Biological and Cultural Evolution:

FROM AUSTRALOPITHECUS TO
HOMO SAPIENS
 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
• refers to any genetic changes in a population that is
inherited over several generations.

Cultural EVOLUTION
•changes or development in cultures from a simple form
to a more complex form.
 Charles Darwin
• a British naturalist who proposed the theory of biological
evolution
•Wrote the “On the Origin of Species”(Nov 24, 1859) and
in it he proposed that species evolve.
• book composes the Natural
Selection
 Darwin’s Natural selection principles:

1. Every species is made up of variety of individuals

wherein some are better adapted to their
environments compared to others. (Variation)
2. Organisms produce progeny with different sets of
traits that can be inherited. (Inheritability)
3. Organisms that have traits most suitable to their
environment will survive and transfer these
variations to their offspring in subsequent
generations. (Differential reproductive success)
FROM AUSTRALOPITHECUS TO
HOMO SAPIENS
TYPES OF HOMINID
SAHELANTHROPUS THADENSIS (6-7 million years
ago)
Where lived: West- Central Africa
(Chad)
• One of the oldest known species in the
human family tree.
• Ape-like features included a small
brain(smaller than brain of
chimpanzees), sloping face, very
prominent browridges, elongated skull
TYPES OF HOMINID
SAHELANTHROPUS THADENSIS (6-7 million years
ago)

Discovery:
• Research scientist led by French
Paleontologist Michael Brunet uncovered
the fossils including TM 266-01-060-1
• Its fossils are nine cranial specimens from
Northern Chad.
TYPES OF HOMINID
SAHELANTHROPUS THADENSIS (6-7 million years
ago)
• it had both apelike and humanlike
characteristics:

1. Skull similar to Australopithecus and modern

human
2. Height almost similar to chimpanzee
3. Brain size about 320-380 cubic centimeters
4. small teeth
5. Had the ability to walk upright
TYPES OF HOMINID
SAHELANTHROPUS THADENSIS

TM 266-01-060-1
TYPES OF HOMINID
ORRORIN TUGENENSIS (5.7 million years
ago)

Nikname: Millenium Man

Where lived: Eastern Africa (Tugen
Hills, Kenya)
• Orrorin from the word “Orroriek”
meaning the “original man” in
Tugen, Kenya
TYPES OF HOMINID
ORRORIN TUGENENSIS (5.7 million years
ago)
• one of the oldest early humans on our
family tree
• Had small teeth with thick enamel
• Climbed trees but also probably walked
upright
• Fossil of this species is an upper femur
• “original man”
TYPES OF HOMINID
ORRORIN TUGENENSIS (5.8 million years
ago)
Discovery
• research team led by French
Paleontologist Brigitte Senut and
French geologist Martin Pickford
this species in the Tugen Hills
region of central Kenya
TYPES OF HOMINID
ORRORIN TUGENENSIS

UPPER FEMUR FOSSIL

 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Kadabba (5.6 million years
ago)
Where Lived: Eastern Africa (Middle
Awash Valley, Ethiopia)
- “oldest ancestor”
- known only from “teeth and bits and
pieces of skeletal bones”
- was bipedal(walked upright)
 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Kadabba (5.6 million years ago)
Discovery
• Paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie didn’t
realize that he had uncovered new species
• The fossils he found convinced him that he had
found a new early human ancestor
• Faunal (fossil animal) evidence from the site that
this species lived in a kixture of woodlands and
grasslands
• Later on (2002) found six teeth were discovered in
Middle Awash. Dental patterns confirmed that this
fossils are unique and not a subspecies of a A.
Ramidus
 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Kadabba

TEETH AND BITS OF SKELETAL BONES

 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Ramidus (4.4 million years ago)

Nickname:“Ardi”
Where Lived: Eastern Africa
(Middle Awash and Gona, Ethiopia)
 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Ramidus (4.4 million years ago)

•
Discovery
Led by American paleoanthropologist Tim White
discovere the first A. Ramidus in the Middle Awash
area
• Have uncovered fossil specimens of Ar. Ramidus
which is the partial skeleton nicknamed
“Ardi”(‘’ramid means “root” in Afar language and
refers to the closeness of this species to the roots of
humanity
• ARA-VP-6/500
 Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus Ramidus

ARA-VP-6/500
TYPES OF HOMINID
Characteristics of Ardiphitecus:

1. 4 feet height
2. Weighs 120 pounds
3. Small brain
4. Biped (walked on two legs or feet)
5. Skull size similar to an ape
6. Lived in forests and jungles like
chimpanzees
 Australopithecus
AUSTRALOPITHECUS(5 million-1 million years ago)
Characteristics:
1. Upright
2. Biped
3. 1/3 size of the human brain
4. small teeth
5. Ate insects,eggs, plants, fruits, and sometimes
meat
6. Use stones and sticks for digging
7. Tool users
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ANAMENSIS

Where lived: Eastern Africa (Lake

Turkana and Middle Awash, Ehiopia)
When lived: about 4.2 and 3.9 million
years ago
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ANAMENSIS
-combination of traits found in both apes
and humans
- the upper end of the tibia(shin bone)
shows an expanded area of bone and a
human like orientation of ankle joint
indicative for bipedal walking
- long forearms and features of the wrist
bones suggest that this species probably
climbed trees as well
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ANAMENSIS
Discovery: 1995
• Research team led by Bryan Paterson from Harvard
University discovered a single arm bone (KNM-KP
271) an early human at the site of Kanapoi in
Northern Kenya
• In 1994, a research team lead by paleoanthropologist
Meave Leakey found numerous teeth and fragments
of bone at the same site. And determined that the
fossils were those of primitive hominin and named
Au. Anamensis (‘anam’ means ‘lake’ in the Turkana
language
• Other fossils was also found in Allia Bay
 AUSTRALOPITHECUS ANAMENSIS

NUMEROUS TEETH AND FRAGMENTS FOUND

 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS

Nickname: Lucy’s Species

Where lived: Eastern Africa (Ethipia,
Kenya, Tanzania)
When lived: Between about 3.85 and
2.95 million years ago
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS
- one of the longest lived and best-known early
human species – paleoanthropologist have
uncovered more than 300 individuals!
- survived for more than 900,000 years
- known from the sites of Hadar, Ethiopia (‘Lucy’,
AL 288-1 and the ‘First Family’, AL 333)
- Dikika ‘child’ skeleton
- Laetoli (fossils of this species plus the oldest
documented bipedal footprint trails)
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS

DIKIKA CHILD SKELETON

LAETOLI FOOTPRINTS
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS
Discovery: 1974
• Formally named in 1978 following a wave fossil discoveries
at Hadar Ethiopia, and Laetoli, Tanzania.
Characteristics:
• Both ape and human feature
• Apelike proportions (flat nose, a strongly projecting
lower jaw
• Braincase:with small brain, usually less than 500 cubic
cm
• Long strong arms with curved fingers adapted for
climbing trees
• Small canine teeth like all other humans
• Height:Males:average 4ft 11in (151cm)
Females: average 3ft 5in (105cm)
• Weight:Males: average 92 lbs (42kg)
 Australopithecus Afarensis
• “Lucy”
-the 3.2 million year-old
Australopithecus Afarensis who considered
modern human’s earliest ancestors and
remains as the most famous hominid.
- discovered in Hadar Ethiopia in
November 1974 led by Dr. Donald Johanson
- AL 288-1
- 40% of the skeleton of a female of the
hominin species Australopithecus afarensis
 Australopithecus Afarensis
• “Lucy”
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICANUS

Where lived: Southern Africa

When lived: about 3.3 to 2.1 million years
ago
 Gracile Australopithecine
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICANUS
-anatomically similar to Au. Afarensis
- compared to Afarensis, Au. Africanus had a
rounder cranium housing a larger brain and
smaller teeth, but it also had some ape-like features
like the Au. Afarensis
- shoulder and hand were also dapted fo climbing
- Height:Males: average 4ft 6in (138cm)
Females: average 3ft 9in (115cm)
- Weight:Males: average 90lbs (41kg)
Females: average 66lbs (30kg)
AUSTRALOPITHECUSN AFRICANUS
Discovery: 1924
• The Taung Child, found in 1924, was the first
to establish that early fossil human occurred in
Africa and that Raymond Dart was the one
who discovered.
• Described it and named it Australopithecus
Africanus meaning (southern Ape of Africa)
• Took more than 20 years for the scientific
community to widely accept this species as a
member of human family tree.

•
TAUNG CHILD
 AUSTRALOPITHECUSN AFRICANUS

•
 Robust Australopithecus
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AETHIOPICUS

Where Lived: Eastern Africa

When Lived: about 2.7 to 2.3 million
year ago
 Robust Australopithecus
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AETHIOPICUS
- also known as paranthropus aethiopicus
- still much of a mystery to paleoanthropologists,
as very few remains of this species have been found
- discovery of ‘Black Skull’ in 1985 helped define
this species as the earliest known robust
australopithecine
- protruding face, large megadont teeth, powerful
jaw, and a well-developed sagittal crest on top of
skull, indication huge chewing muscles
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AETHIOPICUS
Discovery:
• Originally proposed by a team of French
Paleontologists to describe a toothless partial
mandible (Omo 18) that was thought to differ
enough from the mandibles of the early human
species
• KNM-WT 17000 this was validated by
scientists, and recognition of new “robust”
australopithecine was made.

THE BLACK SKULL/KNM WT 17000

AUSTRALOPITHECUSN AETHIOPICUS

OMO 18
 Robust Australopithecus
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ROBUSTUS

Where Lived: Southern Africa

When Lived: about 1.8 to 1.2 million
 Robust Australopithecus
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ROBUSTUS
• also known as the paranthropus robustus
• had a very large megadont cheek teeth with thick
enamel and focus their chewing in the back of the
jaw
• large zygomatic arches (cheek bones) allowed
passage of large chewing muscles to the jaw
• Wide-dish-shaped face
• Large sagittal crest
• Height: Males: average 3ft 9in (1.2m) tall
Females: average just under 3ft 3 in (1m)
• Weight: Males :average 119lbs (54kg)
Females: average 88lbs (40kg)
AUSTRALOPITHECUS ROBUSTUS

Jaw fragment
Molar fossil pics
 Homo Stage
• HOMO-HABILIS

Nickname: Handy Man

Where Lived: Eastern and Southern Africa
When Lived: 2.4 million to 1.4 million years
ago
 Homo Stage
• HOMO-HABILIS
• one of the earliest members of the genus
Homo
slightly larger braincase
• smaller face and teeth than in
Australopithecus or older hominin species
• retains some ape-like features- long arms
and a moderately-prognathic face
 Homo Stage
• HOMO-HABILIS

• Many scientists think early Homo,

including H. habilis, made and used
the first stone tools found in the
archaeological record dating 2.6 million years
ago
• however, this hypothesis is difficult to test
 HOMO-HABILIS

Year of discovery: 1960

• scientists Louis and Mary Leakey
uncovered the fossilized,1960 and 1963 at
Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
• nicknamed "Jonny's child“
• Louis Leakey, South African scientist
Philip Tobias, and British scientist John
Napier declared these fossils a new species,
and called them Homo habilis or “handy
man”
 Homo Stage
• HOMO-HABILIS
Characteristics:
- 3-4 feet height
-brain is half the size of the modern human
-made tools called Oldowan
- use tools for hunting and food gathering
 This fossil is one of the most complete skulls of
this species, best known from the Turkana Basin
and Olduvai Gorge in East Africa. It is likely from
a female, and had a small brain size for H.
habilis.
 Oldest fossil skull found at Olduvai Gorge;
besides OH 5, it is the most complete. Its third
molars had erupted, so we know it was an adult
at death, yet the molars show no sign of wear,
indicating that this individual probably died
soon after their eruption.
 OH 8
By this time, the feet of early humans had a
modern-type arch. Want to read about the
evidence that this individual was attacked by a
crocodile?
 Homo Stage
• HOMO ERGASTER(1.8 million years ago)
- it from this where Homo Erectus came from.
- the “working man”
- remains have been found at Lake Turkana, Kenya in
1984.
- KNM-ER 992

FOSSIL SPECIMEN
 Homo Stage
• HOMO ERECTUS(1.8 million- 300,000 years ago)
Characteristics:
- brain size about the 2Τ3 of the modern human brain
- 5 feet height
- walks upright
 Homo Stage
• HOMO ERECTUS “upright man”
- is believed to be more intelligent and more adaptable
compared to the Homo Habilis.
- also believed to be the first Homo to use spoken
language
- first Homo to leave Africa
- first Homo to live and survive in Asisa
- first Homo to use fire
 Homo Stage
• HOMO ERECTUS
Archaeological evidences:
-Longgupo Cave in China(first fossil that was found”
- Trinil, Java, Indonesia(Java Man)
-Zhoukoudan, China (Peking Man)
 Homo Stage
• HOMO SAPIENS (“Thinking Man”)
Characteristics:
- large brain size similar to the modern
human brain
- lived in shelters
- food gatherers
- ate plants and fruits
- crafted metals
 Homo Stage
• HOMO SAPIENS
-made sophisticated and smoothened tools and
developed shelters and advance technology
- was first to develop and use oral language
- Homo neanderthalensis and the Cro-Magnon
are examples of the first group of Homo Sapiens.