Big Trends in

Human Evolution

General Time Frame

Hominids evolved from earlier primates, of which date from the Eocene (55-34mya) to late Miocene (7-5mya)

Prehominid primate fossil record

Modern Homo sapiens sapiens with the hand of a female

Australopithecus sediba – one of our earliest ancestors!

Introduction – Human Evolution Mosaic Evolution: Different parts evolve at

different rates and at different times

With respect to human evolution:• Five key attributes• Developed at varying times along our

evolutionary history

But how did we get here? Bipedalism 7 mya

Nonhoning chewing 5.5 mya

Material Culture and Tools 2.5 mya

Speech 2.5 mya

Hunting 1 mya

Bipedalism One of the earliest

anatomical adaptations

Upright, bipedal gait was the first hallmark feature

When: 7mya

6 areas of the body

Anatomical Adaptations for Bipedalism1. Foot

Increase in surface area

Changes to hallux Double-arched foot

2. Lower Limbs Elongated relative to arms

& trunk

Anatomical Adaptations for Bipedalism

3. Knee & Femur Increase in surface area Extension decreased Femur - angled towards the

middle of the body

Anatomical Adaptations for Bipedalism

4. Pelvis Basin-Shaped Pelvis Boarder, shorter blades

Anatomical Adaptations for Bipedalism

5. Vertebral column

S-shaped rather than C-shaped

Morphological Changes 6. Foramen Magnum – underneath the base of

the skull

Bipedal – carries its head atop its skull

Quadrupedal – carries its head on the front of the body

Useful Website for Human Origins

Website