Noah+Jallos-Prufer

__ 

 Human Evolution

__  As we look at all the evolutionary advances throughout the entire span of Earth’s history, there is no better an example of the success of a species through specified adaptations than that of our own. Without dispute, we are the most intelligent and advanced species so far in earth’s history. We are the only species to erect structures, make advanced weapons, and artistic creations. We also have made these advances relatively recently in earth’s history. You might think that because we are so far more intelligent, that the way we evolved must somehow differ from other species. You would be wrong. Humans evolved through the same struggles, the same challenges, the same evolutionary steps every mammal, every animal for that matter, had to get through to be where they are now, just witha different end result.    We started off like as small, possum-like creatures. These small animals branched out to become the majority of the mammals you see today. One group of these small mammals began to slowly evolve into a group, or order, known as primates. Then these small mammals evolved into something more resembling a lemur. These branched out into two other categories, apes, and monkeys. Around 45 million years ago in the continent of Africa, another branch came into play, similar to the apes, but with one or two key differences. These new animals, known as hominids, were unlike any other animals on the planet. They not only had drastically larger brains, but did something totally unique to all other animals; stood on two legs. This is called bipedalism. Now I'd like to make something very clear; many people think that we evolved from apes. This is not true. The truth is all primates evolved from what is called a common ancestor. This means all primates most likely evolved from something similar to the image you see above, not in a continuous chain of further evolutionary stages. These new bipedal animals slowly began to become more and more humanlike. Around 4 million years ago, this evolutionary change was about to take another turn. The ancestor at this time was //Australopithecus//, which ending comes from the Greek word //pithekos// , meaning ape.  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> There are many different theories on how the //homo// gene came into play, but it occurred around 2 million years ago in the continent of Africa. One of the first was //Homo habilis.// //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Homo habilis   //       <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #314422"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">went through so many genetic mutations that many scientists believe that fossils that belong to that group should instead divide into separate species. The next evolutionary stage is //Homo erectus//. With a slightly larger brain and full bipedalism, //Homo erectus// is viewed as the first real human-like figure. Around 1 million to 300,000 years ago, these hominids finally began to migrate out of Africa. The following evolutionary stages between //Homo erectus// and us, //Homo sapiens sapiens// (Modern), are controversial, but are as follows: //Homo ergaster//, similar in appearance to //erectus//, but with a larger brain and flatter face. //Homo antecessor//, the most controversial, many scientists believe the fossil found was just a pre-adult //erectus//. //Homo sapiens// (Archaic), unlike common belief, the proper term for present day humans is //Homo sapiens sapiens//, and that //Homo sapiens// are now classified as a closely related, but separate species. //Homo sapiens neanderthalensis//, or the Neanderthal, our closest extinct relative, and //Homo floresiensis//, a pigmy-like human from Indonesia that recent evidence has proven might have died off in the past 1000 years, a relatively small timeframe. We are the only living group of hominids left in existence, yet we have come to rest firmly at the top of the animal world. If you happen to still want to know more about this topic, and trust me, there is MUCH more, you can visit one of these sites: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/evolution/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/3/l_073_06.html