Homo habilis, best known as the “handy man” is one of the first species to diverge to the genera Homo. The increased cranial sizes (cranial capacity averaged about 610 cc) accompanied with the complexity and facial reduction (Poirer, 2005) are two characteristics, which first appear in Homo habilis and are unique from previous genera such as Australopithecus. Remains found of Homo habilis are typically found from the late Pliocene, 1.7-2.5 million years ago (2005) and include OH 62.
OH 62, Homo habilis, is a fossil, which dates to 1.8 million years ago, founded by Tim White in 1986 at the Olduvai Gorge site in Tanzania (Johanson, 1996; Ruff 2009; Walker, 1993). Olduvai Gorge has been a site popular for the findings of not only Australopithecus species remains, but also the remains of Hominin species. At the site, 302 pieces of fragmented bone were found of both cranial and post-cranial remains and are the first remains found where both upper and lower limb fragments of Homo habilis are associated to one individual (Ash, 2011; Dunsworth 2002; Johanson, 1996; Ruff 2009; Walker, 1993). By piecing together 32 parts of the found bone, the maxilla began to represent Homo habilis, with more gracile and orthognathic features (when compared to Australopithecus) and maintained more alveolar prognathism (Poirer, 2005) when compared to modern humans.
While the upper jaw appeared to represent a Homo habilis fossil, the left over bone fragments began a debate of which taxonomic group OH 62 belonged to. At the site, portions of the skull, the proximal half of the left femoral shaft and neck were found, as well as a small proximal portion of the right tibia, most of the right humeral shaft, right radial shaft, and most of the ulna (Ash, ...
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...e the known long length of the arms compared to the legs, it can be assumed that OH 62 was still capable of arboreal living, and continued to forage in trees. Through this behavior, it can be assumed that OH 62 continued to forage in trees as a way to gather food, as well as protect themselves from other predators (Line, 2005; Poirer, 2005; Wood, 1999).
OH 62 is a significant finding and addition to the fossil record, supporting the understanding of human evolution, and the beginning of the Hominin divergence. Not only does the limb proportions of OH 62 explain the nature of bipedalism in early Hominins, but it shows a transition from Australopithecus to early Homo. With the length of the femur being only an estimation, the state of OH 62’s taxonomic group will continue to be up for debate, however at the moment, OH 62 will remain to the genera of Homo habilis.
Chinese and Malaysian Homo Sapiens have very close features to the Neanderthal. The skull analysis of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens are usually considered more accurate if the entire skull is examined, rather than certain ...
...s much of the time that some people have been led to believe. This belief had begun when they had discovered a fossil that has since been given the title “Selam”. “Selam” is the skull of a three year old female Australopithecus Afarensis who is believed to have been alive about 3.3 million years ago, having been discovered in the year 2000 in Ethiopia, Dikika by a paleoanthropologist named Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged. With Selam they have found that with the skeleton of her, that it shares many similarities when compared to the bone structure of an ape, meaning that the A. Afarensis may have lived a somewhat arboreal lifestyle. They at first checked the shoulder blades of “Selam”, with both remaining in fully intact which is considered to be very rare due the fact that the shoulder blades had remained intact through 3.3 million years, as it would allow them to find out
The evolution of man is constantly in question. While we are reasonably sure that modern humans and primates are both related to the same common ancestor, there is constant debate over what initially caused the two species to split into early hominids and apes. According to some, our longest and most popular theory on the division of man and ape is profoundly wrong. However, those same individuals usually offer an equally controversial theory as a substitute, one that is almost impossible to scientifically test or prove. Both the Savanna Theory and the Aquatic Ape Theory offer solutions to how and why humans evolved into bipedal toolmakers. But with enough questioning, each loses its accountability to rhetorical science.
Australopithecus afarensis who existed 3.5 million years ago and a 4.4 million year old skeleton of an Ardipithecus ramidus are the closest science has come to discovering the human lineage. Shattered Ancestry an article written by Katherine Harmon discusses the remains of two hominids found within Ethiopia. These skeletal remains have created a huge controversy within the topic of evolution questioning many assumptions that have been made referencing the human lineage. The skeleton of the Australopithecus afarensis was named Lucy and was discovered in 1974. The evidence of her walking upright on her two feet essentially guaranteed her a spot in the human lineage line. Lucy was a chimplike ape that was said to walk upright making scientists believe the human ancestry was simple. The complete skeleton found in Ethiopia of an Ardipithecus ramidus named Ardi completely changed all assumptions made from scientists about the complexity of the human lineage. These remains have encouraged researches that the human line is not the only lineage to have evolved but the chimpanzee line has undergone drastic changes as well. There are many traits that researchers have always directly linked to the human lineage however since these discoveries occurred researchers are reconsidering. The recent discoveries that have shattered what has always suggested what linked a species to the human lineage have changed the certainty of whether it is possible to confidently identify the human’s last common ancestor. Majority of scientist had forgotten that there would have been many hominid species living together at one time. New theories have been suggested since scientists revealed that the foot of a hominid found called the Burtele site was found ju...
... over the print is correct. All of these facts are bittersweet though, since sample specimens have nothing to be compared to since no actual creature specimen has been collected. It can be concluded, however, that these remains did not come from any animal currently known to modern science.
The species A. afarensis is one of the better known australopithecines, with regards to the number of samples attributed to the species. From speculations about their close relatives, the gorilla and chimpanzee, A. afarensis’ probable social structure can be presumed. The species was named by Johanson and Taieb in 1973. This discovery of a skeleton lead to a heated debate over the validity of the species. The species eventually was accepted by most researchers as a new species of australopithecine and a likely candidate for a human ancestor.
Bipedalism had many advantages, but it also had many disadvantages and provided dangers to early hominids. Some of these disadvantages included i...
In 2000, Dr. Philip D. Gingerich, a paleontologist from the University of Michigan, and his associates discovered two primitive whale fossils in the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. By dating the limestone located in the Habib Rahi Formation of the Balochistan Province, Gingerich estimated these fossils to be about 47 million years old. According to author David Braun of National Geographic News, “The researchers have classified one, Rodhocetus balochistanensis, as a new species of an existing genus, and the other, Artiocetus clavis, as a new species and new genus” (Braun, 5). The discovery of these two fossils suggests that the closest living relative of these primitive whales could possibly be the modern day hippopotamus. This suggested relationship is based on similarities in the bone structure between the two animals.
Were Neanderthals the same as modern humans, or were they an entirely different species? This is a major topic of debate among Anthropologists, and many people strongly argue each view, backing their opinion with evidence from physical remains and inferred ideas about behavior.
Bindon, Jim 2004 Fossil Hominids. ANT 270 Notes. http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/bindon/ant270/lectures/ hominids1.pdf Delson, Eric 1981
Trinkaus, E. (2007). European early modern humans and the fate of the Neandertals. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 104(18), 7367-7372. doi:10.1073/pnas.0702214104
Fossilization and the Fossil Record. (2010). In Earth Sciences for Students. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow
In conclusion, the Homo Sapien is the most complex creature and it gets most of its features from past ancestors. The Homo Sapien gets its walking upright ability from the Australopithecus Genus. We get our large molars from the the Paranthropus Genus. We also get our cultural and artwork abilities from the Homo Erectus group. We learned our craftsman skills from the Homo Habilis group. Overall the Homo Sapien’s group is very diverse with all the evolving it has done from the beginning of time and passed on from generation to generation these skills, and these skills are still used until this day, we would never be as advanced as we are today if it weren't for the past of the human race.
The evidence for human evolution begins with the australopithecines. All the australopithecines were bipedal and therefore possible hominines. In details of their teeth, jaws, and brain size, however, they modify enough among themselves to be divided into five species: Australopithecus anamensis, A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. robustus, and A. boisei. Genus Homo are also divided in five different spices: Homo erectus, H. habilis, H. sapiens, and H. sapiens sapiens.
Homo erectus is also known for its larger body compared to earlier ancestors. "Past estimates of Homo erectus stature frequently were in the 5-5 1/2 feet (152-168 cm) range for adult males and arou...