Essays on Hominid

The fossil record of hominids provides evidence for evolutionary processes that ultimately defined and shaped humanity. The record documents the emergence of bipedalism, the origin of the genus Homo, the initial utilization of tools made of stone, the gradual increase in brain size, the appearance of the present-day humans or Homo sapiens, and the development of advanced tools and cultural values. According to the National Research Council (2010), the evolutionary events described in geological records coincided with significant changes in Eurasian and African climate. Hence, they raise the possibility that past environmental features controlled or affected major junctures in ...

Abrigo do Lagar Velho is a rock-shelter in the Portuguese valley that is famous for the stratigraphic range of the Upper Paleolithic human occupations within that area.

Absolute dating technique (chronometric dating) refers to the process of revealing the age on a certain time scale.

Acclimatization is the response of an organism to a gradual change in environmental conditions by adjusting and sustaining within these changes. Acheulian (Acheulean) is a tool made of stone that had round cutting edges and was used during the Lower Palaeolithic era.

Adolescent growth spurt refers to the sharp growth in height and weight rates t during adolescence.

Aegyptopithecus refers to the extinct primate of the Oligocene Period, resembling a modern-day lemur, whose fossils were found in Egypt. Afar Triangle is the region that is part of the ...

L'Engle describes the Paranthropus boisei as an evolutionary kin of human beings, which was discovered in southern side of Africa around 1.5 million years ago (1-19).The discovery of its remains shed some light into the controversy of whether Africa was the home of the evolving man. Paranthropus boisei was also discovered in Olduvai George in Tanzania (Dominguez et al., 13). The hominid is believed to have existed between 2.7-1.3 million years ago. It is particularly unique in its dental structure, having a hyper-thick enamel and thick molars. This gives an idea that this hominid fed on hard foods, ...

Question 1: Describe the basis of the principle of superposition as well as why we cannot date a 1 million year old hominid with radiocarbon dating. According to Hull (191), the principle of superposition states that for any layers or sequence of surface-deposited material, a bed is older than the one above it and younger than the one below it. However, this is not always the case since rocks and beds can buckle causing younger rocks to go underneath older bed. Therefore, the principle should be applied critically. Basically, the principle states that younger rockers lie on older rocks ( ...

Did Human Bipedalism Evolve from a Knuckle-walking Ape Ancestor Did Human Bipedalism Evolve from a Knuckle-walking Ape Ancestor

Introduction

The narratives of human evolution are one of the oft-told scientific stories whenever the topic of the origin of man crops up. However, this topic is also one of the thorniest and most highly contentious. There are major disagreements in the manner in which man first came to be, and every interpretation of almost every new find on the matter will be sure to find opposition among scholars on the field (Harcourt-Smith & Aiello, 2004). While there are numerous causes of disputes ...

In all three versions of the hominid family tree, there are a number of similarities. Each tree must have an evolutionary origin and purpose and whilst the origin does seem to differ from tree to tree, the purpose seems to maintain a constant: Homo Sapiens are always the end point on each tree. Presumably, this is because our species has evolved this far to date and appears to have stayed still for about 200,000 years (Human Origins) whereas another site states 175,000 years (Becoming Human), and another states 100,000 years (PBS). This dispute is commonplace as we are ...