Hominidae

such extraordinary cognitive abilities, such as self-awareness, when many other species use tools, hunt, live in unstable environments, engage in group living and navigate complex social hierarchies, and perform elaborate mating displays (Flinn et al., 2005). The gorilla represents a particularly difficult anomaly for these models; despite documented tool use (Breuer et al., 2005) and social group living (Cipolletta, 2004), gorillas fail to consistently demonstrate mirror self-recognition…

Humans Evolved From Apes Where humans came from is a question that has been asked since the beginning of time. Some people believe we were created by a god. Others believe we were created by multiple gods. However, anatomical and behavioral similarities with modern apes, along with fossil evidence of our evolutionary history, gives proof that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor and are in fact, still apes. To understand the evidence behind this, some background information on evolution…

Fossil remains of Homo erectus, an extinct species of early humans, were first discovered in 1891 by the Dutch physician Eugene Dubois near the village of Trinil, along the Solo River, on the island of Java, Indonesia. Dubois's finds, a partial skull and a thigh-bone, contrasted remarkably. The skull-cap, significantly smaller and lower in height than those of modern humans, had a large projecting brow ridge and a sloping forehead. The inside of the skull had a brain volume about half that of…

If there is one person who deserves to be credited for making the world aware of gorillas and the troubles they face, it is Dian Fossey. Without her compassion for the mountain gorillas of central Africa, we might be living in a world where these magnificent animals no longer exist. Fossey lived among the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Volcanoes for nearly twenty years. She dedicated her life to them and died trying to protect them. Fossey was born in San Francisco, California, on January…

Is the de-extinction of the woolly mammoth a real possibility? Would they be free to evolve? Cloning is a dependable way of reproducing animals. However, cloning does not influence the animal’s genetic make-up nor alter the animal’s DNA. But purely is just another form of supported replica. Cloning can be used to protect species whose numbers are threatened by extinction or critically endangered. The extinct creatures are more closely related to Asian elephants than to African elephants, the…

Brain and lower spine implants are helping seemly helpless, paralyzed monkeys walk again. For this to work the monkeys need two chips implants. One in their brain and one toward the bottom of their spine. A team of researchers tried to code the computer chip to recognize and interpret signs and signals from the brain that would tell the other parts of the body to move. They then cut a small part of the spinal cord to implant the chip to see if the monkey would be able to move again. It worked.…

Koalas have undergone an interesting history as they evolve from their Perikoala palankarinnica ancestors. Koalas have a an extremely slow metabolism that is another way in which it is believed that the Koalas evolve. Koalas live in trees and there ancestors once swam really good now they are every lazy. Koalas can live for a very long period of time,Experts also say that their diet is part of their evolution.Koalas used to eat and consume lots of plant, they adapted this food in order to…

The article, “Of Primates and Personhood: Will According Rights and Dignity” by Ed Yong, discussed and attempted to promgulate the humane treatments of primates, especially those used for experimentation. Yong also elaborated on the Great Ape Project, an association established to gain a basic set of rights for chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and orangutans. Furthermore, he asserted that there are studies and data proving that animals are capable of experiencing pain and other emotions, and…

Human phylogenetic trees differ according to available data. In some, for example, Homo erectus is shown to be one of Homo sapien’s ancestors. Neanderthals are shown to be co-descendants with archaic Homo sapiens and as a dead end in the human phylogenetic tree. This would mean that they went extinct without contributing genes to modern humans. In other trees, Neanderthals are shown to have interbred with modern Homo sapiens. There are sources that claim that Homo erectus is the first hominid to…

What does it mean to be human? Being human and what it takes to be human is often taken for granted. This question is not something we question daily, monthly, or yearly. We often just accept that we are human and leave it at that. In both Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, at least one character in each work face an extreme transformation that challenges or questions, the qualities and attributes of humanity. It is only after the transformation in both cases that the…