1. Human Evolution

2. Primates
The order Primates includes humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians.
Some taxonomic splitters classify up to 350 species, while lumpers include as few as 190. 
Most estimates are in the range of
Natural Range of Non-Human Primates

3. Primates

4. Primate Characteristics
Grasping limbs, with long fingers and separated opposable thumb

5. Primate Characteristics
Mobile arms, with shoulder joints allowing movement in three planes

6. Primate Characteristics
Stereoscopic vision, with forward facing eyes giving an overlapping field of view

7. Primate Characteristics
Skull and hips modified for upright posture

8. Taxonomic Classification of Humans
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Primates
Family Hominidae
Genus Homo
Species sapiens

10. Family Hominidae Includes the extant genera… Homo – humans
Pan – chimpanzees
Gorilla – gorillas
Pongo - orangutans

11. Fossil Evidence of Extinct Hominids
‘Lucy’ – Australopithecus afarensis
40% complete skeleton
Discovered in1974in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley
Estimated 3.2 million years old, and 3.6 feet tall

12. Fossil Evidence of Extinct Hominids
Laetoli Footprints
Estimated Date: 3.6 million years ago
Prints of adult and child walking through volcanic ash
Found in Great Rift Valley

13. The Fossil Evidence of Hominid Evolution is Limited

14. Transitional Fossils In Hominid Evolution

17. Trends in Hominid Evolution
Increasing brain size in relation to body size

18. Hominid Diets and Brain Size
Early hominid skulls display large powerful jaws, indicating a vegetarian diet.
Over time, fossils show an increase in brain size, correlating to discovery of tools.

19. Hominid Diets and Brain Size
Meat contains more energy, allowing increased growth of brain size
Greater intelligence would make for a significant hunting advantage

20. Trends in Hominid Evolution
Increasing adaptation to bipedalism

22. Cultural Evolution
Does not involve changes in allele frequencies in gene pools
Can occur within a individual’s lifetime
Includes language, tool making skills, hunting techniques, agriculture, religion, art, etc.
Currently our cultural evolution is far outpacing genetic evolution