BILD 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Selective Sweep, Exaptation, Foxp2
Document Summary
The most recent common ancestor of humans and chimps lived approximately 6 million years ago. Paleontologists have discovered fossils of approximately 20 species of extinct hominids: that are more closely related to humans than to chimpanzees. Hominids originated in africa: approximately 6-7 million years ago. Early hominids had a small brain, but probably walked upright. Two common misconceptions of early hominids include: thinking of them as chimpanzees. Imagining human evolution as a ladder leading directly to homo sapiens. Australopiths are a paraphyletic assemblage of hominids: that lived between 4 and 2 million years ago. Some species walked fully erect: and had human-like hands and teeth. Hominids began to walk long distances on two legs about 1. 9 million years ago. The oldest evidence of tool use - cut marks on animal bones. The earliest fossils that paleontologists place in our genus homo: are those of the species homo habilis, ranging in age from about 2. 4 to 1. 6 million years.
