Hominins and Their Presence in the East African Rift Valley and South Africa
Evidence of the oldest forms of hominins is thought to be dated back to nearly five million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch (Feder, 2013). Although the locations from where these specimens were found vary, a majority of early hominin evidence was found in the East African Rift Valley and South Africa. Archeologists and anthropologists alike theorize that the location of these hominin fossils is not random or a coincidence. Environmental and climatic alterations to these sites are linked to the evolution of early human ancestors and the oldest classes of hominins (deMenocal, 1995). This paper will discuss how the East African Rift Valley and South Africa have
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In fact, many caves were discovered after efforts to mine the limestone in the area resulted in the revelation of their entrances (Conroy et al., 1998). Since the discovery of such monumental materials, the quarry is no longer mined. Because of this fortune of artifacts that it has provided and the enlightening information it produced about the evolution of hominins from other early human ancestors such as australopithecines, it has been deemed “The cradle of mankind” (Magnussen and Visser, 2003). The discovery of Australopithecus africanus “Mrs. Ples” occurred in Sterkfontein and altered our perspective of contemporary paleontology (Conroy et al., 1998). Mrs. Ples was discovered by Dr. Robert Broom and was dated to be two million years old. A juvenile fossilized skull was discovered in the Taung cave, commonly known as the Taung Child. This was significant because this led many to believe that South Africa was the origin of mankind (Conroy et al., 2008). The reason that other regions in Africa have not had such success with hominin evidence preservation is because the sedimentary and stone benefits are not offered in their flat grasslands like they are in the Rift Valley and caves of South Africa (Maslin et al., …show more content…
Because of the fault lines that created the Eastern African Rift Valley and its affects on climate and food source availability, the australopithecines that came before early hominins were obligated to adjust from quadripedal to bipedal, increase their brain size and develop greater jaw muscles in order to withstand such extreme environmental pressures (Feder, 2013) (Gani and Gani, 2008) (Maslin et al., 2008) (Ungar and Sponheimer, 2011) (Lewin and Foley, 2004). Rapid and frequent fluctuations in climate (variation selection hypothesis) is most likely the major pressure that required early human ancestors to modify from what was once a lush, forest landscape to a drier, vaster grassland (Maslin et al., 2008). Because of the unique environment of the Eastern African Rift Valley and the limestone caves of South Africa, some of history’s most telling samplings of our early human ancestors have been preserved for some more than 5 million years (Conroy et al., 2008) (Maslin et al., 2008). With persistent efforts by archeologists and anthropologists alike, these valuable locations known as “The Cradle of Mankind” will continue to map out the origin on humankind and explain how environmental factors are the main reason why we are the species we are today
A study performed by Martin Hausler and Peter Schmid of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, appeared in the October 1995 issue of Journal of Human Evolution, igniting controversy over the 1974 Australopithecus discoveries in Hadar, Ethiopia. The most famous of the Hadar specimens is the 3-million-year-old skeleton, “Lucy,” who was recovered by paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson. In his article, Shreeve presents the methods and findings of Hausler and Schmid’s study as well as some counter arguments from other scientists in the field.
Wilford, J. & Co., Ltd. (2004).Another Branch of Early Human Ancestors Is Reported by Scientists. Online [Online], March. Available at: http://gateway.proquest.com [Accessed 28 March 2004]. References Articles from Nature “Geology and Paleontology of the Late Miocene Middle Awash Valley, Afar rift, Ethiopia,” Giday Woldegabriel, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Paul R. Renne, William K. Hart, Stanley H. Ambrose, Berhane Asfaw, Grant Heiken, and Tim White, Nature 412, 175-178 (12 July 2001)
Allen, John S., and Susan C. Anton. "Chapter 13 The Emergence, Dispersal, and Bioarchaeology of H. sapiens." Pearson Custom Anthropology. By Craig Stanford. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 200+. Print.
Arguably the most remarkable thing about Homo naledi is how and where it was found. Back in 2013, two eagle-eyed cavers spotted human remains in a remote cavern deep inside the Rising Star cave system, just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The chamber, dubbed the Denaledi Chamber ("chamber of stars"), is about 30 meters below the surface and accessible only via more than 80 meters of often extremely narrow passages. Berger himself was too large to access the fossils, so he gathered a team of scientists small and limber enough to make the arduous descent. Berger 's team found there was the largest and most varied assemblage of hominin fossils ever found in Africa. Homo naledi
The evolution of man is constantly in question. While we are reasonably sure that modern humans and primates are both related to the same common ancestor, there is constant debate over what initially caused the two species to split into early hominids and apes. According to some, our longest and most popular theory on the division of man and ape is profoundly wrong. However, those same individuals usually offer an equally controversial theory as a substitute, one that is almost impossible to scientifically test or prove. Both the Savanna Theory and the Aquatic Ape Theory offer solutions to how and why humans evolved into bipedal toolmakers. But with enough questioning, each loses its accountability to rhetorical science.
Ever since the Pleistocene era, human societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way of further explanation, amino acids from the proteins are used to make the neurotransmitters that allow your brain cells to network and communicate. Amino acids that come from the protein you eat are the building blocks of your brain’s network. They can excite or calm your brain as well as nourish your brain throughout its lifetime. Also, they allow the body's own proteins to be used to support life, particularly those found in muscle. This led humans to develop intelligence and create a wide variety of tools. These tools are what the early hominids used to develop their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers, making humans a more dominant mammal within that ecosystem.
Wilford, John Noble. "Homo Naledi, New Species in Human Lineage, Is Found in South African Cave." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for well over 100,000 years. Then suddenly Homo neandertalensis began to die out and surrender the earth to Homo sapiens. Paleontologists and anthropologists have entertained several possibilities to the causes of this event: interbreeding among Neanderthals and humans, competition for natural resources, and Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest.” What the real cause has been has plagued scientists for years. Now, due to an international research team from Germany, those possibilities have been even further deduced, making it easier to pinpoint the exact reason Homo neandertalensis became extinct.
“Multiregional evolution requires the "simultaneous" or "convergent" evolution of modern humans in different isolated populations,” (Hawks and Wolpoff 89) and is based on the idea that earlier hominids, such as Australopithecines, e...
Apart from Homo habilis, Homo erectus was also found in East Africa around 1.9 million years ago (Relethford, 2010). Homo habilis had more prim...
Paleoanthropology: Pliocene and Pleistocene Human Evolution. Paleobiology, 7:3:298-305. Frayer, David W. and Milford Walpoff 1985 Sexual Dimorphism. Annual Review of Anthropology, 14:429-473 Key, Catherine A. 2000 The Evolution of Human Life History.
“The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.
Throughout history, humans have asked many questions in regards to our own beginnings. Religion and science have examined what makes us who we are, and have tried to answer the enduring question of our own modern origins. Scientifically, theories are still debated as to when, where, and how modern Homo sapiens came to be what they are today. There are two major theories that now dominate the discussions of experts in the field of biological anthropology: the “Out-of-Africa” model and the “Multiregional” model of evolution. Stringer and Andrews argue that genetic and paleontological evidence supports a more recent Out-of-Africa model as opposed to a more drawn out Multiregional method that also incorporates gene flow (1263). In contrast, Wolpoff, Hawks, and Caspari claim that the Multiregional model is misunderstood, and clearing up discrepancies could bolster support for this theory instead (129). Pearson notes that while people like Wolpoff et al defend the Multiregional model, archaeological evidence seems to show that likely no intermixture between modern Homo sapiens and other archaic hominins happened during the spread of early Homo sapiens out of Africa (145). It is easy to see that the debate lingers onwards with an end not clearly in sight. This paper will further examine the arguments asserted by these authors and identify their core arguments, the data they use to support their arguments and determine which paper is the most convincing of the three.
The article called Evidence supporting an intentional Neanderthal burial at La Chapelle-aux-Saints involved a 13-year study on the Neanderthal remains found at the la Chapelle-aux-Saints site discovered in southwestern France in 1908. The first Neanderthal discovered at la Chapelle-aux-saints was in 1908 and dubbed the LCS1 Neanderthal. LCS1 was found in a 39-centimeter-deep pit and has been very highly debated over to be proof that Neanderthals buried their dead. More information and a greater understanding of the La Chapelle site was needed to better understand its occupational purpose and if it was indeed a Neanderthal burial site. Due to this the study began in 1999 and began with the excavation of seven other nearby caves, a further two children and one adult Neanderthal were found based on Neanderthal tooth remains that were found along with the bones of animals such as reindeer and bison. The researchers of the study also went back and examined this 39-centimeter burial pit where the skeletal remains of the LCS1 Neanderthal was discovered to verify whether it was built or simply a natural cave formation. When the pit was examined It showed no evidence of tool use for the pits construction but a
Throughout the long winding road that is human evolution; many species have helped shape who we are today. There was the early Australopithecus africanus which began to walk bipedally-upright with two feet and the Homo habilis which drastically developed the construction of handmade tools. But there is one species who is to be credited for the most critical advancements in human evolution; Homo erectus. Not only did Homo erectus advance us the most biologically, but also the most geographically.