🙈Evolutionary Biology Unit 13 – Human Evolution: Early Hominins to Modern Humans

Key Concepts and Terminology

• Hominins refer to modern humans and our extinct ancestors who split from the chimpanzee lineage around 7-6 million years ago
• Bipedalism, the ability to walk upright on two legs, is a defining characteristic of hominins that evolved early in our lineage
• Encephalization describes the increase in brain size relative to body size over the course of human evolution
• Australopithecines were early hominins that lived between 4.2 and 1.4 million years ago and had a mix of ape-like and human-like features
  • Includes species such as Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) and Australopithecus africanus
• Homo is the genus that includes modern humans (Homo sapiens) and our extinct relatives like Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis
• Stone tools provide evidence of increasing cognitive complexity and cultural development throughout human evolution
  • Oldowan tools, associated with early Homo, were simple stone flakes and choppers
  • Acheulean tools, associated with Homo erectus, were more complex and included handaxes
• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA are used to study the genetic relationships between modern humans and extinct hominins

Timeline of Human Evolution

• 7-6 million years ago (mya): Split between the human and chimpanzee lineages
• 4.4 mya: Ardipithecus ramidus, one of the earliest known hominins, lived in East Africa
• 3.2 mya: Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) lived in East Africa
• 2.8 mya: Genus Homo appears in the fossil record with species like Homo habilis
• 1.9 mya: Homo erectus emerges and is the first hominin to leave Africa and spread across Eurasia
• 800,000-300,000 years ago: Homo heidelbergensis, a possible ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans, lives in Africa and Europe
• 400,000-40,000 years ago: Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) inhabit Europe and parts of Asia
• 300,000-200,000 years ago: Homo sapiens emerges in Africa
• 60,000-50,000 years ago: Modern humans begin to migrate out of Africa and spread across the globe
• 40,000 years ago: Neanderthals go extinct, leaving Homo sapiens as the only surviving hominin species

Early Hominins and Their Characteristics

• Ardipithecus ramidus had a smaller brain and more primitive skeleton compared to later hominins but showed evidence of bipedalism
• Australopithecus afarensis, exemplified by the famous Lucy fossil, had a brain size similar to chimpanzees but a more human-like skeleton adapted for bipedalism
  • They likely spent time both in trees and on the ground and had a diet that included fruits, leaves, and possibly meat
• Australopithecus africanus had a slightly larger brain than A. afarensis and more human-like teeth
• Paranthropus robustus and Paranthropus boisei were robust australopithecines with large jaws and teeth adapted for a tough, plant-based diet
• Homo habilis, the earliest member of the genus Homo, had a larger brain than australopithecines and is associated with the first stone tools (Oldowan)
• Homo erectus had a larger brain, taller stature, and more human-like skeleton than earlier hominins
  • They were the first to leave Africa, controlled fire, and made more sophisticated stone tools (Acheulean)

Significant Fossil Discoveries

• 1924: Raymond Dart discovers the Taung Child, the first Australopithecus africanus fossil, in South Africa
• 1974: Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discover Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) in Ethiopia
  • Lucy's skeleton was around 40% complete and provided valuable insights into early hominin anatomy and locomotion
• 1984: Turkana Boy, a nearly complete Homo erectus skeleton, is found in Kenya by Kamoya Kimeu
  • This fossil revealed the tall, human-like stature and larger brain size of Homo erectus
• 2003: The skeleton of Homo floresiensis (nicknamed "The Hobbit") is discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores
  • This diminutive hominin, which lived around 50,000 years ago, challenged ideas about human evolution and dispersal
• 2013: The Dinaledi Chamber in South Africa yields over 1,500 fossil specimens of Homo naledi, a previously unknown hominin species
  • Homo naledi had a mix of primitive and derived features and lived surprisingly recently (236,000-335,000 years ago)
• 2019: Fossils of Ledi-Geraru Homo, dated to 3.8 mya, push back the origin of the genus Homo by 400,000 years

Genetic and Molecular Evidence

• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited only from the mother and can be used to trace maternal lineages
  • Analysis of mtDNA from living humans suggests that all modern humans share a common maternal ancestor who lived in Africa around 150,000-200,000 years ago (Mitochondrial Eve)
• Nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both parents, provides a more complete picture of genetic relationships
  • Comparisons of nuclear DNA between modern humans and Neanderthals suggest that they interbred, with 1-4% of modern Eurasian genomes being of Neanderthal origin
• Ancient DNA extracted from fossil remains has revolutionized the study of human evolution
  • Sequencing the genomes of Neanderthals and Denisovans has revealed their genetic similarities and differences to modern humans
• Molecular clock techniques use the rate of genetic mutations to estimate the timing of evolutionary splits
  • These methods suggest that the human-chimpanzee split occurred around 7-6 mya and that modern humans emerged in Africa around 300,000-200,000 years ago
• Genetic evidence also supports the Out of Africa model, which proposes that modern humans originated in Africa and then migrated to other continents, replacing earlier hominin populations

Environmental Influences on Human Evolution

• Climate change, particularly shifts between wet and dry periods, likely played a significant role in shaping human evolution
  • The expansion of savanna environments in Africa during the Pliocene may have favored the evolution of bipedalism and larger brains
• Cooler, drier conditions during the Pleistocene led to the extinction of many plant and animal species, potentially influencing hominin diets and adaptations
• The ability to adapt to diverse environments and climates may have been a key factor in the success and spread of Homo erectus and later Homo sapiens
• Environmental pressures, such as the need to find food and shelter, likely drove the development of tool use and other cognitive and cultural innovations
• Changes in sea level during the Pleistocene created land bridges (such as the Bering land bridge) that facilitated the dispersal of hominins across continents
• The Toba supervolcano eruption around 75,000 years ago may have created a population bottleneck in early modern humans, reducing genetic diversity

Cognitive and Cultural Developments

• The increasing complexity of stone tools over time reflects the cognitive evolution of hominins
  • The transition from Oldowan to Acheulean tools around 1.7 mya suggests an increase in planning and foresight
• The use of fire, first associated with Homo erectus, provided benefits such as warmth, protection, and the ability to cook food
  • Cooking may have played a role in supporting larger brain sizes by increasing the energy available from food
• The appearance of symbolic artifacts, such as cave paintings and ornaments, marks the emergence of modern human cognition and culture
  • The oldest known cave paintings, found in Indonesia, date back to around 44,000 years ago
• The development of language was a crucial step in human cognitive and cultural evolution
  • While the origins of language are difficult to trace in the fossil record, the presence of symbolic artifacts and the FOXP2 gene suggest that Homo sapiens possessed language abilities
• The Upper Paleolithic Revolution, which occurred around 50,000-40,000 years ago, saw an explosion of artistic and technological innovation
  • This period is associated with the spread of modern humans across the globe and the extinction of other hominin species
• The Neolithic Revolution, which began around 12,000 years ago, marked the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settled life
  • This shift had profound implications for human society, leading to the growth of cities, complex social structures, and new technologies

Current Debates and Future Research

• The exact nature of the relationship between Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans is still a matter of debate
  • Some researchers argue for a more complex picture of interbreeding and admixture between these species
• The role of climate change in driving human evolution is an active area of research
  • Future studies may shed light on how specific environmental shifts influenced hominin adaptations and dispersals
• The discovery of Homo naledi and other recent fossil finds highlight the potential for new species to be discovered
  • Continued exploration in Africa and Asia may yield new insights into the diversity of the hominin family tree
• Advances in ancient DNA sequencing and analysis techniques promise to reveal more about the genetic history of our species
  • Studying the genomes of archaic and early modern humans can help us understand the genetic basis of uniquely human traits
• The study of ancient proteins, such as those preserved in tooth enamel, is emerging as a new tool for understanding hominin diets and environments
• The application of new dating methods, such as electron spin resonance (ESR) and cosmogenic nuclide dating, can help refine the chronology of key events in human evolution
• Ongoing research into the origins of language, art, and symbolic thought will continue to shed light on the cognitive evolution of our species
  • Interdisciplinary approaches, combining insights from archaeology, linguistics, and neuroscience, may be particularly fruitful
• Future discoveries of hominin fossils and archaeological sites, coupled with advances in analytical techniques, will undoubtedly shape our understanding of human origins and evolution in the years to come.