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Evolution
The scientific theory according to which populations change gradually through a process of natural selection.
5,264 Questions
What important characteristic did Lucy the earliest hominid yet found have?
Lucy had several important characteristics from the point of view of researchers trying to understand human origins. These include the fact that the skeleton showed both primitive and more human like traits.
Another significant feature of the particular fossil was its rare level of completeness. This gave palaeontologists the rare opportunity to assess the body proportions of a fossil hominin dating to this period.
Why did human not evolve to breath nitrogen?
The ability to use oxygen in a biological organism evolved long before humans. That does not answer the question, but life on earth would have had to evolve in a totally different way to use nitrogen. Oxygen is a much more reactive element with other elements releasing energy when it reacts, nitrogen is practically an inert element requiring large amounts of energy be added to make it react. Oxygen is so reactive that it was a poison to early living things when the cyanobacteria started releasing it into the atmosphere about 3 billion years ago. Remaining living things to which oxygen is a poison are called anaerobic organisms. The living things that depend on oxygen are called aerobic organisms. Even aerobic organisms that depend on oxygen find its extreme reactivity toxic in many ways and had to evolve complex ways to counter this toxicity, but the tradeoff of much more available energy than anaerobes can get, makes it worth the extra cost of countering the toxicity.
The creationist answer to your question is simply that is just the way God created them. Don't argue, he's God and knows what is best.
Name one reason scientists believe that all life evolved from a single common ancestor?
ERVs, the fused chromosome #2, biogeographical distribution of species, vestigial genes and structures, ring species, computational genomics and proteomics, and direct observation of evolution (HeLa cells, nylonase bacteria)
For more examples of directly observed speciation, put "observed instances of speciation" into google.
There were many factors that contributed to the extinction of various hominid species, such as environmental changes, competition with other species, and possibly disease or genetic factors. Changes in climate, habitat loss, and new predators may have played a significant role in the decline and eventual extinction of some hominid species.
If the history of the earth occupied one year how long would human evolution be?
If we assume "evolution of humankind" to include back to the point of divergence from other apes, then we would use the rough estimate of 6 million years. Out of a 4.54 billion year old Earth, this is a proportion of 1:756.67, or 1/766.66.
Dividing this into the number of days in a year, we would get 0.4824 days or 11.58 hours of human evolution for every year.
Yes, the theory of evolution is well-supported by scientific evidence, including fossil records and genetic studies. Humans share a common ancestor with other primates, and have undergone changes over millions of years to become the species we are today.
Did humans evolve from chimps grasshopper evolve from earthworms hydra evolve from sponges?
Human Beings evolved from the mud worm (as did many other species). Scientists recently discovered that before today's Human Being, there were several species of humans that existed in Africa.
References - PBS Documentary, Becoming Human: Nova (Episodes 1-3)
Note: There were no human beings or chimps 4 billion years ago because at that time, the earth was only 600 million years old. Despite what some believe, Humans did not exist when dinosaurs existed.
Why is there still so much controversy over the evolution of humans from hominids?
I assume you speak of the true controversy that exists in anthropology. Basically this is an argument between " lumpers " and " splitters. " The lumpers want to lump all the various branches of hominids together in a tighter family, thus showing a ancestral progression that is able to be followed easily. The splitters cleave the various hominids onto many more species thus making it very hard to follow the ancestral trail. This is not meant to explain all here, but to give one reason for the controversies in this area.
Physical and behavioral adaptation of humans that help them survive?
Physical adaptations in humans include bipedalism, long limbs for running, and diverse diets for different environments. Behavioral adaptations include social cooperation, tool usage, and cultural learning to adapt to varied environments and challenges for survival.
What year was the first human?
Modern humans evolved in Africa roughly 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. Before them were less sophisticated humans whose ancestors were primates. All of that evolution occurred 2 million+ years ago. Here's a link.
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Another Answer:
Here a chart on humans:
Homo Habilis lived 2.3 to 1.4 million years ago
Homo antecessor lived 1.2 million to 800,000 years ago
Homo Erectus lived 1.8 million to 50,000 years ago
Homo neanderthalensis lived 90,000 to 28,000 years ago
Homo heidelbergensis lived 500,000 years ago
Homo rhodesiensis lived 300,000 years ago
Cro-Magnon lived 55,000 to 10,000 years ago (Cro-Magnon's were Homo-Sapiens, but were still evolving to become US)
Homo sapien idaltu lived 161,000 years ago (oldest representive of the Homo Sapiens species)
Homo rudolfensis lived 2.4 and 1.6 million years ago
Homo ergaster lived
Homo Sapiens Sapiens lived 55,000 ago to now
Homo cepranesis lived 450,000 years ago
Ok, so based on my observations, 2.4 million years ago, Homo Rudolfensis was running around. And he was before Homo hablis, so that makes him, i guess, the first human.
What is the meaning of evolution?
Evolution is generally defined as "a series of changes over a period of time, resulting in something new arising".
In particular, biological evolution is defined as "the change in frequency of alleles in a population's gene pool over a period of time".
The study of what can provide evidence of evolution?
The study of:
(i) Cladistics: regional biodiversity, race circles, and geographical isolation;
(ii) Genetics: DNA, chromosomes, viral insertions, common mutations; and
(iii) Paleontology: fossils.
These are some of the types of evidence for evolution.
Who is Ardi the Ardipithecus ramidus?
Ardi, short for Ardipithecus ramidus, is the nickname for a nearly complete fossilized skeleton of an early human ancestor that lived about 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Ardi is significant because she helps scientists understand the evolutionary link between apes and humans, providing key insights into our early ancestors' behaviors and traits.
Africa.
Actually, Scientists Have Discovered That The Average Lifespan for a New Born Baby Exceed's 100 Year's, If It Is Born in The Next Ten Year's.
86 for a man and 100 for a woman
Well, according to the CIA's The World Factbook, the current average human lifespan is approximately 66 and a half years.
On average the current life expectancy for the world is about 67.2 years. (see the first related link). The current average life expectancy for just the US is 78.3 years. (see the second related link).
A human CAN live up to about 120 years of age, but most people only live to about 80 or 90. The average life span for a woman is 80 years, the average life span for a man is 74.3 years.
The average human life span in the world today is 67.2 years.
Why was the first Australopithecus afarensis found called Lucy?
The first Australopithecus afarensis fossil was named "Lucy" after the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles– which was playing at the expedition camp when the fossil was discovered in Ethiopia in 1974.
How did the first human evolve?
SPECIES
TIME PERIOD
Ardipithecus ramidus 5 to 4 million years ago Australopithecus anamensis 4.2 to 3.9 million years ago Australopithecus afarensis 4 to 2.7 million years ago Australopithecus africanus 3 to 2 million years ago Australopithecus robustus 2.2 to 1.6 million years ago Homo habilis 2.2 to 1.6 million years ago Homo erectus 2.0 to 0.4 million years ago Homo sapiens archaic 400 to 200 thousand years ago Homo sapiens neandertalensis 200 to 30 thousand years ago Homo sapiens sapiens 200 thousand years ago to present
What a question, a large question! There is no, good, short answer. But one would presume that as humans moved north over thousands of years dialects would evolve and change. This can be seen in the similarities between Latin based languages for example. However, not all languages really evolved from the one source, so obviously not all languages have such striking similarities. But if you come to the realisation that all languages are merely 'signs' pointing 'things' then they are all the same, but that is the realm of semiotics. If your interested in modern language's inaccuracies look into Korzybski's E-Prime.
Second answer
I'm going to assume that the asker wants to know about the biological evolution of language. There are two main schools: vocal and gestural. The vocal school posits that human language evolved from the grunts and hoots of our early ape-like ancestors. For instance, the evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar theorizes that as their numbers dramatically increased, our animal ancestors had to find new ways of cementing community bounds over long distances. Therefore, Dubar thinks speaking evolved to replace grooming--the glue of ape society (see Evolutionary Psychology: Beginner's Guide, 2005). The problem with this school is that it cannot account for syntax, or proper grammar like, say, the SVO (subject-verb-object) order of English.
The gestural school posits that human language evolved from the hand gestures of our early ancestors. This is because Chimps, our closest genetic cousins, mostly communicate through visual and tactile cues like facial expressions, hand and body gestures, and bodily contact. Chimps who have been taught American Sign Language progress at the same rate as human children learning sign language or spoken language. Most importantly, they do not make grammatical mistakes. This is because syntax is built into such gestural movements. In his book Next of Kin (1997), Roger Fouts writes:
"But experts in sign language, who assume a gestural origin for language, can explain the emergence of syntax in a much simpler, more commonsense way. You can test it yourself right now by following this suggestion of David Armstrong, William Stokoe, and Sherman Wilcox from their book, Gesture and the Nature of Language:
'If you will, swing your right hand across in front of your body and catch the upraised forefinger of your left hand.'
By enacting this gesture, say the authors, you have just illustrated the most primitive form of syntax. 'The dominant hand is the agent (it acts), its swinging grasp is the action (verb), and the stationary finger is the patient or object. The grammarians' symbolic notion for this is familiar: SVO [subject-verb-object].'
It is easy to imagine our earliest ancestors using this gesture to communicate [using the hand signs], HAWK CAUGHT GOPHER. And they might have modified this sentence with adjectives (two fingers for two gophers) and adverbs (raised eyebrows for expressing disbelief: HAWK SOMEHOW CAUGHT GOPHER). These variations on a relationship are the beginnings of language as we know it" (p. 194).
But how can hand movements lead to oral speaking? Well, the area of the brain that controls detailed movements of the hands also controls the detailed movements of the tongue. Fouts, who is a Prof. of Psychology, taught American Sign Language to a pair of autistic boys who could not speak or even interact in normal social situations with members of their families. The amazing thing is that these boys gained the ability to speak within a few weeks of learning to sign. Nicholas Wade mentions in his book Before the Dawn (2006) that people with a mutated version of FOXP2, the brain gene associated with speech, have great trouble in talking because they do not have proper control of their mouth and tongue muscles. FOXP2 is located close to the gene responsible for autism; therefore, learning to control their hands through sign language helped the autistic boys gain control over their tongues, allowing them to speak.
Researchers have suggested that the FOXP2 gene evolved around 50,000 years ago because human cultural exploded after this point, probably due to language. Vocal language is far more effective in transmitting ideas than hand gestures. This suggests that humans used gestural communication for thousands of years before the gene switched on. It is important to note that a 2012 paper entitled "Monkey lipsmacking develops like the human speech rhythm" points out that the coordination of the jaw, tongue, and hyoid used in primate lip-smacking is comparable to that used for human speech. No sound is produced during lip-smacking because their vocal cords are in the wrong position. Human vocal cords are lower in our throats. Our vocal cord and tongue anatomy had to change before we could produce the sounds that we do today. In conclusion, the road to human speech involved hand gestures, lip-smacking, the dropping of the vocal cords, and the evolution of a brain gene to better control the tongue and mouth muscles.
The human race is believed to have evolved from earlier hominids over millions of years through a process known as human evolution. This evolution occurred through natural selection and genetic mutations, leading to the development of modern humans. The earliest known species in the Homo genus is Homo habilis, which appeared around 2.8 million years ago.
What are the 7 scientific names of a human?
There is some dispute about the "seven" names. However, we do have "homo sapiens", "homo neandertalensis", "homo heidlebergensis","archaic homo sapiens", "homo ergaster","homo erectus", and "homo habilis".
How are humans and apes alike?
They are not alike. The most-oft used argument - that humans and apes share 99% similar genomes, has been proven wrong. The only comparisons done so far pertain ONLY to the 1% of the genome which codes for proteins. No comparison has been done between the ENTIRE human genome and ENTIRE chimp genome. Such a huge and costly study would undoubtedly yield a very low similarity. When comparing ONLY the 1% of the genome which codes for proteins, the similarity is between 70% and 96%, depending on the study.
One reason why very few studies have been done on the NON-protein coding portion of the genome is because, for decades, many scientists assumed it was junk DNA - now we know this was completely wrong. So much for assuming. We now realize the NON-protein coding portion is responsible for many important functions such as preserving the genome itself! Also, a recent report unexpectedly found specific sequence patterns in "junk" DNA called "pyknons" which are responsible for determining when and where proteins are made. Furthermore, within this "junk DNA", the areas of greatest difference appear to involve regions which are structurally different (commonly called "rearrangements") and areas of heterochromatin (tightly packed DNA).
The protein coding portion of the human genome has approximately 50% similarity with bananas. There are several reasons why this is so: 1) All life on Earth is based on the same carbon/water system. 2) In order to eat and digest bananas, we must share genomic similarities, otherwise we wouldn't be able to eat bananas in the first place. Genomic similarity among us is required for all of us to live on earth. 3) If we ever found another organism which we DIDN'T share any genomic similarities, that organism would be from a completely different planet with a different life-sustaining system altogether.
Hominid evolution refers to the evolutionary process of primates that eventually gave rise to modern humans. It includes the development and diversification of various hominid species over millions of years, leading to the emergence of anatomically modern humans. This process involved changes in physical characteristics, behavior, and cognitive abilities.
What two kinds of human forms do physical anthropologists study?
Physical anthropologists, also known as biological anthropologists, study early hominids as well as modern humans. Early hominids are the ancestors of humans, many physical anthropologists specialize in this field. Other physical anthropologists will specialize in modern humans and focus on studying grave sites discovered during excavations.
What did the neanderthal wear?
Neanderthals are believed to have worn clothing made from animal skins and furs for warmth and protection. They likely made use of natural materials, like plant fibers and leather, to create garments suited for their environment and lifestyle. Archaeological evidence, such as bone needles and tools for leatherworking, supports the idea that Neanderthals had the ability to create and tailor their own clothing.
