Australopithecus

ourselves and to define what innately makes us human. Although many skeletons and species of Homo have been identified, we have not yet discovered our last common ancestor, and this has been a hot topic of debate. The genus Homo is bookended by Australopithecus afarensis and Homo erectus, the former more ape than human, while the latter was responsible for making stone tools. However as National Geographic claims, “there is still a murky million-year gap, a bipedal animal was transformed into a…

Within the field of paleoanthropology, many controversial subjects and debates are intertwined in the field of study. The subject of what constitutes a new human species materializes tension within the field. The debates that arise from paleoanthropologist tend to be personal. This results from ambition and lifelong quests for recognition, funding, and fame, can make it difficult for paleoanthropologists to admit when they are wrong (Luskins). Therefore, research released by paleoanthropologist…

As the website of The History Channel says, "looking for the origins of mankind is a history of bone and tales they tell. It was in 1856 that the first bones of an ancestor of the missing man ... were encountered Neanderthals. "The television program, however, contradicting website States that Neanderthals not only have a brain larger than most human beings and had a greater sense of smell, they were around during the time of modern man, and therefore were not our ancestors. They are not a "real…

Ardipithecus ramidus, the post-cranial anatomy and the locomotion type, the comparison of Ardipithecus ramidus and the great apes, hominoid phylogenics and how Ardipithecus ramidus falls in them, and finally a comparison of Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus. The methods and techniques are also discussed in great detail for dating, collecting, and processing of the specimens collected from the study-area of ARA-VP-6/500 and other specimens. Following this short and general summary of the…

The first mammals evolved from mammal-like reptiles at the end of the triassic period. Therapsids, or mammal-like reptiles, is an order of reptiles that lived in the Permian and Triassic Periods before going extinct in the mid Jurassic Period. It is difficult for scientist to determine when the divide between therapsids and mammals occurred. Early mammals had small, mouselike forms. Very few were large, because dinosaurs were the unquestioned dominant land animals on earth. The ecological niche…

The discovery and observations of fossils have led us to a lot of conclusions of where modern humans come from (Larsen 2008). Fossils are very significant because they are pieces from the past that provide us with evidence of organisms that were once alive (Larsen 2008). The three hominins that I’ll be comparing are Sahelanthropus tchadensis, the Australopitheicus afarensis, and the Homo neanderthaleasis. This gives us a wide range to compare from really early on to a more recent hominins that…

Evolution is the change in a period over time. Scientist use evidence of evolution to prove that there was a change in organisms over time. If the evidence is present, scientist would come up with theories that are reasonable enough to have support from the pre- historic time frame. The lab is to show the people how living things came to be in the present day. Including how fossils as evidence explain why there maybe certain functions were used in the early stage of an organism. Hypothesis: If…

There are many definitions of the word story, but one definition in particular fits the topic of human origins perfectly; a narration of the events in the life of a person or the existence of a thing, or such events as a subject for narration. The story of human origin and the creation of human nature is a difficult story to tell, created by miniscule pieces of evidence and guesswork through paleoanthropology, and advances in the ability to look at and study DNA. Exactly where we came from and…

the Savannah Hypothesis, which states that early hominids lived in small forests surrounding savannahs because it is the most reasonable hypothesis. Scientists use fossils to determine where early hominids lived, as proven in this quote. “ Australopithecus anamensis has been found at Kanapoi and Allia Bay, Kenya, in association with another type of mosaic – an open savanna with low trees and shrubs, but with both grasslands and gallery forests nearby.” (1) This piece of evidence can be used…

Lab report 3 At first glance it may appears unbelievable, because human bipedalism is such a key evolutionary innovation. Few characteristics of being human have engrossed such intense debate than the fact that, distinct from many other living mammals, humans walk upright on two legs. Unlike the quadrupedal primates, bipedal primates are sluggish, clumsy, and particularly unbalanced and disposed to to falls and injury. In spite of the negatives characteristics, bipedalism has allowed humans to…