A TERM PAPER

ON

HUMAN ORIGIN

PREPARED BY

AFOLAMI ANUOLUWAPO OLUWAFEMI

( CPE/23/4772 )

COURSE TITLE: HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

( CVE 105 )

SUBMITTED TO

DEPRTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY ,

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE,

NIGERIA
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THEORIES
FOSSIL AND GENETIC EVIDENCES
TECHNOLOGICAL IMAPACT ON EVOLUTION
CULTURAL EVOLUTION
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
1.INTRODUCTION

The story and history of human origin is a journey that takes us back millions of years ago,
through discoveries, fossil and genetic evidences, behavioral traits. Scientists and researchers
have been able to make up narratives and write up on who we are, where we are from and our
continual evolution.

One of the earliest and most defining traits of our species is bipedalism, the ability to walk
upright on two legs. This adaptation emerged over 4 million years ago, setting the stage for
subsequent developments in human evolution. As our ancestors continued to evolve, other
significant characteristics began to emerge, including a large and complex brain, the capacity
for tool-making and tool use, and the development of language. These traits, along with others,
have contributed to the unique capabilities and behaviors of modern humans.

Humans were said to been evolved in Africa, with evidence of fossils of humans over millions of
years found in Africa, stating the continent as the cradle of human evolution, nurturing the
evolution of various species over time .Humans are primates. Physical and genetic similarities
show that the modern human species, Homo sapiens, has a very close relationship to another
group of primate species, the apes. Humans and the great apes (large apes) of Africa --
chimpanzees (including bonobos, or so-called “pygmy chimpanzees”) and gorillas -- share a
common ancestor that lived between 8 and 6 million years ago.

All this were through the combined research of

● Paleontology: Scientific study of life of the geologic past that involves the analysis of
plant and animal fossils, including those of microscopic size, preserved in rocks.
● Anthropology: systematic study of humanity, with the goal of understanding our
evolutionary origins, our distinctiveness as a species, and the great diversity in our forms
of social existence across the world and through time.
● Archaeology: the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains.

● Genetics: the study of how genes and how traits are passed down from one generation
to the next.
● Paleoclimatology: the study of the climate history of Earth.

However, it's important to acknowledge the uncertainties and debates that surround the topic
of human origin and creation. The fossil record reveals a diverse array of early human species,
numbering around 15 to 20 according to current scientific understanding. However, there is
ongoing debate among scientists regarding the classification and relationships between these
species, as well as the factors influencing their evolution and eventual extinction. Many of these
early human species have left no living descendants, adding layers of complexity to our
understanding of human evolution.

2. HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THEORIES

The evolution of human is a wide , complex and fascinating study ,followed by debates nd
discoveries, backed up by evidences that shapes our development as sapiens. Discoveries has
put two major hypothesis on our migration and evolution into who we are

2.1 OUT OF AFRICA HYPOTHESIS