HUMAN EVOLUTION

Based on Research Accounts made from Geological and Archeological Websites and Science study
platforms.

DEFINITION

Human Evolution, the process by which human beings developed from now-extinct primates. In a
zoological perspective, we humans are referred to as homo sapiens, this is a culture characterized by
upright-walking species, that live on the ground and very likely must have first evolved with in the
Africa, about 315,000 years ago.

FINDINGS

Millions of years before industry, agriculture, and civilization, the world would be ready to witness
one creature’s unprecedented rise, the human. The story of humanities evolution begun about 7
million years ago, when the human lineage broke away from that of the chimpanzees. Overtime an
unsampled cast of over 20 early human species or Hominins came to the floor. Most became extinct
while others might have been ancestors to today’s humans. Each species exhibited varying degrees
of human like physical behavioral traits, such as large brains, small teeth, bipedality and tool use.

These Hominins fell into three major groups;

Early Hominins,

 Sahelanthropus tchadensis
 Orrorin Tugenensis
 Ardipithecus Kadabba
 Ardipithecus Ramidus

Australopithecines

 Paranthropus Boisei
 Paranthropus Aethiopicus
 Paranthropus Robustus
 Australopithecus Garhi
 Australopithecus Africanus
 Australopithecus Sediba
 Australopithecus Afarensis
 Australopithecus Anamensis

Homo

 Homo Denisova
 Homo Neanderthalensis
 Homo Floresiensis
 Homo Heidelbergensis
 Homo Habilis
 Homo Erectus
  Homo Rudolfensis
 Homo Naledi
 Homo Sapiens

The first phase of hominin evolution involved primates called Early Hominins.

Humanities earliest relatives lived somewhere between 7 to 4.4 million years ago in Africa.

 Sahelanthropus Tchadensis
 Orrorin Tugenensis
 Ardipithecus Kadabba
 Ardipithecus Ramidus

Having shared most recent common ancestor with chimpanzees, they shared ape-like traits. Such as;
Small Cranial Capacity.

However, some apes were also exhibiting Human-like traits such as; Small canines used more for
eating and not for hunting or fighting.

The next phase of hominin evolution involved primates called Australopithecines. These lived
between 4.4 – 1.4 million years ago in Africa as well.

 Australopithecus Anamensis
 Australopithecus Afarensis
 Australopithecus Africanus
 Australopithecus Garhi
 Paranthropus Boisei
 Paranthropus Aethiopicus
 Paranthropus Robustus

Like there ancient brethren, Australopithecines had some ape like traits. However, changes I the
skull, spine and legs indicate a notable shift toward a very human-like trait, consistent bipedal
locomotion.

The third and current phase of human revolution involved members of the genus Homo. These have
lived since 2 million years ago, making them a contemporary of Australopithecines.

 Homo Neanderthalensis
 Homo Floresiensis
 Homo Heidelbergensis
 Homo Habilis
 Homo Erectus
 Homo Rudolfensis
 Homo Naledi
 Homo Sapiens

But unlike earlier hominins who exhibited a mosaic of ape and human like traits. Homo species were
distinctly becoming more human. There cranial capacity was growing larger than any other
hominins.
They developed sophisticated stone tool technology, and they became the first to control fire. These
physical and behavioral adaptations along with advancements in technology allowed some homo
species to be the first to migrate out of Africa and explore the rest of the world. While a cast of over
20 hominin species have left this earth, only one remains, Homo Sapiens.

These have been shaped by over a million years of revolution. Embarked on a journey of exploration.
And Industry its ancestors could have only dreamed.

SOME OF THE HOMININS DISCUSSED AND DESCRIBED.

Based on multiple Archeological accounts, there’s been an unarguable belief that from the asteroids
that happened to destroy the dinosaur era/race to extinction came with a serious evolution of the
first human forms, from the various species of creatures that happened to exist after that timeline.

On the other hand, I believe the first of our kinds must have had the most similarity to ours, we
would refer to features like the endo skeleton, body tissues, the structural design of the skulls,
sculps, teeth and even features such the pelvic bones and locomotion.

To back my argument, I sourced out part not all, of the different hominins that peopled the Earth,
starting from the remote past and moving to the present.

Australopithecus Anamensis

One of the earliest species of the ape-man is dated as being 4.2

million years old. They walked upright, and to judge from the seeds
found with its bones, the ape-men was still spending pretty much of
this time within the woodland and had no yet completely acclimatized
to life on the open savannah.

Australopithicus afarensis

Afarensis remains have been dated as being between 3m and 4m

years old. Was a little bigger than anamensis in size. They were
mainly vegetarian. Interestingly, its skeletons vary from to 1.5m in
height, which suggests that species may have been dimorphic, like
gorillas, which have large-bodied males who compete for access
to groups of smaller females.
Australopithecus africanus

Another ape like predecessor of modern humans, Africanus,

provided the first solid evidence that mankind’s roots were
African and not Asian as many scientists then thought. Africanus
thrived between 3.5m and 2.5m years ago. It was also vegetarian
in diet.

Homo habilis

Homo habilis is a phrase that means “handy-man” were the first

hominid species to make stone tools. Their anatomy is poorly
understood due to lack of specimens, even though the skulls
have been found to have a brain capacity of about half that of
modern man but twice that of australopithecine ape-men.

Homo erectus

The specimen of Homo erectus dated about 1.5m years ago, the
fossil of Nariokotome boy was found. It appeared to have been 9
to 11 years of age by the time it passed. He was already 1.6m tall
and might have reached 1.9m if he had reached adulthood. Homo
erectus was known as to be highly active, a hunter on the
savannah that needed to lose heat with maximum efficiency.
Homo Heidelbergensis

Remains of this thick-boned species were first found near

Heidelberg. Heidelbergensis remains have been dated as being
400,000 to 500,000 years old was a hunter and a skillful
weapon-maker to judge from the fine stone axes left near the
sites where it killed and butchered animals such as rhinos.

Homo Neanderthalensis

Neanderthals had first appeared in Europe 250,000 years ago.

They had thick-set, mighty hunters who survived at least two
Ice Ages before abruptly disappearing from the continent
about 35,000 years ago. Neanderthals buried their dead,
suggesting they possessed spiritual beliefs and made highly
sophisticated stone tools. DNA studies show that they have
possessed the power of complex speech and red hair.

Homo Floresiensis

Homo Floresiensis was discovered on the Indonesian island of

Flores. Flore’s man was only a meter high with a small brain. Its
skulls, bone fragments, and stone tools have been dated as
being between 94,000 to 13,000 years old. Due to their tiny
stature, they were nicknamed Hobbit.
Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens or “wise man” is distinctive for its large

brain, tool-making expertise, capacity for symbolic
thought, use of language, and ability to cooperate. Such
attributes have made us formidable hunters, producers of
great artistic works, and polluters on a vast scale. They
have also brought us world domination. For the first time
in the past 4 million years, the planet has only one species
of hominid: Homo sapiens.

REFERENCES

https://explorebiotech.com/human-evolution-timeline-evolved/

https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution/The-fossil-evidence

Human Origin 101 | National Geographic Society