Hominin Evolution Chapter 13 PDF

HOMININ EVOLUTION CHAPTER 13 LEARNING OUTCOMES Determining relatedness and possible evolutionary pathways for hominins uses evidence from comparisons of modern humans and the great apes with fossils of: Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus africanus Paranthropus robustus Hom...

HOMININ EVOLUTION CHAPTER 13 LEARNING OUTCOMES Determining relatedness and possible evolutionary pathways for hominins uses evidence from comparisons of modern humans and the great apes with fossils of: Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus africanus Paranthropus robustus Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens LEARNING OUTCOMES Tool use is seen in a number of hominins species and the study of these tools provides important insight into the evolution of the human cognitive abilities and lifestyle: trends are seen in the changes in manufacturing techniques and the materials used in the tool cultures of: Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens Pre requisite knowledge 1. Chapter 12.1: Primate evolution 2. Chapter 12.2: Evolutionary trends in hominids Contents Introduction Australopithecus sp. Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens  INTRODUCTION Humans are classified as hominins; as we belong to the tribe Hominini Hominins differ from other apes in structure and behavior, including: Bipedal way of locomotion with striding gait Erect posture Documentary: Great Transi tions: The Origin of Human s — HHMI BioInteractive Video Human Origin 101 | National Geographic Society  Culture - activities such as making stone tools, hunting techniques, food preparation, using language and art Cultural evolution can be seen: gradual improvement in tools, better methods of obtaining food, increased sophistication of language Anatomic al trends in hominin evolution Human face evolution  Homo sapiens Homo neanderthalensi s Homo erectus Homo habilis Paranthropus robustus Australopithecus africanus Australopithecus afarensis  Which is more human-like (modern feature)? Larger cranial capacity Smaller cranial capacity  Which is more human-like (modern feature)? Foramen magnum more central underneath the skull Foramen magnum post-central underneath the skull  Which is more human-like (modern feature)? Thinner cranium Thicker cranium  Which is more human-like (modern feature)? Presence of chin No chin  Australopithecus sp. Raymond Dart discovered the first fossil of Australopithecus africanus (southern ape of Africa) The fossil found was bipedal with human-like hands and feet but smaller brains (about one third of modern human) whole face,africanus Australopithecus jaws and teeth lived between resembles 3.2 and 2 millionan ape years ago  Second fossil australopithecine was found by Robert Broom in the Transvaal, South Africa about 10 years later. Found further fossils at nearby Kromdraai The Kromdraai fossils appeared to be different from those from Sterkfontein, and this led Broom to name the Kromdraai skull Paranthropus robustus, which meant ‘beside human’  Recent fossils i. Hadar region of Ethiopia several hundred fossil fragments, including ‘Lucy’, a female skeleton that was 40 per cent complete. classified as Australopithecus afarensis size of the canines and the prominence of the cusps on the cheek teeth were somewhat intermediate between apes and early hominins Australopithecus afarensis lived between 3.9 and 2.8 million years ago  ii. Laetoli 23-metre trail of footprints in volcanic ash potassium-argon dating and stratigraphy the footprints were found to be 3.6 million years old Features of the footprints that indicate a bipedal form of locomotion include a deep impression showing the Australopithecus afarensis A trail of footprints probably left by walking and leaving footprints Australopithecus afarensis individuals some 3.5 million years ago, at Laetoli, northern Tanzania.  low forehead more projecting upper and lower jaw average brain size is around 480 cm3 limb bones found suggest that the australopithecines were bipedal foot possessing a non- opposable, strongly built big Indicates erect stance toe vertebral column displays the typical hominin curvature foramen magnum was more  PAST YEAR QUESTION A fossil skull with a cranial capacity of 430cc was found at a site in East Africa and was dated at 3.5 million years old. This fossil would most likely be (a) Homo erectus. (b) Paranthropus robustus. (c) Australopithecus afarensis. (d) Homo habilis. Variation within the australopithecines Gracile (Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus afarensis) Slender, lighter, smaller toothed Robust (Paranthropus robustus) Heavier, larger toothed 30 cm taller than the gracile Presence of sagittal crest in some species for attachment of large jaw muscles for chewing Most scientists classify the robust australopithecines in a separate genus called Paranthropus  PAST YEAR QUESTION Modern great apes and fossils of Paranthropus robustus have some features in common and others differ markedly. Which of the following features do they have in common? They both have (a) large canine teeth in comparison to other teeth. (b) sagittal crests on the surface of the cranium. (c) length of arms greater than length of legs. (d) an elongated and narrow pelvic girdle.  Australopithecine culture Existence of home bases No evidence of the use of fire or manufacturing tools Stones may also have been used as tools, but there is no evidence that stones were shaped or modified in any way Tools is used to explore wider range of habitats  Homo habilis, ‘handy human’ Adept at tool making - OLDOWAN Larger brain and smaller teeth than the australopithecines Walked upright, bipedal Hands that were more robust than those of modern humans Brain was significantly larger than that of either the gracile or Homo habilis face illustration, front view the robust form of australopithecines  Culture of Homo habilis Oldowan tool culture was simple and unspecialised, resulting in many all-purpose types of tools. They were for cutting wood, scraping hide, dig up edible roots and plants, meat hacking (break the bone to get to marrow) Homo habilis must have begun to consume meat - animal bones found at fossil sites Adult male hominins were probably the early hunters, leaving the adult females to gather plant material  HOW TO CREATE STONE TOOLS Use hammerstone to strike a core stone to remove the flakes Oldowan tools Stone Tool Technology of Our Human Ancestors  Sharing of food, exchange of food within a group would have increased the sense of interdependence between the individuals Development of a spoken language would have increased Bulge in the speech-producing area of the brain, but the larynx may not have been capable of making complex sounds  Homo erectus Teeth generally smaller than those of earlier members of the species Larger cranial capacity than Homo habilis ‘Peking man’ found in Homo erectus, female. Reconstruction Beijing, China based on ER 3733 by John Gurche The bust of Peking Man as he greets visitors to the Peking Man Site Museum  Footprints found at Ileret in Kenya and described in 2009. The footprints, discovered in two 1.5 million-year-old sedimentary layers Big toe is parallel to the other toes, and that the toes are short, like those of modern humans Made by Homo ergaster, scientists prefer to use the  Culture of Homo erectus Modifying the environment to suit their own purposes Use of fire, the building of shelters and a sophisticated tool culture called Acheulian tool culture How fire revolutionized human life When we tame fire Use of fire could have assisted hominins in the following ways: Warmth – allowed survival in cold environments Cooking – increasing safety of food Deterrent – keep predators away Hunting – directing and trapping animals to kill for food Light – increased the length of the day which allowed for increased social activity at night – leading to cultural activities and rituals around the fire  Features of tools in Acheulian tool culture: flaked all round the edges, first in one direction and then in the other, two-faced lumps/bifacial, approximately Nine Bifaces teardrop in shape These tools were used as  Terra Amata, France - Imprint of an adult foot, evidence of fire use and signs of construction of huts for shelter Olorgesailie, Kenya - site of a massive slaughter of baboons has been located Capable of logical thought and had the ability to communicate and work with others Torralba and Ambrona, Spain - lit fires to drive elephants into swamps where they were trapped and butchered Men were out hunting, the women of the group were involved in gathering vegetables, fruit and Transition to modern humans Homo heidelbergensis seen by many scientists as the common ancestor of both modern humans, in Africa, and Neanderthals, in Europe Homo antecessor Another hypothesis: Homo antecessor evolved into Homo heidelbergensis and then to Neanderthals in Europe Homo antecessor evolved into Homo sapiens in Africa Homo heidelbergensis Homo antecessor  Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) Existed in Europe during the last of the ice ages and were adapted to that particularly harsh type of environment Lineage diverged, with one branch leading to Neanderthals and another to modern humans Big faces, low but large skulls, and heavy brow ridges Brain was slightly larger than the average for humans today Back of the skull was drawn out in a ‘bun’ shape (occipital bun) More prognathism  Nasal bone projects forward Short in stature Limbs were short and heavily jointed with powerful muscles Barrel-shaped chest Would have walked, run and used their hands in Reconstructed model of a male Neanderthal much the same way as (Homo modern humans neanderthalensis)  Anatomical comparison of the skulls of Homo sapiens (modern humans) (left) and Homo neanderthalensis (right)  Neanderthal culture Production of stone flakes that could then be trimmed to form various cutting, scraping, piercing and gouging tools - Mousterian industry Enabled people living in colder climates to become good clothes makers Buried the dead – evidence of spiritual belief grave of a youth was surrounded by wild goat horns man had been buried on a bed of Scrapping tools is mainly used to prepare animal hides  PAST YEAR QUESTION The archaeologists continued to excavate at the site and discovered tools attributed to another hominin that they considered to be older than Homo neanderthalensis. Describe two less-advanced features that these tools would have shown to indicate that they were older than the tools attributed to Homo neanderthalensis. (2 marks)  PAST YEAR QUESTION On the basis of tools also found at the site, the archaeologists concluded the footprint belonged to Homo neanderthalensis. Describe two features of the tools that would provide support for the fossilised footprint belonging to Homo neanderthalensis. (2 marks)  Cro-Magnon people Homo sapiens (modern humans) Features more modern than those of Neanderthals Skulls tended to be shorter from front to back, higher in the region of the top of the skull and rounder at the back Less prominent brow ridges Reduction in the prognathism Smaller jaw Large brains, around 1350 cubic centimetres Chin had developed Artist’s reconstruction of a Cro- Magnon, an early version of modern man in Europe.  Modern human tool culture Finer blades and projectile weapons – began to appear - Aurignacian tools Beautifully made willow-leaf and laurel-leaf points, symbol of the tool maker’s craft - Solutrean culture Dominance of bone and antler tools over those of flint and Blade from Aurignacian tool culture stone. The tools were made using burin (a tool to make other tools)  Portable art, which could be carried Mural art, which was attached to a permanent surface First artworks were simple outline drawings, usually small in size and with very simple contours In the Magdalenian period, Solutrean tools artwork became more colourful, with shading techniques used to  Tool culture unknown of Olduvai Homo Homo 2.3–1.4 , Oldowan habilis habilis million Africa  Trends in tool culture evolution Increased complexity of the tools Greater variety of materials being used to make tools Increased specialization of tools Homo habilis Oldowan tool Past Year Question State two trends that are evident in the manufacturing techniques of tools from early hominids to modern humans and outline what these trends indicate about changes in hominid lifestyle. Summary: Human Origin  Possible pathways in the evolution of the human lineage. Links: The emergence of huma ns Human face evolution  Common mistake Describe the trend of tool culture from Homo habilis to Homo erectus. Homo habilis made Oldowan tool and Homo erectus made Acheulian tool. From a simple pebble tools to hand axes Design changed from scavenging / hacking meat to hunting  PAST YEAR QUESTION During the biological evolution of hominins from the earliest australopithecines to early Homo sapiens, there were also significant cultural advances, including tool cultures and changing lifestyles. Describe these advances with reference to the particular hominin groups of australopithecines, Homo habilis, Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens. (i) Tool cultures, including manufacture and uses (8 marks) ANSWER SCHEME  PAST YEAR QUESTION During the biological evolution of hominins from the earliest australopithecines to early Homo sapiens, there were also significant cultural advances, including tool cultures and changing lifestyles. Describe these advances with reference to the particular hominin groups of australopithecines, Homo habilis, Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens. (i) Changing lifestyles (8 marks) ANSWER SCHEME PAST YEAR QUESTION To which tool culture do the tools shown above belong? (a) Oldowan pebble tools (b) Acheulian hand axes (c) Aurignacian blade tools (d) Magdalenian barbed spears PAST YEAR QUESTION What cultural advance would also be associated with the group of individuals responsible for making the stone tools shown above? (a) construction of murals and portable art (b) beginning of farming practices (c) evidence of rituals and burial of the dead (d) beginning to use fire  The Denisovans Denisova Cave in Siberia - part of a bone from the little finger of a hominin - 1 mya old mtDNA - neither Neanderthal nor modern human Denisova hominin was more closely related to Neanderthals than to modern humans Denisovan genes make up nearly 5% of the genome of living Melanesians - must have bred with the ancestors of modern Melanesians  Indigenous people of Australia people have also been shown to have some Denisovan ancestry A second bone and a molar tooth have been recovered - larger than from Neanderthals and early modern humans - anatomically & genetically distinct The Red Deer Cave people Guangxi Province, China - thick bones, prominent brow ridges and a short flat face, but lacked a human-like chin Unusual combination of features - 11 500 years old Uncovered evidence that these people cooked large deer Represent a new evolutionary line that evolved in East Asia Suggested that they the product of mating of Denisovans and our ancestors  The beginnings of agriculture Neolithic Revolution, - domestication of plants and animals and the construction of villages First took place in South-West Asia, the earliest known settled communities being those of the Natufians of Palestine First hybrid - crossing of wild goat grass with wild wheat to produce the fertile hybrid, emmer Second hybrid - result of a cross between emmer and another wild goat grass  Large grains could be ground into flour and used with water to make a kind of damper China - rice, millet, soybeans and yams were domesticated Old World countries domesticated a large number of animals Sheep, in South-West Asia - 11 000 years ago Pigs, goats, cattle – 8000 years ago Early agricultural settlements were located in South-West Asia and around the eastern shores of Documentary: Mankind: The Story of All of Us: Birth of Farming | History the Mediterranean - ‘fertile crescent’  NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION CAUSES EFFECTS Scattered seeds near Abandon nomadic way campsites resulted in of life and form growth of new crops permanent settlements Game animals become Growing populations Domestication of scarce Climate change- rising animals Specialization of labours temperature led to longer growing seasons (no longer just hunter and drier land, fertile and gatherer) Development of tools soil and culture (art, religion and writing) Video: Summary  Common mistake X Mistaking common name as species name Species name Common name Australopithecus sp. Australopithecine / Homo habilis - Homo erectus - Homo Neanderthal neanderthalensis Homo sapiens Modern human  Common mistake Australopithecus Afarensis X Homo Habilis Homo Erectus Homo Neanderthalensis Homo Sapiens Proper format when writing species name: First letter of the genus name in capital letter Underlined / Example: Australopithecus afarensis Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens