Tracking Human Evolution

and Sociocultural and

Political Transformations
Lessons-Human Biological Evolution
Cultural and Sociopolitical Evolution
 Evolution of Species
____1. mammals
____2. fishes
____3. amphibians
____4. reptiles
____5. single cell
What Makes Us Human?
What Makes Us Human?
In trying to determine whether a
fossil is a human ancestor, should we look
for traits that make us human today?
Sometimes yes; sometimes no. We do
look for similarities in DNA, including
mutations shared by certain lineages but
not others. But what about such key
human attributes as bipedal locomotion, a
long period of childhood dependency, big
brains, and the use of tools and language?
What Makes Us Human?
Some of these key markers of
humanity are fairly recent—or have
origins that are impossible to date.
And ironically, some of the physical
markers that have led scientists to
identify certain fossils as early
hominins rather than apes are features
that have been lost during subsequent
human evolution.
 Key Terms
Archeology- is the study of the past cultures
and civilizations through the examination of
material remains already provided with a
strong proof that human beings also evolved
Paleontology- is the scientific study of extinct
life forms
Paleoanthropology- make use of fossil
remains in order to reconstruct the cultural
past that leads to a better understanding of
humans as a part of nature
 Key Terms
Hominin- is used to designate the
human line after its split from
ancestral chimps
Hominid- refers to the taxonomic
family that includes humans and the
African apes and their immediate
ancestors. In this lesson hominid is
used when there is doubt about the
hominin status of the fossil.
 Key Human Attributes
Bipedalism
is a characteristic of hominids that can also be
seen today being exhibited by modern human beings.
Bipedalism means that hominids can walk and stand
using two legs. This trait is important to the evolution
of mankind because it allowed hominids to conserve
energy that was used in traversing vast grasslands in
Africa. Instead of walking using four limbs, hominids
can conserve energy for walking and running because
they are walking using two legs only. This ability also
allowed hominids to explore the vastness of the
African savannah making them scattered all
throughout Africa.
 Key Human Attributes
Bipedalism
Bipedalism traditionally has been viewed
as an adaptation to open grassland or savanna
country. Scientists have suggested several
advantages of bipedalism: the ability to see
over long grass and scrub, to carry items back
to a home base, and to reduce the body’s
exposure to solar radiation. Studies with scale
models of primates suggest that
quadrupedalism exposes the body to 60 percent
more solar radiation than does bipedalism.
 Key Human Attributes
Bipedalism
An ancient trail of
hominin footprints
fossilizedin volcanic ash.
Mary Leakey found this
230-foot (70-meter) trail
at Laetoli, Tanzania, in
1979. It dates from 3.6
m.y.a. and confirms that
A. afarensis was a
striding biped.
 Key Human Attributes
Teeth/Dentition
The dental trait of a hominid is different from
other apes and is much closer to human canine. It is
much smaller compared to other apes during its time.
The canine of hominids are small and not protruding
unlike those in the other apes which are large and
protruding. This shows that the jaws of hominids are
comparably weaker compared to other apes. It is
much smaller and is characterized by a more
generalized pattern. This kind of dentition also
suggests that the diet of hominids was much the same
with the kind of diet modern humans can eat.
 Key Human Attributes
Teeth
A pattern of overall dental reduction has
characterized human evolution. Once they
adapted to the savanna, with its gritty, tough,
and fibrous vegetation, it was adaptively
advantageous for early hominins to have large
back teeth and thick tooth enamel. This
permitted thorough chewing of tough, fibrous
vegetation and mixture with salivary enzymes
to permit digestion of foods that otherwise
would not have been digestible.
 Key Human Attributes
Teeth/Dentition
The churning, rotary motion associated with
such chewing also favored reduction of the canines
and first premolars (bicuspids). Although
bipedalism seems to have characterized the human
lineage since it split from the line leading to the
African apes, many other “human” features came
later. Yet other early hominin features, such as large
back teeth and thick enamel—which we don’t have
now—offer clues about who was a human ancestor
back then.
 Key Human Attributes
Comparison of dentition in Ape, Human, and A. afarensis
palates
 Key Human Attributes
Larger Cranial Capacity
The thing that separates humans from all apes is its
large cranial capacity. Cranial capacity is the estimate for
brain size to expand. A large cranial capacity is also seen
from hominids. This means that hominids have a great
tendency to develop a cerebral cortex that can be
considered close to that of a human compared to other
apes. This is actually the best evidence scientist have in
proving that hominids are a part of the evolution of
mankind. This is to say that man can actually trace its
descent from hominids. Because of a large cranial
capacity, a hominid is presumed to be intelligent and
could have a primitive culture of his own
 Key Human Attributes
Long Childhood dependency
Once a hominid is born, it is fragile and
weak. It is a helpless creature, without the
proper nursing of an intelligent parent; these
newborn hominids will not have a chance to
survive in their harsh environment. After an
offspring is born, it grows in a dramatic fashion
just like how human babies of today are.
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls, and Childhood
Dependency
Brain size has increased during hominin
evolution, especially with the advent of the
genus Homo. But this increase had to
overcome some obstacles. Compared with the
young of other primates, human children have
a long period of childhood dependency, during
which their brains and skulls grow
dramatically.
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls, and Childhood
Dependency
Natural selection has struck a
balance between the structural
demands of upright posture and the
tendency toward increased brain size—
the birth of immature and dependent
children whose brains and skulls grow
dramatically after birth.
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls, and Childhood
Dependency
But this increase had to overcome some
obstacles. Compared with the young of other
primates, human children have a long period
of childhood dependency, during which their
brains and skulls grow dramatically. Natural
selection has struck a balance between the
structural demands of upright posture and the
tendency toward increased brain size
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls, and Childhood
Dependency

What are the main differences you notice

among these four types of early hominins?
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls, and Childhood Dependency

Homo erectus skullcaps have been likened to a bicycle helmet

because of their protective properties. These three skulls show
dramatic similarities despite different ages. The skull shown in the
leftmost photo is a cast of skull XII from the “Peking Man” collection
and dates to 670,000 to 410,000 years ago. The two other skulls are
much older. Sangiran 2 from Java (middle photo) may be as old as 1.6
m.y.a., while OH9 from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania (leftmost photo), may
date back 1.4 million years.
What similarities do you note among the three skulls?
 Key Human Attributes
Brains, Skulls,
and Childhood
Dependency
Illustration of female
Australopithecus afarensis
“Lucy,” discovered in
Ethiopia’s Omo Valley in
1974.
 Key Human Attributes

(a) Skeleton of chimpanzee in bipedal position; (b) skeleton of modern human; (c)
chimpanzee and human “bisected” and drawn to the same trunk length for comparison
of limb proportions. The contrast in leg length is largely responsible for the
proportional difference between humans and apes.
 Key Human Attributes

A Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee Pelvises

 Key Human Attributes
Use of Tools
Most of the hominids were associated to the
use of tools. It can be clearly seen. From the physical
structure of hominids that they are relatively weaker
compared to the other apes. This could be a
disadvantage for hominids and must be countered by
a trait that will level the battleground. Hominids are
intelligent creatures. This is shown in the large
cranial capacity present in its skeletal structure. This
suggests that they are capable of using tools in order
to be better equip in the battlefield when they are
competing with other apes and creatures.
 Key Human Attributes
Use of Tools
Given what is known about tool use and
manufacture by the early hominins. The first
evidence for hominin stone tool manufacture is
dated to 2.6 m.y.a. Upright bipedalism would have
permitted the use of tools and weapons against
predators and competitors. Bipedal locomotion
also allowed early hominins to carry things,
perhaps including scavenged parts of carnivore
kills. Early hominins have generalized abilities to
adapt through learning and have even greater
cultural abilities.
 Key Human Attributes
Tools
an Oldowan
chopper core; right,
an Oldowan flake
tool. The purpose of
flaking stone in the
Oldowan tradition
was not to create
pebble tools or
choppers but to
create the sharp
stone flakes that
made up the
mainstay of the
Oldowan tool kit.
 Key Human Attributes
Use of Language
Hominids are also expected to be able
to at least communicate with each other in
a more efficient manner compared to
other apes since they live in a complex
social structure
 Activity- Gong Messages
Reveal the gong message by
answering correctly each question
given.
G1-__________________(2 points)
G2-__________________(2 points)
G3-__________________(2 points)
Final question the chance to reveal
the message (4 points)
 Activity- Gong Messages
G1

208531518515
641182391419
 Activity- Gong Messages
G2

522151221209
151411825208
5151825
 Activity- Gong Messages
G3

919141202118
112195125320
91514
 Activity- Gong Message
THE CORE OF
DARWINS
EVOLUTIONARY
THEORY IS NATURAL
SELECTION
 Activity 3. Talking Pictures
Arrange the Pictures and
words will be given to each
student in the class
according to its
chronological order of
evolution. Explain the
arrangement.
Human Evolution