Where did we come from? It is the most fundamental question about ourselves. Biological Anthropologists specializing in the study of Human origins are trying to find the answer.
Here you'll find links to overviews of human evolution, weblogs maintained by paleoanthropologists, leading-edge academic publications, and more.
New Discovery Solidifies the Human Family Tree
Nearly complete 3.3 MYA skeleton of young child found
Paleoanthropologists spent the last five years removing the skeleton of a 3-year-old little girl from a river bed. The river bed was now sandstone, and the little girl was a member of the species Astralopithecus afarensis, and she lived over 3 Million years ago.This amazing find, announced last week in the journal Nature, will keep biological anthropologists busy for the next decade. The skeleton is nearly complete, and very little wear occurred prior to its encasement in sandstone.
Examinations of "little Lucy" make it clear that A. afarensis is a transitional species, bridging the gap between primates who moved about in trees or on all fours, and later human ancestors who walked erect on two feet.
Current Thinking on Human Evolution
Traits which are shared by all living humans are believed to have originated in ape-like primates begining around 5 million years ago.
The earliest of such traits, the ability to walk upright (bipedalism), is known to have emerged around 4 million years ago.
The earliest bipedal human ancestors are known by the genus Australopithecus. Found only in Africa, they are believed to have evolved into more advanced hominins which were assigned to the genus Homo.
Homo erectus, first appearing in the fossil record around 1.8 million years ago, spread out of Africa and into Europe, Asia, and Australia. Recent members of the genus Homo, such as H. heidelbergensis, H. sapiens, H. Neandertalensis, and H. Floresiensis, first appeared on the scene some time in the last 100,000 years.
Homo sapiens are believed to trace their ancestry back through Homo heidelbergensis, Homo erectus, and Australopithecus Africanus, and are not direct descendants of the Parantropus genus or Homo Neandertalensis.
Homo Floresiensis is a newly-assigned species, first discovered in 2003 on the Indonesian island of Flores. Multiple specimens have been found representing individuals who would stand around a meter in height. Other than their diminutive size, they appear very similar to H. erectus.
The earliest of such traits, the ability to walk upright (bipedalism), is known to have emerged around 4 million years ago.
The earliest bipedal human ancestors are known by the genus Australopithecus. Found only in Africa, they are believed to have evolved into more advanced hominins which were assigned to the genus Homo.
Homo erectus, first appearing in the fossil record around 1.8 million years ago, spread out of Africa and into Europe, Asia, and Australia. Recent members of the genus Homo, such as H. heidelbergensis, H. sapiens, H. Neandertalensis, and H. Floresiensis, first appeared on the scene some time in the last 100,000 years.
Homo sapiens are believed to trace their ancestry back through Homo heidelbergensis, Homo erectus, and Australopithecus Africanus, and are not direct descendants of the Parantropus genus or Homo Neandertalensis.
Homo Floresiensis is a newly-assigned species, first discovered in 2003 on the Indonesian island of Flores. Multiple specimens have been found representing individuals who would stand around a meter in height. Other than their diminutive size, they appear very similar to H. erectus.
Web Resources on Human Origins
- Human Family Tree
- The Smithsonian has a wonderful phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary relationships between all hominins.
- Human Origins at the Smithsonian
- This site is a vast resource on Human Origins. My favorite part is the Hall of Human Ancestors, where you can learn about all of the extinct hominins, and see photos of the more important specimens.
- Becoming Human
- A documentary experience on the web. Brought to you by the Institue of Human Origins at Arizona State University, directed by Donald Johansen.
- The Genus Homo at Wikipedia
- This is the main landing page for all species of Homo. From here, you can explore the Wikipedia entries for the known species within the Homo genus.
The Latest from John Hawks
John Hawks is a Physical (Biological) Anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin who writes frequently on his web log.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAnthropology Weblogs
- John Hawks Weblog
- John Hawks is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. His interests are Paleoanthropology and population genetics. - Wanna be an Anthropologist
- This is my personal website which chronicles my journey toward an Ph.D. in Anthropology. It includes descriptions of current activities, and online versions of stuff I've written.
- Anthropology.net
- An online community of people with a shared interest in Anthropology. News, blogs, and more.
- Afarensis
- Afarensis serves up interesting anthropological news and tidbits, mostly related to physical anthropology and human evolution. It's part of the Science Blogs network.
Books on Human Origin
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 07/25/2008)
Used Price: $28.25
Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History
Amazon Price: $17.16 (as of 07/25/2008)
Used Price: $17.12
Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/25/2008)
Used Price: $7.15
The Last Human: A Guide to Twenty-Two Species of Extinct Humans
Amazon Price: $29.70 (as of 07/25/2008)
Used Price: $19.95
The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 07/25/2008)
Used Price: $9.34
