the large-brained species were members of the genus Homo. erectus's capacity for language andculture was probably not as well developed as in modern humans. 4th ed. sapiens remains have been found in the New World. Evidently, these hominids werehunters who had mastered the use of fire. A key factorthat commenced the change from less apelike to more human was the regularuse of stone tools. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:Prentice Hall, Inc.; 1985.Lewin, R. The tooth rows are tucked under theface as in early hominids, a feature that becomes even more exaggerated inlater Homo species. erectus ancestorto H. After the Great LeapForward, cultural development no longer depended on genetic change. The thick tooth enamelconsidered such a hominid specialization are in fact a primitive character. Behaviorally, the transition brought with it amore finely crafted tool technology and artistic expression. It has been suggested they favoredseed-eating in the open country. and M. All the base campsites display a wide varietyof tools, indicating that the camp was the center of many group functions.A stonemaking tradition known as the Acheulean, after the site at St.Acheul, France, where the first examples were found, is generallyassociated with H. sapiens involved the decrease of skeletal and dental robusticity,modifications of certain functional--particularly locomotor--anatomy and anincrease in cranial volume. Sci.Amer. (2: 1 9) This recent assessment from Eric Delson of the American Museum ofNatural History, New York, is quite applicable to the entire study of man'sevolution: "It is widely accepted that populations similar to Homo erectuswere directly ancestral to the earliest members of the living species Homosapiens, although the exact timing, geography and mode of transformationare stillcontroversial" (3:99). For the first time ever in the archaeological record, some of the H.erectus sites show evidence of the deliberate use of fire through thousandsof splintered and charred animal bones. Onebranch of the family tree was a man-ape with a heavily built skull and bigcheek teeth, who probably consumed coarse plant food--he became known asAustralopithecus robustus (the "robust southern ape.") The other familybranch showed a man-ape with a more lightly built skull and smaller teeth,who most likely had an omnivorous diet--he is known as Australopithecusafricanus (the"gracile southern ape of Africa.") How many hominid speciesactually coexisted on the continent then is still a matter of uncertainty:no less than three, perhaps as many as six. Another possibility is that a diet includedhard objects such as forest nuts and tough-skinned fruits which might havebeen responsible for the changes in ramapithecine dentition.Australopithecus While there may be controversy about the hominid or non-hominidclassification of Ramapithecus, there is undisputed agreement about therole of Australopithecus. The decidingfactor in this linkage is the robustly built jaw, with large cheek teethcapped with thickly enameled chewing surfaces. 1 : 5 -6 ; 1989.Ember, C. Cambridge, Mass: BlackwellScientific Publications; 1989.Thorne, A.; Wolpoff, M. It is generally accepted that the species evolved in Africa about1.6 million years ago (3). Unfortunately, the only fossil evidence of the species is some teethand parts of jaws, which makes it rather difficult to postulate on whatRamapithecus was like. Around3 million years ago, the hominid species had two distinct branches. Thistheory of human evolution from the Natural History British Museum in Londondefines the controversy in the anthropological world. Charred and split human bones found among animalbones suggest that cannibalism was practiced. Discover. Even though stone tools canbe dated back 2.5 million years, this record does not help determineexactly which hominids from 2 to 1.5 million years ago are to be consideredHomo. Of tremendous importance to human culturaldevelopment, the making of fires was a major step in increasing the energyunder human control. Anatomically, the robustaustralopithecines probably possessed sufficient manipulative skills to beable to make stone tools, an ability that has usually been thought of asstrictly within the domain of Homo. erectus living sites wereusually located close to water sources, lush vegetation and large stocks ofherbivorous animals. erectus about twice the size of australopithecines and75% as large as Homo sapiens. A. The evolution of mandoes not follow an easily marked road map. FROM HOMO ERECTUS TO HOMO SAPIENS "The problem of defining Homo erectus is that it is viewed at presentas a grade of human evolution intermediate between the small-brained earlyPleistocene hominids and the large-brained Homo sapiens" (3:1 2). erectus male stood about 5 feet 6 inches tall, based on the sizeof the long bones (about the same height as the average European man.) Fromthe neck down, H. Theaverage H. Once again, researchers are uncertain how and why thishappened. Yet, hominids areknown to be closely related to the African apes, the chimpanzee andgorilla, not the Asian ape, the orangutan. Itretained the chinless jaw of the ape, but its dental features were similarto those of modern humans--broad incisors, short canines, and a parabolicdental arch. Cooking with fire made animal meat, including humanflesh, more digestible. (It is unknown whether the species walked erect.) For over twodecades, the species had been regarded by most researchers as the firsthominid, dating human origins back at least 15 million years. The bona-fide hominid Australopithecus was in many ways more apelike thanRamapithecus and, dated at 3 million years ago, lived long afterRamapithecus. With the evolutionof H. It is not really known which hominids made those earliest stonetools, for no tools have been directly linked to the fossils from 2 to 1.5million years ago. The bottom part of the vertebral column forms acurve, causing the spinal column to be S-shaped. Works CitedDiamond, J. The shape of the australopithecine spine suggests thesehominids walked erect. Exactly when Homo first emergedis not definitively clear. Scholars believehumans migrated to the New World via a land bridge across the BeringStraight approximately 23, years ago. (Some of the H. Yet others prefer to believe that thedentition is more appropriate for meat tearing by the front teeth and bonecrushing by the back teeth. Anthropology. erectus. The multiregional evolution of humans. Until the Great Leap Forward,human culture developed at a snail's pace for millions of years. Unlike Ramapithecus, the remains of hundreds of australopithecineshave been unearthed since the first discovery in 1925, affording ampleopportunity for a complete picture of the species. This wouldmake the skull of H. Some sites have been located in caves, but themajority were in open areas. The predominate post-Acheulian tool culture was theMousterian, associated with the origin of archaic H. Thus, it has generally been assumed that thehominid family--comprised of humans, extinct bipedal primates and theirdirect ancestors--includes two and possibly three genera: Homo (includingmodern humans), Australopithecus (a hominid of the Pliocene and Pleistoceneepochs), and possibly Ramapithecus. erectus was practically indistinguishable from H.sapiens. But this tradition persists into later timeswhen H. Indeed,the appearance of H. sapiens almost qualifies as a non-event. At any rate, it is known that a population migrationoccurred about 1 million years ago, first to Asia, then to Europe, withextinction taking place just under half a million years ago. The great leap forward. That pacewas dictated by the slowness of genetic change. However, some anthropologists argue that theemergence of the species is at least 2.5 million years old. The disagreement centered on whether the fossilRamapithecus was an early human ancestor or ancestral to both human and apelineages. Close to 5 million years ago, the hominid familybegan with a single species, which may have been Australopithecus. An erectus would not walk with bent knees, nor would he slouchforward. This timeschedule places Homo erectus between Homo habilis and the earliestappearance of Homo sapiens. erectus, this marked sexual dimorphism is greatly reduced, due to anincrease in the size of the female. sapiens appeared.Homo sapiens 1.5 million years spanned the transition of Homo erectus to Homosapiens (1:53). Most likely, the gracile species werealso tool makers.Homo erectus Anatomical differences separate early Homo from australopithecines.The face to cranial vault ratio is reduced in the larger-brained Homospecies, who possess a larger brain capacity than the australopithecines.The cranial capacity of Homo erectus (about one million years ago) measuresaround 11 cc, while modern humans average 135 to 145 cc. Only with the evolution of H. If there is any single moment that can be considered THE moment whenwe could be said to have become human, it is the time called the Great LeapForward, which occurred 35, years ago (1). 2nd ed. The stride would be comparable with modern man; the arms wouldnot be notably long--they would swing from side to side, not front to back--and the legs would not be proportionately short. The argument goes as follows: Ramapithecus was establishedto be closely related to Sivapithecus; if Sivapithecus was in some wayrelated to the orangutan, then so too is Ramapithecus. Evenwith the evidence of fire at culturally different sites, where or when theuse of fire began is not known. Ramapithecus's jaw curvesout toward the back of the mouth, resembling the human jaw more closelythan an ape's jaw. However, what the actual diet may haveconsisted of is still open to debate. Thus, the inevitable conclusion--Ramapithecus cannot be a hominid. erectus siteshave produced persuasive evidence of cooperative big-game hunting). africanus possesseda rounded brain case with a relatively well-developed forehead. (2) They basetheir theory on the connection of stone tools to Homo--they consider stonetools to be the defining feature of the genus. The rear part of the brain--the visualcenter--was as fully developed as in modern humans. However, there are some basic factors that are documented.Anatomically, the evolutionary shift from some kind of H. The center and sidesof the brain--the speech, sensory, memory and motor areas--were larger thanthe australopithecines', but smaller than those of contemporary humans.The comparative underdevelopment of the forebrain--the control ofconceptual thought--suggest that H. Despite this convincing evidence, recent developmentshave materialized to remove Ramapithecus from the hominid classification.Recent molecular biology discoveries have implied that hominid origins werecloser to 5 million years ago, not 15 million. But these assumptions are beingchallenged.Ramapithecus There is controversy as to whether Ramapithecus belongs in thehominid family. 266: 76-83; 1992.----------------------- 9 H. OnlyH. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.