1. HUMAN EVOLUTION NATURAL SELECTION— EARLY DAYS!!!

2. A humble beginning?

3. A common depiction of the evolution of mankind

4. WHEN DID HUMANS EVOLVE? “HUMANS ARE PRIMATES, AND THEREFORE SHARE A COMMON ANCESTRY WITH APES.” COMMENT ON THIS STATEMENT WHICH IS FOUND ON PAGE 147 OF “FOCUS ON LIFE SCIENCES 12”

5. The continual discovery of human fossils around the world has led scientists to begin piecing together a kind of incomplete jigsaw puzzle of what the first humans looked like, what they wore, what they ate and how they communicated, to mention just a few aspects. However, many gaps still remain in our knowledge of the chain of events. These gaps get filled in with educated guesses, or hypotheses. As more fossils and other forms of evidence are found, these hypotheses are continually challenged and refined. Once a hypothesis has achieved a certain level of acceptance in the scientific community, it becomes referred to as a theory.

6. Hypothesized Hominoid family tree

7. Hypothesized Hominoid Timeline

8. Shrek!!!!

9. Where do Modern Humans fit in? All modern humans evolved from Homo erectus Homo Erectus was once thought to have descended from H. habilis but this hypothesis has now been rejected (see slide 5) H. erectus evolved in Africa about 1,8 million years ago Discoveries of fossils of H.erectus in Eastern Africa (1,8 mya), Eastern Europe (1,8 mya), China (Peking man 400 000 ya) suggest that H. erectus was the first hominim to leave Africa. Out of Africa (OOA) hypothesis

10. Modern genetic research suggests that all modern humans may have descended from a single population of Homo sapiens living somewhere in Africa about 200 000 years ago. How has genetics been used to provide evidence?? ROLE OF GENETICS IN EXPLAINING HOMININ EVOLUTION

11. Modern Humans 1.Neanderthals (H. neanderthalis) Between 90 000 and 35 000 years ago Neander valley in Germany 2.Cro-Magnon (H. sapiens) Cro-Magnon cave in S.W. France Seem to have replaced H. neanderthalis Why???

12. The evolution of the Corvette What’s my point?