Hominization

Hominization

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Source: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hominization

Hominization =

the process of developing characteristics that are distinctive of humans

Source:Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

How are humans and monkeys related?

Humans and monkeys are both primates. But humans are not descended from monkeys or any other primate living today. We do share a common ape ancestor with chimpanzees. It lived between 8 and 6 million years ago. But humans and chimpanzees evolved differently from that same ancestor. All apes and monkeys share a more distant relative, which lived about 25 million years ago.

Source:Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Did humans evolve in a straight line, one species after another?

Human evolution, like evolution in other species, did not proceed in a straight line. Instead, a diversity of species diverged from common ancestors, like branches on a bush. Our species, Homo sapiens, is the only survivor. But there were many times in the past when several early human species lived at the same time.

A Branching tree

Source:Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

What has been discovered about evolution since Darwin?

A lot! Since Darwin died in 1882, findings from many fields have confirmed and greatly expanded on his ideas. We’ve learned that Earth is old enough for all known species to have evolved. We’ve discovered DNA, which confirms that all organisms are related to one another. And we’ve uncovered millions of fossils that provide evidence of how one life form evolved into another over time.

Source:Natural History Museum of London

Humans are big headed - our brains are around three times larger than would be expected for an animal of our size. The brains of our early hominin relatives were not especially large, the brain developed over time.A larger brain is clearly linked to a number of distinctly human traits: the ability to create more complex tools, more advanced hunting techniques, complex social structures and the advent of language.

5 Physical traits that make us human

Bipedalism

Big brains

Similar sized sexes

Childhood

Unlike most primates, we are still relatively helpless once we stop feeding on our mother's milk. Humans experience an extended period of growth with continued rapid development of the brain. This period allows us to learn the complex set of skills and social intricacies

Since reduced sexual dimorphism correlates with less aggression between males, it is likely to be associated with greater cooperation within a population and probably made the development of successful societies and civilisations much easier.

The ability of humans to comfortably stand on two feet for extended periods of time marks us out from almost all other animals. This feat has come about over time through a series of anatomical changes to our skeleton, affecting our cranial base, spine, pelvis, femur, knees and feet.

5 Physical traits that make us human

This film shows the making of a Levallois core and flake, an innovative stone tool developed by the Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.

GRIP = take and keep a firm hold of

Source:Natural History Museum of London

A precision grip

Although other animals use tools, our mastery is second to none, and distinctly human. Ultimately, it stems from the development of a precision grip, the result of changes to the anatomy of the hand. Coupled with an increased intelligence, it has equipped humans with incredible influence over the world around us.