HUMAN

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

for living hominids including

humans
 Out of Africa hypothesis
 CLASSIFICATION OF HUMANS
 Kingdom Animalia
 Phylum Chordata How scientific
 Class Mammalia names are
written:
 Order Primates Genus species
 Family Hominidae
Homo sapiens
 Genus Homo Note: it should be
underlined
 Species Homo sapiens
 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 e
xplain this
tree
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
 ThunderEDUC

HUMAN SKULL APE SKULL

Sloping face

Foramen
magnum
Foramen backward
magnum
forward s
 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
BIPEDALISIM
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 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
movement/support
 BIPEDALISM QUADRAPEDALISM
Foramen
Foramen
magnum
magnum forward
backwards

More curved spine Less curved spine

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

Long, narrow
Short, wide 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.
Question from DBE
paper
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
 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
 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
 ThunderEDUC
Taung child Raymond Dart Taung
Mrs Ples Robert Broom Sterkfontein
Australopithecus Little Foot- Ron Clarke Sterkfontein
africanus

Australopithecu Karabo Lee Burger & Malapa in Cradle of

s sediba Brett Eloff Humankind SA
Homo habilis Handy man Mary and Louis Olduvai Gorge,
Leakey Tanzania

Homo erectus Upright man Eugene Dubois Indonesia &

Swartkrans
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/

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
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
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.Fossil evidence
 2.Genetic evidence (mt DNA)
 3.Cultural evidence (tool making)
 NOTE: we have already explained.
 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
 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
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.
 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
Homo
Sample sapiens
Homo
1 Homo erectus
habilis

Australopithecus A. robustus
afarensis

B
A
Chimpanzee

5 4 3 2 1 0

Time (million years)

Sample
2
Sample
3
Sample ThunderEDUC
4
 Lets use sample 4 for sample
Sample
4 questions
 These
What is the name will
of diagram help
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
MEMO
 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

range in cranial capacity?

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