The Evolution of Humans
By. Jayden Russell
Who are the ancestors of Humans?
Humans share about 99% of our genetic sequence with Chimpanzee's and Bonobos, which suggests that Humans share a common ancestor with Chimps and Bonobos.The human descent diverged from apes at least seven million years ago and maybe as long as 13 million years ago. The first group of humans the Ardipithecus group which lived from about six to four and a half million years are the earliest form of humans closest to other primates evolved in Africa and took the first steps toward walking upright on two legs known as bipedalism.
Ancestors of Humans
Ardipithecus group( 6 - 4.5 million years ago) They evolved in Africa and took the first steps toward walking.
Australopithecus group( 4 - 2.5 million years ago) This species started walking upright on a regular basis, but still kept on climbing trees.
Paranthropus group ( 2.5 - 1.5 million years ago) This group had large teeth and powerful jaws which help them eat a number of foods.
Homo group ( 2 million years ago - Today) Many species in this group had large brains and used tools. Members of this group were the first to expand beyond Africa.
Fossil Evidence
Early human fossils have been found more than 6,000 individuals. This means that some of the early human species ae represented by a few fossils, others are represente by one thousand. From these fossils scientists can understand things like:
- how well adapted an early human species was for walking upright
- how well adapted an early human species was for living in hot, tropical habitats or cold, temperate environments
- the difference between male and female body size, which correlates to aspects of social behavior
- how quickly or slowly children of early human species grew up.