Evolution Of Primates

Our physiology has been compared with those of modern day primates, due to our similar characteristics, which have all been linked to our ancestors. Hands of humans and primates are prehensile, “which means they can grasp objects and we share the ability to brachiate from “branch to branch contain a “reduced sense of smell,” and a “wide range of tooth types [suggesting] an adaptation to a generalist diet” (MacDonald, 2003, p. 325). All of characteristics suggest that our ancestors were arboreal, and we continue to show our ability to climb trees fairly well, however the main feature that has distinguished humans from modern primates has been our ability to walk on both legs, maintaining a sense of natural balance, of which primates lack. Ramapithecines …show more content…
Open ground and savannas provide faster movement over longer distances, which contributed to explain the evolution from quadruple movement to bipedal movement. Bipedalism allowed Homo sapiens to become faster, obtain wider food sources, forage, and escape climatic conditions, and create better tools and technology for survival. These advanced qualities allowed greater resource competition against coexisting species, such as the Neanderthals, outliving them in the process. The act of energy conservation in the human body can be attributed to bipedalism, because “more ground can be crossed with less energy, and this would be important in moving between widely scattered patches of trees” (MacDonald, 2003, p. 331). Our everyday stance allows us to do a variety of actions such as picking up objects, running long distances, carry food and children from place to place, and maintain balance across various terrains and platforms. With our ability of curling our hands and feet, we are able to create objects, such as tools, in practice of defense, as our ancestors have done before us to fend for themselves against wildlife and other tribes. “Once hominids came to depend on and develop tools, evolution would favor dexterity of the hands and increasing mental capability required to devise, construct, and apply tools” (MacDonald, 2003, p. 332). Due to physical and mental evolution, we are now able to analyze and project abstract and scientific thought, creating massive weapons and complex figures for the defense of, not only our individual selves, but nations world-wide, which goes hand in hand with the complex arrival of infrastructures within societies. Bipedalism attributed to the conception of modern day