What Makes Us Human? Anthropology's Answer

How Do Humans fit in? Social scientists look for answers in: Genetics: the science of inheritance Influences of environment and heredity (transmitting of characteristics from parents to offspring) trace evolutionary development of humans

Anthropology Age of Exploration – 15-16th century – discovery of new species of plants Explorers – interacted with Aboriginal people in North and South America Carolus Linnaeus – first to classify plants and animals according to structures

18/19th Century- discoveries indicated that humans existed on earth for a long time Discovery of fossils Charles Darwin – discoveries in South America lead to theory of Evolution Theory of Natural Selection – process by which animals and plants best adapted to their environment survive and produce similar offspring

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

The Galapagos Islands Where Darwin studied He proposed that the ancestral finches who came to the islands, finding no competitors or predators came to occupy the variety of ecological niches on the islands geographic isolation prevented breeding between those in different areas resulting in a subspecies of finches

The Finches He saw: ground finches which ate food on the ground or in low shrubs tree finches who live primarily on insects

The Science behind the Theory We now know that inherited variation comes about through mutation, random assortment of chromosomes and genes, sexual reproduction where two parents contribute (different) genes to the offspring, and out breeding between different populations of the same species.

Converging Evolution

Homologous structures are those that develop from similar embryological origins. Analogous organs are those that are adapted to the same purpose. Some organs are both homologous and analogous.

Humans and Evolution

Gregor Mendal – provided theoretical background for genetics as part of evolution Patterns of evolutions established 1924 – R. DART discovers fossilized child in South Africa (Australopithecus Africanus), postulates that Humans originated in Africa not Asia as was believed before

Classification Classifying plants and animals according to similarities and differences in the physical structures

Human classifications Kingdom: animal Phylum: Chordata (having a backbone) Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: Sapiens

Human Classifications Primates: humans, apes, monkeys Subdivided into 10 categories Humans – HOMINIDAE – from “Hominids” by anthropologists We have larger braincase than other primates Teeth are placed in rounded arches Big toes are not opposable (able to grasp things) Modern humans ONLY surviving members of this group HOMO – man, SAPIENS – “wise and intelligent”