Evolution Part 3

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Evolution Part 3 Timeline and Human Evolution

• Jim Whitfield

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• Fossils found in the Olduvai Gorge, principally
  by the Louis and Mary Leaky, show that about 3-4
  million years ago a small man-like primate
  standing under four feet tall walked upright
  (bipedalism) in the region that is now Tanzania
  and Ethiopia.

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• Fossils found in the Olduvai Gorge, principally
  by the Louis and Mary Leaky, show that about 3-4
  million years ago a small man-like primate
  standing under four feet tall walked upright
  (bipedalism) in the region that is now Tanzania
  and Ethiopia.
• In 1975 Mary Leaky, working in Laetoli, Tanzania
  unearthed a track way showing three distinct
  individuals (2 adults and a child) walking
  through what at one time had been mud. The site
  was dated to 3.7 million years ago

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• The most ancient and complete hominid skeleton
  was discovered in 1972 by American Donald Johnson
  and other members of the multinational team in
  Afar, Ethiopia. Lucy as she came to be known
  was a member of the the Australopithecus
  Afarensis. She stood 1.1 meters tall and weighed
  in at 29 kg. Though she looked somewhat
  chimpanzee like, reconstruction of pelvic and
  knee joint showed that she walked like a modern
  human. Her skeleton was dated to 3.2 million
  years ago. The fact that she had a very small
  brain case lent support to the theory that
  bipedalism preceded brain size in humans

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Walking cast of Lucy in the National Museum of
Mexico City, Mexico
Australopithecus afarensis, cast from Museum
National D'histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
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Origin and Evolution of Man

• The evolution of modern man begins about 1.5
  million years ago

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• The evolution of modern man begins about 1.5
  million years ago
• During this time two distinct humanoid-like
  primates walked the African savannah
  Ramapithecus and Dryopithecus

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• The evolution of modern man begins about 1.5
  million years ago
• During this time two distinct humanoid-like
  primates walked the African savannah
  Ramapithecus and Dryopithecus
• Of the two Ramapithecus was more human-like.
  There are relatively few fossilized remains from
  any human-like organism from this time period

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• About two million years ago Australopithecines
  inhabited the East-African grasslands.
  Australopithecines continued to walk upright,
  fossil evidence of teeth indicated that he was a
  plant eater. There is also evidence that she used
  tools

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• About two million years ago Australopithecines
  inhabited the East-African grasslands.
  Australopithecines continued to walk upright,
  fossil evidence of teeth indicated that he was a
  plant eater. There is also evidence that she used
  tools
• Scattered amongst the bones were other more
  modern human remains. This human-like
  hominoid had a significantly larger brain case
  (650-800 ccs) and had other more human-like
  features particularly in the joints this
  individual was called Homo Habilis

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• Fossils discovered on the Island of Java in 1891
  showed the next step in human evolution Homo
  Erectus (previously called Java Man) was
  prevalent about 1.5 million years ago. His brain
  case had increased to about 900 cc and their is
  evidence (structure of the jaw and teeth) that
  they were meat eaters. It is also important that
  the location of these fossils show that either
  humans evolved independently in different
  locations or more likely that at some point in
  the distant past the emigrated out of Africa and
  into Asia

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• From approximately 100,000 to 40,000 years ago
  Neanderthal man lived in both Asia and in Europe.
  Neanderthal man had a brain case of about
  1400ccs he fashioned tools from stone and wood,
  worn animal hides, made jewelry, produced
  primitive artwork on cave walls and buried their
  dead

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• From approximately 100,000 to 40,000 years ago
  Neanderthal man lived in both Asia and in Europe.
  Neanderthal man had a brain case of about
  1400ccs he fashioned tools from stone and wood,
  worn animal hides, made jewelry, produced
  primitive artwork on cave walls and buried their
  dead
• Neanderthal man had a more significant brow ridge
  as well as a larger thicker jaw which could
  accommodate more teeth. Our wisdom teeth are
  vestigial structures now, however they feet very
  nicely into the jaw of the Neanderthal

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• During the last ice age (75,000 10,000 years
  ago) modern Homo Sapiens arose. Homo Sapiens and
  Neanderthals lived together in Europe for about
  5,000 years. Why Neanderthals went extinct is up
  for debate. However, all non-Africans share
  between 1.5 and 2.5 of their DNA with
  Neanderthal DNA perhaps we bred them out of
  existence.

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Origin and Evolution of Man

• During the last ice age (75,000 10,000 years
  ago) modern Homo Sapiens arose. Homo Sapiens and
  Neanderthals lived together in Europe for about
  5,000 years. Why Neanderthals went extinct is up
  for debate. However, all non-Africans share
  between 1.5 and 2.5 of their DNA with
  Neanderthal DNA perhaps we bred them out of
  existence.
• Cave art reached its zenith about 18,000 years
  ago. Modern agriculture began about 10,000 years
  ago, this is the same time human settlements
  began to appear and civilization as we know it
  began to form

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