History 8 Human Origins Concepts

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Concepts:

1. Reasons for rise of Australopithecines.

The australopithecines lived around 5-6 million years age and disappeared in one million BC. The following reasons describe the rise of the australopithecines:

-Six million years ago, the jungles in Africa became to dried out and the forests shrunk. This caused both a crisis in food and habitat availability. Some primates were forced out onto the now open grassland. A large number of theses primates did not survive, however the ones who did devised and gained new techniques for survival.

-As life in the savannah moved on, the australopithecines became equipped with natural defenses. They used their hands to hurl stones and sticks. Throughout the years, the australopithecines gained a substantial skeletal, which helped improve their stance. They also acquired an opposable thumb grip, which made it easier to grasp and throw things.

-The hip joints were modified, causing the legs to align with the backbone. The knees grew closer together to help bear the total weight of the body. The feet became more arched and the ankles became stronger. The big toe became more aligned with the other toes, allowing the feet to take the full weight of the body.

link on more background information about the australopithecines: http://www.stanford.edu/~harryg/protected/chp18.htm

CF:Pages 20-21

-Grace Amandes

2. Advantages and disadvantages of bipedalism.

-Advantages include being able to throw well in order to ward off predators, and being able to carry multiple items in two hands, not just in one's mouth. Chimps have the ability to stand upright, but they use an abnormally large amount of energy to keep their balance. The way the human skeleton is constructed can save energy while gathering food and traveling around on foot, and this saved energy can go into growth and population. Humans evolved to be able to walk and run long distances and hunt meat, which are definitely advantages.

-At the same time, the disadvantages include speed: using four limbs to move is quite a bit more efficient. Bipeds are also plagued with pain in their backs, feet, and joints because the act of walking shifts muscles and bones in new ways and they have to absorb the shocks of striking the ground. Also, unfortunately, modern humans do not have stability, or the ability of grasping things with our feet.

-While there are definitely both advantages and disadvantages of bipedalism, in my opinion the ability to stand upright is essential, for without it, humans wouldn't be able to dance, and the enjoyment of that art is critical to society, both future and past.

Sources: History Manual pg. 21

[[1]]

-Libby Carr

3. Australopithecus :lifestyle of Australopithecus.

-The earliest Australopithecus, abundant in Africa, lived around five to six million years ago and disappeared from the earth around one million BC(CF 20-21). This species was the first of our pre-human ancestors to be discovered and there were many different types of this species, but was later rejected from the human family tree because of its small size brain(CF 20-21). The fossils of the first bipeds showed the huge number of anatomical changes from their ancestors.

-Not much is known about the lifestyle of Australopithecus because they left behind no artifacts such as tools(Australian Museum). However, we still know a bit about their lifestyle. One of the clues that we have interpreted about their lifestyle is that on the savanna, much of the food is underground. Hominids that had more dexterity were able to use some form of digging stick to access the food(CF 20-21). This suggests that they used some simple tools such as sticks or rocks, but they did not modify them, making it hard to identify them as tools this species used(Australian Museum). We can also infer that they ate lots of coarse plant and vegetables by their large molars, ideal for grinding these types of food(CF 20-21). During the day, they stayed on the grasslands and lake-sides of Africa. It also seems likely that they lived in small social groups of males and females(Australian Museum). These are a few facts that we have been able to infer from fossils about the lifestyle and general information about the species Australopithecus.

Link with more information: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Australopithecus-afarensis/ (Australian Museum)

CF: Pages 20-21

-Grayson Christ

4. Reasons for extinction of Australopithecus.

-The Australopithecus went extinct around one million B.C.

-Australopithecus, latin for southern ape, are ancestors of the modern humans. They existed in Africa with the Homo Habilis for about 800,000 years. While some species were growing in size and strength, the Australopithecus were becoming extinct because they couldn't adapt to the harsh society/life in the savannas of Africa. Even though they were bipedal, meaning they walked on two legs, they had very small brains which did not help them as a species. The gazelle, the orynx, the horse, and the early Homo overshadowed the Australopithecus and they slowly died out about one million B.C..

Works Cited:

"Reasons for Extinction." Origins. Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Comp. Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliot. Vol. 1. Houston: St. John's School, 2012. 21-21. Print.

McHenry, Henry, IV. "Australopithecus." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://m.eb.com/topic/44115>.

By: Camille Dawson

5. Characteristics of H. Habilis

The Homo habilis species first emerged about 2.3 million years BC and ended about 1.5 million years BC. The following characteristics of a Homo habilis are stated below.

-The Homo habilis weighed around 110 pounds and had a height of four feet tall. The size of the Homo habilis was rather not astonishing, but there brains size was incredibly large in comparison to the australopithecine. The brain of a Homo habilis was 800 cc or 800 cubic centimeters, much larger than the previous brain size ranging from 440 cc to 650 cc held by the Australopithecines. This increase in brain size was about 50 percent.

-The Homo habilis also had a more rounded and larger skull to help hold the much larger brain. Also a forehead started to appear and facial projection was reduced. Along with that, the spinal cord was located in the center of the skull, allowing the the Homo habilis to stand straight up.

-The jaw was smaller than previous species and the teeth were located in an arc like formation. Also teeth were smaller and less jagged than those of a predator but sharper than those of a herbivore, implying that the Homo habilis ate meat and plants.

-The legs of the Homo habilis were relatively short, relating the Homo habilis to an ape like creature with the ability to walk on two feet. Also fingers were aligned so that gripping and throwing objects was easier.

-The Homo habilis was also an Omnivore. An omnivore eats meat and plants, Omni meaning all and vore meaning to eat. The Homo habilis needed another source of food rather than plants to help power their much larger brain and meat was the only other option, but obtaining meat was not easy. Due to the fact that the Homo habilis did not have the characteristics of a natural born killer he had to scavenge of off the remains of dead animals.

-The Homo habilis also created tools to help with daily life. One tool is a knife like rock created by chipping away at a stone. This sharp tool and weapon allowed the Homo habilis to cut through tough tissues to reach the meat of a dead animal. This is an example of how the Homo habilis adapted to help survive in the harsh environment.

sources

CF: Page 22

Dorey, Fran (2009) Homo habilis. Australian Museum:http://australianmuseum.net.au/Homo-habilis/

By: Gregory Estrera

6. Effects of Meat in diet

7. Sweating

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states that sweating is to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands. There are over two and a half million sweat glands all over individual’s bodies. The most common areas to sweat are the palms, forehead, soles of the feet, and armpits. This is due to the fact that there is an abundance of sweat glands in those areas. Sweat is made up of a mixture of 99% water and 1% salt and fat, and about one quart of liquid a day evaporates through the process of sweating. When a person’s body becomes hot, they will begin the process of sweating, cooling the body. Also, when individuals are nervous or under tremendous pressure, they will begin to sweat. There are advantages and disadvantages of sweating. The disadvantage is that is causes you to loose some of the water in your body that you need, but an advantage is that sweat is able to cool down your body when doing very active things. According to the textbook, the Homo habilis depended on sweating to cool them off when hunting large resting predators during the hottest part of the day. It is amazing that humans sweat more than any other mammal even though their sweat glands are the same size as other them.

Works Cited:

Manuel page 23: “Early Hominids.” Origins. Manuel for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Comp. Clay Elliot and Rosie Beniretto. Vol. 1. Houston: St. John’s School, 2012. 20-51. Print.

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: “Sweat.” Merriam-Webster. 2012. Merriam-Webster. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweat>.

Online Article: “Sweating.” Penn Medicine. A. D. A. M., 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.pennmedicine.org/encyclopedia/em_DisplayAnimation.aspx?gcid=000127&ptid=17>.

-Katie Malcolm

8. Factors in Brain growth

9. Problems with large brain/solution

-Problems:

There was a need for higher intelligence for...
   -the making of tools
   -imagining these tools made out of stone
   -creating languages
   -makeing rules 
(Greater intelligence meant growth in brain size)

The head grew to accommodate the new brain size and the pelvis became wider and if it became any wider then the hominid would not be able to fit through the female birthing canal.

-Solution: The bipedalism or brain growth would have to be sacrificed.

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/histoire_bleu04.html

CF page 24

Louisa Morgan

10. Characteristics of H. ergaster

11. differences with H. erectus

12. Climate and its effects

13. Glacial periods

14. Fire

15. Social development

16. H. heidelbergensis

17. Characteristics of Neandertal **18. Tools

**19. Cultural life

**20. Mental development

21. Characteristics of H. sapiens

**22. technology

**23. blade and burin society

**24. weapons

**25. social organization

**26. dispersed leadership

**27. cooperation and its effects

**28. communication/art

**29. other advances

30. Explain both the multiregional and diffusionism/ Out of Africa hypotheses

31. H. sapiens is the only hominid left. Why?

32. H. sapiens were able to settle in such diverse habitats. Give reasons and rationale.

33. Id The Aurignacians

34. ID Gravettians

35. ID Magdalenians

36. ID Natufians