ANT E101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Ardipithecus Ramidus, Sahelanthropus, Knuckle-Walking
Document Summary
Region where three continental plates meet, pulling apart from one another due to the action of continental drift. Activity of volcanoes has created a stream of lake across the east african valley. Lakes would have been important to early hominins as a source of water and a place for different vegetation and animal communities to convene. Productive in terms of specimens eroding out of sediments and because there is a lot of volcanic activity that have spewed out ash layers which can provide material for chronometric dating. Locomotion of the last common ancestor of gorillas, chimps, and humans. Non-knuckle walking ancestor supported by certain fossils. Knuckle walking ancestor is the most parsimonious hypothesis (requires the least number of evolutionary steps) Ability to provision for the family in the context of the evolution of monogamous systems. Moving across forested patches with higher energetic efficiency. Digitally reconstructed more vertical face, higher skull vault. We don"t know if it"s habitual or not.
