It is therefore probable that Africa was formerly inhabited by extinct apes closely allied to the gorilla and chimpanzee and as these two species are now mans nearest allies it is somewhat more probable that our early progenitors lived on the African continent than elsewhere ID: 579288
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Slide1
The Last Ape StandingSlide2
It is therefore probable that Africa was formerly inhabited by extinct apes closely allied to the gorilla and chimpanzee: and as these two species are now man’s nearest allies, it is somewhat more probable that our early progenitors lived on the African continent than elsewhere.
-Darwin (1871)
The Descent of ManSlide3
Mt-DNA Primate TreeSlide4
Our Living Sisters
Pan
Gorilla
http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.htmlSlide5
Living Asian Apes
Gibbon (
Hyalobates
)
Orangutan (
Pongo
)Slide6
Apes in the PrimatesSlide7
Features that distinguish the
Hominins from other
living apes
Bipedal Locomotion
Loss of fur
Reduced dentitionEnlargement of the brainVocal communicationSlide8
Possible origins of bipedal locomotion
Figure 1 from Richmond, B. G., D. R. Begun, and D. S. Strait. 2001. Origin of human
bipedalism
: The knuckle-walking hypothesis revisited. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. 44:70-105.Slide9
Bipedalism
Freed the hands and allowed more manipulative capabilities
Led to a higher thermoregulatory efficiency
Widened feeding potential
Reduced predation pressures
Was more energetically efficient mode of locomotionSlide10Slide11
Oldest evidence of bipedalism
Australopithecus
afarensisSlide12
Footprint experiment
(Raichlen et al. 2010)
A. Normal gait in sand (
H.sapiens
)
B. Bent-knee, bent-hip gait in sand (similar to walk of apes)C. Footprint from Laetoli
, TanzaniaSlide13
Neoteny
An explanation for:
Nakedness
Large Brain Size
Reduced DentitionSlide14
The Neotenic
ApesSlide15
Hair loss and liceSlide16
Phylogeny of some living primates and their liceSlide17
Tales of the Lice
Human head louse vs
chimp louse (how long ago we diverged) ~6-7MYA
Human head louse
vs human body louse (how long ago we began to wear clothes) ~50-100KYAHuman pubic louse
vs gorilla body louse (how long ago we began to lose fur to patches of hair) ~3-4MYASlide18
Large Brain
Potts 2011
Navarette
et al. 2011Slide19
Reduced dentitionSlide20
Vocal communication
http://www.voice.northwestern.edu/VOICEBOX/Larynx.htm
Lower larynx
Fox P2 geneSlide21
PBS NOVASlide22
Proconsul
Likely a sister to the apes with a mix of ape-monkey characters
14-23
MYA
AfricaSlide23
Dryopithecus
Early ape
15-9
MYA
Africa, EurasiaSlide24
Ardipithecus
Africa
Brain ~300-350cc
120 (f) cm tall
50 (f) kg
~6.0 – 4.2
MYASlide25
Miocene Epoch
23-5.3
MYA
Epoch of ape radiation (>100 species of apes in the latter part of the Miocene)
They ranged though Africa, Europe, and Asia
The end of the Miocene saw the separation between the African Apes (chimpanzees,
bonobos
, and gorillas) and the
Hominin
Apes
Africa moved northward and formed the Mediterranean Sea, which dried out multiple times.
Data from NASA,
USGS
, NOAASlide26
Pliocene Epoch
5.3-2.5
MYA
Epoch of bipedal ape radiation.
They ranged though Africa
Gracile
and robust lines
Pliocene relatively warm
Data from NASA,
USGS
, NOAASlide27
Human Phylogeny
The Smithsonian Institution
Museum of Natural History
http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.htmlSlide28
(A)
Pan troglodytes
, chimpanzee, modern
(B)
Australopithecus
africanus, 2.6 My(C)
Australopithecus
africanu
s
, 2.5 My
(D)
Homo habilis
, 1.9 My(E) Homo habilis, 1.8 My
(F) Homo rudolfensis, 1.8 My(G)
Homo erectus, 1.75 My
(H) Homo ergaster (early
H. erectus), 1.75 My(I) Homo heidelbergensis
,
300,000 - 125,000 y
(J)
Homo
neanderthalensis
, 70,000 y
(K)
Homo
neanderthalensis
, 60,000 y
(L)
Homo
neanderthalensis
, 45,000 y
(M)
Homo sapiens
, 30,000 y
(N)
Homo sapiens
, modern
http://www.talkingorigins.com
Hominin
Series Slide29
Australopithecus
afarensis
Africa
Brain 375-550 cc
107 (f)-152 (m) cm tall
29 (f) – 42 (m) kg
~3.0-3.9
MYA
British Museum of Natural History and Smithsonian MuseumSlide30
Australopithecus africanus
Africa
Brain 420-500 cc
110 (f)-140 (m) cm tall
30 (f) - 41 (m) kg
~2.4-2.8
MYA
British Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian MuseumSlide31
Paranthropus
robustus
Africa
Brain ~530cc
110 (f)-130 (m) cm tall
32 (f) – 40 (m) kg
~1.0 – 2.0
MYA
http://www.maropeng.co.za Slide32
Pleistocene Epoch
2.5-0.012
MYA
Appearance and radiation of
Homo
.
They ranged though Africa and emerged into the rest of the earth.
Global climates extremely unsettled and variable
Data from NASA,
USGS
, NOAASlide33
Homo habilis
http://macscience.files.wordpress.com
Africa
Brain ~500-800 cc
100 (f) – 135 (m) cm tall
32 (f) – 37 (m) kg
~1.44-2.3
MYASlide34
Olduwan stone tools in Ethiopia
2.6 -1.8
MYA
Chipped pebbles and choppers, usually lava
Likely made by
H.
habilisSlide35
Homo erectus
Africa, Eurasia
~Brain 750-1225 cc
145 (f) – 185 (m) cm tall
40 (f) – 68 (m) kg
~0.3-1.8
MYA
http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.htmlSlide36
Range of H. erectus
Evidence for controlled use of fire
Acheulean
tools (1.7-0.1
MYA
)
http://anthro.palomar.eduSlide37
Homo heidelbergensis
Africa, Eurasia
Brain ~1100-1400 cc
157 (f) - 175 (m) cm tall
51 (f) – 62 (m) kg
~0.2-0.6
MYA
Smithsonian InstitutionSlide38
Homo neanderthalensis
Eurasia
Brain ~1100-1400 cc
155 (f) – 164 (m) cm tall
54 (f) – 64 (m) kg
~0.03-0.3
MYA
Neanderthal MuseumSlide39
Range of the Neanderthals
http://www.rhesusnegative.netSlide40
Behaviors of H.
neanderthalensis
Scavengers and up close spear hunting of large animals (see Figure)
Relatively complex stone tools (Mousterian, see Figure)
Tools from wood, bone, tusks, and antlers
Evidence of burials and ceremonyPossible verbal communicationSlide41
Homo floresiensis
Asia (Indonesia)
Brain ~380-417 cc
~106 (f?) cm tall
30 (f?) kg
~0.013-0.095
MYASlide42
Homo sapiens
Africa to all land surfaces
~1350 cc (975-1499)
US
ave
: 162 (f) – 175.8 (m) cm tall
US
ave
: 74 (f) – 86.4 (m) kg
~present-0.2
MYASlide43
Homo sapiens
Appeared ~200,000 years ago with a suite of behaviors similar to
neanderthals
Likely in small populations (~140) with a total number of 100,000
Bottleneck reduced to ~10,000 individualsSlide44
Theories regarding the origin of Homo sapiens
Recent Out of Africa
More consistent with the genetic data
Mitochondrial
Y-chromosome
Genetic variabilityConsistent with language familiesNeanderthals a different species
Multiregional Hypothesis
Explains racial differences by isolation and periodic mixing between populations
Connects
H. erectus
directly to
H. sapiens
Neanderthal a step in the evolution of modern humansSlide45Slide46
Genetic variation in Homo sapiensSlide47
Classic archaeologically-accessible evidence of behavioral modernity includes:
finely-made tools
fishing
evidence of long-distance exchange or barter among groups
systematic use of pigment (such as ochre) and jewelry for decoration or self-ornamentation
figurative art (cave paintings,
petroglyphs
, figurine)
game playing and music
foods being cooked and seasoned instead of being consumed in the raw
burial
Calvin. 2003.
A Brief History of Mind;
Stringer. 2011.
Origin of our SpeciesSlide48
Homo sapiens, the generalist
Rick Potts of the Smithsonian InstitutionSlide49
Why are we the last ape standing?
We were lucky
We outcompeted the other bipedal apes
We killed the other bipedal apesSlide50