Where do we come from?

For this post we're going to discuss the story of human evolution, the two conflicting theories, the latest discoveries, new evidence that changes history and human characteristics changed.

First, let's discuss the different types of evidence that are used to prove where we come from:

Primary evidence 

·         Skulls - Comes directly form the creature during the time that's investigated. All the measurements, skull capacity, height of the animal are all primary evidence, 

Example given: World War II

o    Soldiers diary - (written during that time)

o    T.ex. concentration camp - Created during that time

o    Fotos, films (as long as they are made during that time!)

Seconday evidence

·         Theories - someones opinion on historical quesion , answers, analyses of source. One looked at the  primary evidence and made a theory.

Now let's go to the 2 major theroies!

There's different species that we're going to look at and discuss:

• Australopithecus
• Homo habilis
• Homo erectus
• Homo sapien archaic
• Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
• Homo sapiens modern

Primary evidence:

• Astralopithecus 

First to walk on two legs! Even though scientests says it walks a bit like a penguin (not one foot in front of the other like us) - so is it still standing up! They are only found in Africa (The Rift Valley to be more specific) by their skull location. Because the location is geologically unstable (the ground moves) evidence have been uplifted to surface. It seems like they originate from there because of its plant life and fresh water. 

• Homo hablis 

They live in the same area as Astralopithecus, but this species walk like us (one foot infront of another). It also has a lager brain, it works in groups, it hunts (small animals) and scavengers in groups!
Please note: IN GROUPS!!!! 

• Homo erectus 

 This species is the most successfull man in our family - they excisted for a million years! It's the first spieces that comes out of  Africa (to Asia, Indonesia and even Europe). They survuved longer than our spicies have so far. But how did they manage to survive for such a long time? Well it had one really good adaptation - body temprature! By sweating it could controll it's body temperature. This is different from many other animals (I mean try to put a polar bear in Africa) So in hot sun it could still go hunting and go on journeys without any bigger problem! Besides they no lobger have to  pant, they have more construvtive activities like talking! They're probably first to use language!

• Homo sapien archaic 

This species is very much alike Homo erectus - it depends on which paelotologist you ask if erectus and archaic is the same spicies because it's very difficult  to spot differences. These have broader fore-heads, while erectus have flatter. Archaic lived in Europe and because of the sunlight, it didn't need that forehead against the sun (Archaic found in China had more direct sunligt and  the forehead developed kept the sun out of the head.) One big thing is that paleontologists say that next to Archaic there's stone tooles, and the tooles are formed to be  held by hands! Therefor it's a debate since some paleontologists say it must be an other speices than the one before. However, another argument some paleontologists have said is that the ones in China didn't need  tools - they had bambu for e.g. cutting blades and bambu rot and therefore no proof. However, one can say they're petty much the same spieces.

• Neanderthals 

They're close to our species. They seem to have adapted to cold climate (during a period that was a lot colder than  today.) They lived along the edges of glaciers in Europe. It's body is adapted: shorter arms and shorter legs to preserve heat, nose is flatter and broader to control temperature. Another thing is that they healed themselves - if they'd get injured (like a cut), they didn't die but the wound healed. They also seemed to care for each other - if you broke a leg the group would look after you with food, water and warmth untill your leg healed. Another interesting piece of  information is their skull size which is bigger than ours. Does that mean that their brains were bigger brain than ours? Were they more intellegent? But neanderthals became extinct because of the glacier. When the glaciers go back and it becomes warmer - homo sapien modern steps in.

• Homo Sapien Modern 

We are homo sapien modern! Our spicies have lived 200 00 years so far. 

Those are our primary evidence, let's take a look at our secondary evidence!

Seconday evidence (to analyse primary evidence!) :

2 THEORIES:

·         OUT OF AFRICA

Erectus evolves in Africa and head in to Asia.

Archaic originated in Africa and head in to Europe.

When erectus archaic went out of Africa they extinct.
And left in Africa alone now Homo sapien modern evolves. Then later on they migrated out to the rest of the world.

·         MULTI REGIONAL

Erectus evolves in Africa, head in to Asia.

Archaic originated in Africa too, head in to Europe 

BUT they don't extinct! They evolve there!!! So a Europiens, asians and Africans are homo sapien modern. This is seen as a racist theory.

In other words: Three seperated spieces with different local climated and therefor they adapt differently but still bond together  to one spieces.

Analysis of the 2 theories and some new evidence...

Multi regional theory is the oldest theory - produced in Europe (written in germany in 1880's.) It was used by nazis people. So the theories can be used politically.

The out of Africa theory - From the 1960's and originated in the US during the civil right movement. The African American people want to remove  segregation and used this politically to promote liberals and equal rights.

Year 2000 there was some new aspects and evidence applied to the debate where we came from: DNA! They extracted DNA from the earliest  homo sapien modern found, 200 000 BP, DNA from Africa. Then they looked at population around the world, and looked  for same pattern in Europe and Asia. The result was that this African DNA has a good percent found in euorpeens and asians! The pattern is found around the  world!

But this wouldn't end the debate, they had to consider another factor. The pattern of Homo sapien modern (originate 200 00 BP) changed suddenly in 50 000 BP.

At 50 000 BP - We started to a weird behavior! We started to decorate ourselves with jewerly, art, religious images, sofisticated tools and more.

They always looked like us, but suddenly acted differently. An uniqe behavior around 50 000 BP. They also think in a religious way like burry people with things (as if they had an after life) and the tools suddelny jump ahead in it's advanceness.

Where we come from, THIS BEHAVIOR must be included! These things makes us human!


Archaeologist have lately also found new pieces of evidence that changes out history!

Latest piece of evidence:

1.       Homo floresiensis (hobbit) - it's smaller than all the other species

A hobbit skull compared to a humans

2.       Neanderthal interbreeding 

3.       Homo denisovan - totally new speices discovered in Russia

A tooth and a finger were found in Russia.

A big chunk of our DNA comes from Africa (95% seems to come from there) but we can see that neantherthael contributed some DNA (4%). We also have Homo denisovan DNA in us.
We can't say that the out of Africa theory is true (there's others spieces from Africa that evolved and survives long enought to meet homo modern from africa, like the tree spiecies named above)

A COMBINATION of both theories is the best solution!

So maybe the best conclusion is that we come from Africa, but what happened at 50 000 BP makes us humans today.

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