Evolution of Genus Homo: A Journey Through 6 Species

1. THE EVOLUTION OF GENUS HOMO

2. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 1. HOMO habilis 1. 2.3-1.5 mya 2. East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia) & southern Africa 3. Increased brain size (680-800ml) 4. Stone tools

3. EXAMPLE: Homo habilis at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania Skeletal remains discovered at Olduvai Gorge in 1986 by Don Johanson revealed limb sizes and proportions nearly identical to australopithecines Brain size & face showed advances towards more human-like form

4. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 2. Homo ergaster 1. 1.8-1.6 mya 2. Lake Turkana, Kenya 3. Increased Brain Size (800-880 ml) 4. Thinner Skull with smaller facial bones (than Homo erectus)

5. EXAMPLE: Turkana Boy Skeleton • 90% of skeleton of adolescent male found west of Lake Turkana in the mid 1980s • 1.6 mya, very modern skeleton, similar to that of fully modern human

6. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 3. Homo Erectus 1. 1.8 mya – 33,000 ya 2. Africa, then Russia, China, Java, Italy, etc. (p. 270-71) 3. 50% increased brain size (900-1600 ml) 4. Fire, clothing, shelters, cooking

7. Homo erectus Facial Morphology

8. EXAMPLE: Peking Man Reconstruction

9. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 4. Homo antecessor 1. 780,000 ya 2. Gran Dolina, Spain (oldest fossil humans in EU!) 3. Increased Brain Size (1000 ml) 4. Direct ancestor of H. heidelbergensis & H. neanderthalensis (?)

10. EXAMPLE: Homo antecessor • Mixture of "archaic" and "modern" traits, with especially modern-looking mid-face • Other features are not unique & could be considered a form of European H. erectus

11. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 5. Homo heidelbergensis 1. 130,000 ya – 700,000 ya 2. Germany, China, Ethiopia, Greece, Hungary, Zambia, etc. (p.289) 3. Increased Brain Size (1000-1400 ml) 4. “Prepared Core” tools, wooden spears, dealt with changing environments

12. EXAMPLE: The Steinheim Cranium The Steinheim specimen excavated in the 1930s from Germany 1st archaic cranium discovered in Europe

13. Archaic Homo sapiens • Hominids with larger brains & more modern cranial features than classic H. erectus • Recently divided into Homo antecessor & heidelbergensis • Taxonomy is problematic: some fossils could be H. erectus, others could be direct ancestors of later Neanderthals or pre-modern forms of H. sapiens AFRICAN ARCHAICS Kabwe, Zambia Bodo, Ethiopia EUROPEAN ARCHAICS Arago, France Petroloma, Greece

14. 6 SPECIES OF HOMO 6. Homo neanderthalensis 1. 28,000 ya – 225,000 ya 2. Belgium, Croatia, Germany, France, Iraq, Israel, Italy (p.297) 3. Increased Brain Size (1200-1700 ml) 4. “Retouched flakes” (tool use), big game hunters, buried dead, cave art, early language?, compassion

15. EXAMPLE: Original Neanderthal Skullcap

16. Neanderthal Features

17. Neanderthal Adaptations

18. Modern Human Regional Variation African European-SW Asian East Asian Australian

30. Recent Research: “Mungo Man” • Part of mDNA extracted recently from bones of a 60,000 year old modern Homo sapiens skeleton found in 1974 on the shores of Lake Mungo in Australia • Oldest DNA extracted from a human so far! • Comparison of this DNA with that of 9 other ancient Australian skeletons, 2 Neandertals, and 3,453 contemporary people from around the world indicates: "Mungo Man" had a unique genetic marker • Indicates that a now lost genetic line of modern Homo sapiens existed in Australia BEFORE arrival of later Australian Aborigines • This evidence provides significant support for rejecting the "out of Africa" complete replacement model of modern Homo sapiens evolution