Evolution: The Theory Of Evolution

EVOLUTION : THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

The French biologist Lamarck proposed, in 1809, a hypothesis to account for the
mechanism of evolution, based on two  conditions: the use and disuse of parts, and
the inheritance of acquired characteristics. So, according to Lamarckism, as the
theory came to be known, the long neck and legs of the modern giraffe were the
result of generations of short-necked and short-legged ancestors feeding on leaves
at progressively higher levels of trees.

DARWIN’S THEORY
In November 1859, Darwin published the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection, proposing that natural selection is the mechanism by which new species
arise from pre-existing species. The ‘struggle for existence’ described by Darwin was
popularised by the coining of the terms such as ‘survival of the fittest’.

MODERN VIEWS ON EVOLUTION 

The theory of evolution, as proposed by Darwin and Wallace, has been modified in
the light of modern evidence from genetics, molecular biology, palaeontology,
ecology, and ethology (the study of behaviour) and is known as neo- Darwinism (neo
or new). This may be defined as the theory of organic evolution by the natural
selection of inherited characteristics.

HUMAN EVOLUTION 
Prehistoric People
Evidence of prehistoric people, such as fossils, tools, and other remains, is rare and
often fragmented.

Prehuman Ancestors
Most scientists believe that human beings and apes, such as chimpanzees and
gorillas, share a common ancestor. The ancestors of human beings probably began
evolving separately from the ancestors of apes, between about 10 million and 5
million years ago. This evolutionary split marks the beginning of the development of
hominids. Hominids are members of the scientific family made up of human beings
and early humanlike ancestors. Most anthropologists believe the first hominids
were humanlike creatures called australopithecines. The australopithecines first
appeared more than 4 million years ago in Africa.

Types of Australopithecines The australopithecines were members of the genus

Australopithecus (southern ape). According to differences in the shape of the
creatures’ jaws and teeth and the size of their brains, scientists have divided the
genus  Australopithecus into five species: (1) A. ramidus, (2) A. afarensis, (3) A.
africanus, (4) A. robusius, and (5) A. boisei.The most complete australopithecine
fossil scientists have found is a partial skeleton of a female A. afarensis. It was found
in Ethiopia.   This creature, nicknamed “Lucy”, was probably more than 110
centimetres tall and weighed about 30 kilograms. By about 2.5 million years ago, A.
africanus replaced A. afarensis. Many scientists believe that an evolutionary split
occurred among the australopithecines during the time of A. africanus. This split
resulted in the appearance of an additional evolutionary line, separate from A.
africanus, that led to A. robustus and A. boisei. Scientists refer to these two species
as the robust  australopithecines.

The First Human Beings

Most anthropologists believe that the first human beings evolved from a gracile
australopithecine about 2 million years ago. Homo habilis is considered by
anthropologists to be the oldest human species. These prehistoric people lived in
Africa about 2 million years ago. Homo erectus: Fossil evidenceindicates that about
1.5 million years ago Homo habilis had evolved into a more advanced human
species. Scientists call this species Homo erectus.

Early Homo Sapiens Between 400,000 and 300,000 years ago, Homo erectus
evolved into a new human species called Homo sapiens. The term Homo sapiens
means ‘wise human being’. All people living today belong to this species. But early
Homo sapiens differed greatly from modern people. Early Homo sapiens were
about as tall as modern human beings. Neanderthals were a type of early Homo
sapiens who lived in parts of Europe and the Middle East about 130,000- 35,000
years ago. Neanderthals have become the most widely known of the early Homo
sapiens mainly because they were the first prehistoric people to be discovered.

Rise of Modern Human Beings

The first prehistoric people with modern human features appeared about 100,000
years ago in either the Middle East or Africa. These people had a chin, a high
forehead, and a smaller, less-protruding face than the earlier Homo sapiens had.