1. Human Evolution and Adaptations
Anthropology:
Human Evolution and Adaptations

2. Evolutionary Theory Charles Darwin 1809-1882
Published Origin of the Species (1859)
Galapagos Islands – observed different species of finches
Controversial !

4. Evolution
Evolution refers to change over time, or transformation over time.
Evolution assumes that all natural forms arose from their ancestors and adapted over time to their environments.
There are numerous ways in which evolution occurs, the most noted are Natural Selection and Adaptation.

5. Darwin’s Theory – Natural Selection
Heritability: Organisms inherit characteristics from their parents
Variation: there is a lot of variation (characteristics that are not similar) within a species
Environmental Fitness: Those traits that allow an individual to survive to reproductive age – to pass on to offspring

6. Darwin’s Finches
An example of Variation

7. Peppered Moth UK – example of natural selection
White and Black moths (Variation)
Food source for birds
Before Industrial Rev. most moths – white - better camouflaged against white lichen (Enviromental Fitness)
Industrial Rev – coal dust turned environment black, now black moths better camouflaged. Black moths now surviving to reproduce and pass their colour to next generation (Heritability)
Now, most moths are black (natural selection)

8. Key Concepts in Evolution
Adaptation
Variation
Natural Selection –
random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival
Survival of the Fittest –
only the necessary characteristics survive – and the species who acquire those characteristics will remain and reproduce

9. Artificial Selection
Human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed.
Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time.
Examples?

10. Evolution – Evidence Physical Anthropologists Look at:
1. Fossil, bone, stone remains (using dating techniques)
2. Microscopic analysis – pollen, scratches on bone
3. Experiments – flake stone techniques

11. Human Evolution

12. Hominids

13. Human Evolution
Primate - Large-brained, mostly tree-dwelling mammals with three-dimensional color vision and grasping hands. Humans are primates.
Hominid: is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the "great apes"), including the humans, chimps, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans

14. The oldest hominids belong to the genus Australopithecus:
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus africanus (example)
Australopithecus robustus
Australopithecus boisei

15. Australopithecus afarensis
Our most ancient ancestor is Australopithecus afarensis. They lived roughly million years ago. " Lucy" is the skeleton remains of an Australopithecus afarensis which has made us aware of this species.
Reconstructed replica of the skull of “Lucy,” found by anthropologist Donald Johanson in 1974 at Hadar, Ethiopia.

18. Hominids - The Human Lineage
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus (example)
Neanderthals
Cro-Magnons
Homo Sapiens

19. Homo Erectus
They inhabited the regions of southeastern and eastern Asia until approximately years ago.
Europe, India, China and Indonesia have all yielded evidence of Homo erectus.
"Turkana Boy" was an African discovery, which shows that Homo erectus had a similar body size to humans. The period that this boy lived in was 1.6 million years ago. Homo erectus, according to some studies, made use of fire and occupied caves.

22. Discoveries of Hominid Remains

23. Documentaries: