Who were our Ancestors?

Who our ancestors were is a hotly debated subject! There are so many fossils that appear to be of a similar construction and that could be our forbears, the whole subject gets very confusing.

There are some important aspects to consider though and these run through all the arguments and opinions about which species came before us. These aspects involve having an understanding of the adaptations and characteristics that each species of early ape-human creature had that differentiated one from another.

• For example, tooth arrangement (dentition). The type and arrangement of teeth indicates the type of food the creature would have eaten. From this, it can suggested how the creature lived such as gathering roots and other tough materials. For this, large molars are needed but not like those of a deer or horse. They need to be modified enough to allow chewing and preparation for the ape-human digestive system.

   

*******

• Another aspect is brain size and that can be deduced from the cubic capacity of the cranium. Bigger brain relative to body size is the fundamental characteristic of modern humans for we have an enormous brain relative to our body size when compard to other vertebrates.

   

*******

What this means is that our brain has many folds that increase the area available for development of neurons; more neurons equals greater and more complex physical abilities such as speech. 

• Then there's behaviour and that's a whole new area to consider although it does not have to be complicated or confusing. For instance, which ancient hominid found out about managing fire?  And which type and form of stone tool did particular hominids make?

   

Here's an activity you could do: Get a large sheet of paper (something like A3 or even A2) and work out a timeline for human evolution from the very earliest primate-like animals to the present.

The next activity would be: Draw out a Phylogenetic Tree for humans. A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram of which creature is said to lead on to the next creature - according to current thinking and understanding.