ANTHR101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Oldowan, Punctuated Equilibrium, Homo Ergaster
4 Jul 2016
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Grasslands increased: forest decreased some hominoids become extinct, some hominoids adapted to change by spending more time on ground, leads to bipedalism. Hominins (bipedal hominoids: first appeared in africa, end of miocene period between 10 and 5 mya. Within the hominin category, further distinction is made: genus homo, earlier hominin species ex. Paranthropus: sometimes referred to informally as australopiths . Phenotypic pattern that shows how different traits of an organism, responding to different selection pressures, may evolve at different rates. Shows that bipedality had evolved at least a few hundred thousand years before date of 3. 6 [provided by laetoli footprints] Humans have valgus angle: femur pointing inward toward the knee joint: easily transfer their center of gravity directly over stepping foot. Long time around indicates a period of prolonged evolution. More like humans than apes, however: bones in fingers and toes slightly curved, toes much longer. Human dental arch is parabolic, gently rounded.
