BIOLOGY
Ch 11 - Human Evolution
| 11.1 Primates
• Prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans are primates. They have 5 fingers and opposable thumbs. Primates also have binocular vision. • The first primates were prosimians. • Anthropoids evolved about 35 to 40 million years ago. Apes, monkeys, and humans are anthropoid. • Humans and chimpanzees share 98.4 percent of their DNA nucleotide sequences. 11.2 Evolutionary Origins of Humans • Humans and their closest fossil relatives are known as hominids. • The earliest hominids belong the the genus Australopithecus. • Fossils show that upright walking evolved soon after the evolutionary line leading to modern humans diverged from the line leading to chimpanzees. • Australopithecus afarensis walked upright but had an ape-sized brain. 11.3 The First Humans • The genes Homo evolved in Africa about 2 million years ago.The first member of the genus was Homo habilis. • Homo habilis was later replaced by Homo erectus. Homo erectus migrated out of Africa to Europe and Asia. • Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa. • Homo sapiens that lived in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, from 130,000 to 400,000 years ago are known as Neanderthals. • Modern Homo sapiens evolved in Africa about 100,000 years ago and migrated to Europe about 40,000 years ago. |