1. Humans Have a Relatively Short History
1/1/2019 2:00 AM
Humans Have a Relatively Short History
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

2. Fossil Records
Indicate that modern humans have a relatively recent history
Began in Africa
In a short time, humans have become the most numerous and widespread large animal on Earth

3. Early Hominines Hominines – the hominoids in the lineage that led
to humans
Homo Sapien (modern human) – only species in
existence today
Many hominines lived in the past
Earliest hominines may have lived 6 to 7 million years ago

4. Early Hominines
Two important developments in the evolution of hominids:
Upright Posture (leading to 2 – legged walking)
Brain enlargement

5. Early Hominines Sahelanthropus
7million year old – Found in Central Africa
A million years older than any other known hominine
Brain about the size of a modern chimp
Short broad face was more human
Still debate whether this fossil represents a hominine

6. Early Hominines Walking Upright Bipedalism – walking on two feet
Australopithecus Afarensis – oldest evidence of upright posture and walking on two feet.
Walked upright 4 million years ago
Lucy – a female Australopithecus Afarensis
3 ½ feet tall, head about the size of a softball
Australopithecus Afarensis species were extinct by about 1.2 million years ago

7. Early Hominines Australopithecus Afarensis
Dikika Baby
Lucy

8. Early Hominines
Later species overlapped in time with early species of the genus homo.
Walking upright evolved before enlarged brain

9. Early Hominines Enlarged Brain
First enlarged brain relative to body size appeared 2.5 million years ago
Many skulls have been found between the size of Australopithecus and H. Sapiens
Simple stone tools were found with these species
Species name Homo habilis (Handy Man)
Used skilled hands and big brains to invent tools
Enhanced the ability to hunt, gather food, and scavenge for food

10. Brain Structure

11. Brain Structure

12. Brain Structure
Oblongata

13. Early Hominines Language
Estimates range from about two million years ago, during the time of Homo habilis (Handy Man), to as recently as forty thousand (40,000) years ago, during the time of Cro-Magnon man, 

14. Homo habilis - Handy Man
Early Hominines
Homo habilis - Handy Man
Opposable Thumb – thumb could touch the tips of
the fingers, enabling the
grasping of objects and the
use of tools

15. Early Hominines Paranthropus
3 recent species grouped together which grew into the size of well-fed NFL Linebackers placed in their own genus
Diets include course and fibrous plant foods like modern gorillas

16. Early Hominines Homo erectus – first hominine fossil observed in a
continent other than Africa
H. Erectus was taller and had a larger brain that H. habilis
During their 1.5 million years of existence they grew to about the size of modern humans
Oldest H. erectus fossils found outside of Africa are 1.8 million years ago in the country of Georgia, near Russia

17. Early Hominines Homo erectus

18. The Origin of Modern Humans
Early Homo Sapiens coexisted with another hominid species; Homo Neanderthalensis
Neanderthals
Lived in area of Europe
Made tools from stone and wood
Fossil records indicate that Neanderthals
Did NOT give rise to modern Homo
Sapien
Became extinct 30,000 years ago

19. The Origin of Modern Humans
There are many hypothesis for the origin of fully modern humans
Fossil records now suggest that ancestors originated in Africa
Homo Sapien fossils that look like today’s modern Homo Sapien are about 195,000 years old and it was discovered in Ethiopia
Also discovered in Ethiopia
Also supported by DNA

20. Out of Africa Theory
Molecular biologist analyzed mitochondrial DNA from living humans around the world
determined when they last shared a common ancestor.
The estimated date for that African common ancestor is between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago.
More recent DNA data suggest that a small subset of those African ancestors left northeastern Africa between 65,000 and 50,000 years ago to colonize the world.
Data supports Theory

21. Out of Africa Theory

22. The Origin of Modern Humans
New Findings
In 2003 scientist discovered a fossilized skeleton of a previously unknown hominine species
Found on the island of Flores, Indonesia
Called Flores Man (Homo Floresiensis)
Only years old
Smaller skull and shorter than modern Homo Sapiens
Previously thought no other hominine existed while
Homo Sapiens had spread over most of the Earth