Origins Of Early Hominins And Modern Humans

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Origins of Early Hominins
Humans know or understand the theory of evolution and how they evolved from apes, but there is always talk of a missing link between apes and modern humans. Apes did not just suddenly evolve into modern day humans. Apes evolved into another species that fall into the relation of modern humans. This is what the missing link is referring to; we call the species hominins. Hominins comprised of many species actually, including but not limited to, Australopithecus afarensis and Homo erectus. Homo erectus may have been a direct descendant of modern Homo sapiens. These species hold strong evidence that they are the missing link between apes and modern humans. There are many pieces of evidence that lay the path of evolution from these species to modern humans, “…these include anatomy, living primate behavior, and genetic relationships” (Stanford, 237). Australopithecus afarensis comes first, existing about 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago, with intermediate anatomical traits between living apes and modern humans; their fossils were found in Africa (Yukimoto). About a million to two million years later, the species Homo erectus came into existence and lots of evidence has been found about this particular species, in fact, it was probable that it was the first species to leave Africa (Yukimoto). These species are significant in the evolution of modern humans. We do not have a clear path or even understand why these species emerged when they did or how they, in theory, eventually evolved into modern humans. We can only assume these things, by using various evolutionary processes such as natural selection, genetic bottleneck, and many more.
Australopithecus afarensis may have been affected by a genetic bottleneck. Thi...

... middle of paper ...

...oling climate and slowly evolved into Homo erectus, and then Homo erectus was affected by sexual selection, the split of their population, and their new necessary diet. They, in turn, slowly evolved into modern Homo sapiens. Natural selection, sexual selection, and genetic drifts all affected these species, and what took them to evolve into us, modern humans.

Works Cited
"Homo Erectus." Homo Erectus. Smithsonian Insitution, 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
Stanford, Craig B., John S. Allen, and Susan C. Antón. Exploring Biological Anthropology: The Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. 17. Print.
Wilford, John Noble. "Homo Naledi, New Species in Human Lineage, Is Found in South African Cave." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
Yukimoto, Steven. "Hominin." Lecture. Fresno City College, Fresno. 19 Nov. 2015. Lecture.

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