HUMAN

EVOLUTION
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By: M.SAIDI

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 EVOLUTION
 Introduction (content of this
slide)
 Evidence of common ancestors

for living hominids including

humans
 Out of Africa hypothesis

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 CLASSIFICATION OF HUMANS
 Kingdom Animalia
 Phylum Chordata How scientific names
are written:
 Class Mammalia
Genus species
 Order Primates
Homo sapiens
 Family Hominidae
Note: it should be
 Genus Homo underlined
 Species Homo sapiens

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 LINE OF DESCENT OF HUMAN

Pan troglodytes Homo

Homo sapiens
Present neanderthalensis

Homo erectus

Paranthropus Paranthropus
Time (millions of years ago)

robustus boisei Homo habilis

Australopithecus
garhi Australopithecus
Paranthropus africanus
aethiopicusus

Australopithecus afarensis

Ardipithecus ramidus Australopithecus anamensis

Click here
Phylogenetic trees
So I can ex
plain this tr
ee
Hominin ancestor
 Characteristics that humans share
with the African apes
 1.Upright posture
 2.Large brains/skulls compared to

their body mass

 3.Eyes in front/binocular

vision/stereoscopic vision
 4.Eyes with cones/colour vision
 5.Freely rotating arms
 6.Long upper arms
 7.Only two teats
 8.Elbow joints allowing rotation of

forearm
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 9.Sexual dimorphism/distinct differences
between male and female
 10.Opposable thumbs which work in opposite
direction to their fingers
 11.Flat nails instead of claws/bare finger tips
 12. reduced sense of smell

DIFFERENCES: HUMANS AND APES BRAIN SIZE

Cranium- part of the skull

Small
Large which encloses the brain.
Humans have a larger
brain/more brain cells to
body size compared to
apes, Which suggests
HUMAN APE greater intelligence
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HUMAN SKULL APE SKULL

Sloping face

Foramen
magnum
Foramen backwards
magnum
forward
 differences between the apes and humans
HUMANS (HOMO SAPIENS) AFRICAN APES
Larger cranium Smaller cranium
Flat face Sloping face
Brow ridges are not as
Brow ridges pronounced
pronounced
Smaller canines Larger canines
Less protruding jaws/less- More protruding
prognathous jaws/more prognathous
Foramen magnum
Foramen magnum forward
backwards
More curved spine Less curved spine
(S-shaped spine) (C-shaped spine)
Short, wide pelvis Long, narrow pelvis
Small and semi-circular Long and rectangular
palates palates
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BIPEDALISIM ThunderEDUC
 Walking on two legs/limbs
 FACTORS THAT CAUSE BIDEPALISM
 (1) Foramen magnum
 It moved to a more forward position
 - to allow the spinal cord to enter
vertically
 (2) Pelvic girdle
 is short and wide/broad
 - to support the upper body weight
 (3) Spine
 is more curved/S shaped
 - to absorb shock/allow flexible
 BIPEDALISM QUADRAPEDALISM

Foramen magnum Foramen magnum

forward backwards

More curved spine Less curved spine

(S-shaped spine) (C-shaped spine)

ThunderEDUC Short, wide pelvis Long, narrow pelvis

 Advantages of bipedalism
 Free hands to pick or carry food, to use tools
and handle weapons
 Standing upright, with eyes higher off the

ground, gives a better, wider view of

surroundings, to see predators/preys.
 Movement becomes easier and more energy-

efficient
 Reduces the body’s exposure to sunlight

when in an open area.

 It raises the body away from the hot ground.
 The male sex organ is readily displayed.

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Question from DBE paper

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 Three lines of Evidence used for a
common ancestor of all hominids
 1.Fossil evidence
–transitional species

 2.Genetic evidence
- mt DNA

 3.Cultural evidence
– tool making
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 1. FOSSIL EVIDENCE
 Whats is a transitional species/ fossil?
 Is the one that shows intermediate
characteristics between two genera/species
 OR
 Is the one with characteristics common to both

the ancestor species and the species that

follows

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 Important fossil
sites in Africa
South Africa
Kenya
Tanzania
Ethiopia
Chad

FOSSIL EVIDENCE
Scientific name Common Who discovered Where it was
name discovered

Ardipithecus ramidus Ardi Tim White Ethiopia

Australopithecus Lucy Johanson Ethiopia

afarensis
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Taung child Raymond Dart Taung

Australopithecus Mrs Ples Robert Broom Sterkfontein

africanus
Little Foot- Ron Clarke Sterkfontein

Australopithecus Karabo Lee Burger & Malapa in Cradle of

sediba Brett Eloff Humankind SA
Homo
Homo erectus
habilis Upright man
Handy man Eugene
Mary Dubois
and Louis Indonesia &
Olduvai Gorge,
Swartkrans
Leakey Tanzania
Homo sapiens wise man Tim White Makapansgat in
Limpopo
Border Cave in KZN
Blombos Cave in the
Western Cape

NOTE: Australopithecus sediba (Karabo) is a transitional species/ fossil

2. Genetic evidence: mitochondrial DNA
 Mitochondrial DNA
 Is inherited only from the

maternal line
 Analysis of mutations  on

this mitochondrial DNA

 shows that the oldest female

ancestor were located in

Africa
 and that all humans

descended from
her/mitochondrial Eve

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3.Cultural evidence and tool making
 Using stone tools with cutting and sawing –
improved human nutrition
 Development of stone tools became more

sophisticated as hominins evolved

 Tools requires planning and thought

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 Out of Africa hypothesis and evidence for
African origins of modern humans

 This hypothesis states that modern human

originated from Africa and migrated to the
rest of world.

 EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS HYPOTHESIS

 1.Fossilevidence
 2.Genetic evidence (mt DNA)
 3.Cultural evidence (tool making)
 NOTE: we have already explained.
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 1.Fossil evidence:
 Fossils of Ardipithecus were found ONLY in
Africa.
 Fossils of Australopithecus eg (Karabo,
Littlefoot, Taung child and Mrs Ples) and
Homo habilis were found ONLY in Africa
 The oldest fossils of Homo erectus and
Homo sapiens have been found in Africa
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 2.Genetic evidence:
 Mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA)

 Is inherited only from the maternal

line
 Analysis of mutations on this

mitochondrial DNA
 shows that the oldest female ancestor

were located in Africa

 and that all humans descended from

her/mitochondrial Eve
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3.Cultural evidence
 Using stone tools with cutting and sawing –
improved human nutrition
 Development of stone tools became more

sophisticated as hominins evolved

 Tools requires planning and thought.
 The earliest hominids to use simple tools known
as Oldowan stone tools, were Homo habilis.
 Homo erectus developed more advanced tools
that included sharpened stones placed on
wooden handles, like an axe.
 From this point, tools progressed to knives and
blades used by the Neanderthals used for
hunting and protection. ThunderEDUC
 PHYLOGENETIC TREES:
 is a schematic form that shows the evolutionary
relationships within a set of organisms or
groups of organisms.
 Note: you just need to understand how to apply

these trees
A SIMPLIFIED SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF HOMINIDS

Sample 1 Homo
sapiens
Homo
Homo erectus
habilis

Australopithecus A. robustus
afarensis

B
A
Chimpanzee

5 4 3 2 1
0

Time (million years) ThunderEDUC

 Sample 2

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Sample 3

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Sample 4
 Lets use sample 4 for sample questions
Sample 4
These will help
 What is the name of diagram above
 How many genera are shown in the diagram
 What is the common ancestor of homo
sapiens and homo erectus
 What is the common ancestor of all species
 Give two pairs of species that competed for
resources
 which species first used tools
 Which species first walked on two legs
 How many mya did Australopithecus
africanus appeared
 When did Homo Habilis become extinct
 How many my did Australopithecus africanus
existed
 How does brain size show evolution trend
 Give one example of transitional fossil
 How does dentition show the diet of the
species.
DBE 2019 MAY/JUN ThunderEDUC
MEMO

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 ThunderEDUC

 1.5.1 Name the family to which all these species belong.

 1.5.2 What is the largest cranial capacity (in cm3 ) of
Australopithecus africanus?
 1.5.3 When did Homo habilis become extinct?
 1.5.4 Name TWO Australopithecus fossils found in South Africa.
 1.5.5 Which of the organisms represented above has the greatest
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By: M.Saidi

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