Chapter 2: human evolution.
Note this
view more
title
Menu
picture: lifemap
picture: nature.com
picture: NHM, London
I- The place of man in the living world.
II- The specificities of the Human Lineage
III- The human bushy evolution.
Lesson
Script
kahoot game
PART 1
Genetic traits
PART 2
Non genetic traits
Slideshow with commentary
practice listening
SCRIPT
practice reading
Lesson
kahoot game
Making of stone tools
source: youtube
Food culture
source: wikipedia.org
ART
Some characteristics are not encoded in our genes but are still transmitted to the next generation. Explain why the examples on this page are not considered genetic traits and how they are passed on to the next generations.
Microbiota
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity sheet
Watch the video and complete the activity sheet.
Read the document carefully. Then record an answer explaining how fossil evidence and DNA studies help scientists reconstruct the history of the human lineage and trace its migrations across the world
Document
Doc 1
Doc 4
Doc 2
Doc 3
1. Use the information below to build a document that will compare the human and chimpanzee skeletons. (click to zoom in) 2. In your opinion, why is the chimpanzee not able to walk upright as a common way of locomotion?
Chimpanzees are our closest relatives. One even said that a Humanzee once existed in a lab in florida! Is this story possible? READING: Read the document and explain why humanzees probably never existed.
pictures: pixabay
Make a quick comparison of man and chimpanzee karyotypes
ANSWER: click here
Comparison of humans skeleton and chimpanzees skeleton.
Exercice à faire en distanciel.
Exercice à faire en présentiel.
1. Use the document below to build a table that will compare the human and chimpanzee skeletons. (click on the picture to download the file) 2. Explain why the chimpanzee can't walk upright as a common way of locomotion.
READING A new study of genes in humans and chimpanzees pins down with greater accuracy when the two species split from one. "There is considerable interest in knowing when we diverged from our closest relative among animal species," said Sudhir Kumar of Arizona State University. "This divergence time also has considerable importance because it is used to establish how fast genes mutate in humans and to date the historical spread of our species around the globe." Kumar’s team used a recently developed method in genetic sequencing to make the most comprehensive comparison to date of genes from humans, chimps, macaque monkeys and rats. They examined the number of mutations in the DNA sequence of each species to estimate its rate of evolutionary change. "We can conclude that humans and chimpanzees probably last shared a common ancestor between five and seven million years ago," said research team member Blair Hedges, an astrobiologist at Penn State. “Knowing the timescale of human evolution, and how we changed through time in relation to our environment, could provide valuable clues for understanding—in a more general sense—the evolution of intelligent life." (adapted from an article of livescience.com, 2005)
When do we think that human and chimpanzee lineages split? Why is it interesting to know?
Humans are closer to chimps than from any other species. Humans are different from the other Great Apes because they possess specific traits such as bipedalism or a bigger brain capacity. The human lineage probably split from the chimpanzee lineage 5 to 7 million years ago.
Note this
ORAL Training
III
The human lineage.
1- Oral comprehension: the human lineage.
Regarder la vidéo en entier puis à partir de 12min25: A- Répondre aux questions ci-dessous (en français) B- Compléter le tableau de l'évolution de l'Homme (en anglais)
1) A quand date-t-on l’ancêtre commun des chimpanzés et de l’Homme moderne ? 2) Quelle caractéristique est particulière à la lignée humaine ? 3) Quel est le premier animal à être bipède ? Appartenait-il au genre Homo ? 4) Que signifie Homo? 5) Connait-on clairement les liens entre les différentes espèces/genre de la lignée humaine ? 6) Quelle histoire particulière existe-t-il entre Homo neanderthalensis et Homo sapiens ? 7) Que signifie Homo sapiens en anglais ? 8) Comparez la date d’apparition de la lignée humaine avec la date d’apparition des dinosaures et de la vie (faites une petite recherche si nécessaire)
https://bit.ly/TermChap2-HumEvol
TELECHARGER LE TABLEAU
Practical activity: Identification of fossils.
1- Identify the different skulls present in the classroom thanks to the material at your disposal. - pictures on your computer - a computer to visit https://www.pedagogie.ac-nice.fr/svt/productions/mesurim2/ - documents:
Source: lelivrescolaire.fr
a table of measures
TEAM WORK (up to 4 students can work together)
information about cranial measures
2- Use your results and your lesson to build a phylogenetic tree of the human lineage.
information about ancestral traits of individual belonging to the human lineage
a phylogenetic tree (to copy and complete)
3- Record a video of your group presenting your work.
Scientific clues coming from the analysis of fossils allow us to retrace the history of our origins. Fossils aged from 3 to 7 million years ago show specific characteristics of the human lineage: achieved bipedalism, parabolic mandible...). Thanks to these clues, we can classify different species in the Homo genus. They possess the characteristics seen in other species of the human lineage in addition to a developed brain volume. We also discovered that several human species cohabited in the past. It's still difficult to establish a correct phylogenetic tree because of a lack of data.
Note this
Some characteristics are not carried by genes but acquired during lifetime: microbiota, making of tools, food habits, language are all examples of such non-genetic traits.
Note this
The microbiota refers to the collection of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes, that live in and on our bodies, particularly in our gut. While the microbiota is not inherited through our genes, it is passed down from one generation to another in a different way. According to a study published in Nature, the microbes we carry are significantly influenced by our environment, diet, and the people we interact with. For example, babies acquire their first microbiota during birth, either through the mother's birth canal or from the surrounding environment. The process of vertical transmission of microbiota from mother to child is crucial in shaping the infant's microbiome, with early life experiences, such as breastfeeding, playing an important role in microbial establishment (Nature). This microbial community then evolves as the baby grows, adapting to their lifestyle, food, and surroundings. Even though the microbiota is not directly encoded in our DNA, it plays a key role in our health, affecting digestion, immunity, and even mental health. As detailed in a PubMed review, alterations in the gut microbiota have been linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, highlighting the importance of a balanced microbiome for maintaining overall health (PubMed). Thus, the microbiota is considered a non-genetic trait that can be passed from parent to child through contact and shared environments, rather than through genetic inheritance.
Use the answer to these questions to build a synthesis document for your lesson.
1) Name three key traits that characterize the evolution of the human lineage. 2) List the skeletal changes that enabled bipedalism in early human ancestors. 3) Explain how the skeletal adaptations for bipedalism contributed to the survival of early humans. 4) Why was the increase in brain size an important factor for the survival of early humans? 5) How did the changes in tooth size and structure reflect natural selection pressures on diet and food processing?
PDF
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Transcript
Chapter 2: human evolution.
Note this
view more
title
Menu
picture: lifemap
picture: nature.com
picture: NHM, London
I- The place of man in the living world.
II- The specificities of the Human Lineage
III- The human bushy evolution.
Lesson
Script
kahoot game
PART 1
Genetic traits
PART 2
Non genetic traits
Slideshow with commentary
practice listening
SCRIPT
practice reading
Lesson
kahoot game
Making of stone tools
source: youtube
Food culture
source: wikipedia.org
ART
Some characteristics are not encoded in our genes but are still transmitted to the next generation. Explain why the examples on this page are not considered genetic traits and how they are passed on to the next generations.
Microbiota
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity sheet
Watch the video and complete the activity sheet.
Read the document carefully. Then record an answer explaining how fossil evidence and DNA studies help scientists reconstruct the history of the human lineage and trace its migrations across the world
Document
Doc 1
Doc 4
Doc 2
Doc 3
1. Use the information below to build a document that will compare the human and chimpanzee skeletons. (click to zoom in) 2. In your opinion, why is the chimpanzee not able to walk upright as a common way of locomotion?
Chimpanzees are our closest relatives. One even said that a Humanzee once existed in a lab in florida! Is this story possible? READING: Read the document and explain why humanzees probably never existed.
pictures: pixabay
Make a quick comparison of man and chimpanzee karyotypes
ANSWER: click here
Comparison of humans skeleton and chimpanzees skeleton.
Exercice à faire en distanciel.
Exercice à faire en présentiel.
1. Use the document below to build a table that will compare the human and chimpanzee skeletons. (click on the picture to download the file) 2. Explain why the chimpanzee can't walk upright as a common way of locomotion.
READING A new study of genes in humans and chimpanzees pins down with greater accuracy when the two species split from one. "There is considerable interest in knowing when we diverged from our closest relative among animal species," said Sudhir Kumar of Arizona State University. "This divergence time also has considerable importance because it is used to establish how fast genes mutate in humans and to date the historical spread of our species around the globe." Kumar’s team used a recently developed method in genetic sequencing to make the most comprehensive comparison to date of genes from humans, chimps, macaque monkeys and rats. They examined the number of mutations in the DNA sequence of each species to estimate its rate of evolutionary change. "We can conclude that humans and chimpanzees probably last shared a common ancestor between five and seven million years ago," said research team member Blair Hedges, an astrobiologist at Penn State. “Knowing the timescale of human evolution, and how we changed through time in relation to our environment, could provide valuable clues for understanding—in a more general sense—the evolution of intelligent life." (adapted from an article of livescience.com, 2005)
When do we think that human and chimpanzee lineages split? Why is it interesting to know?
Humans are closer to chimps than from any other species. Humans are different from the other Great Apes because they possess specific traits such as bipedalism or a bigger brain capacity. The human lineage probably split from the chimpanzee lineage 5 to 7 million years ago.
Note this
ORAL Training
III
The human lineage.
1- Oral comprehension: the human lineage.
Regarder la vidéo en entier puis à partir de 12min25: A- Répondre aux questions ci-dessous (en français) B- Compléter le tableau de l'évolution de l'Homme (en anglais)
1) A quand date-t-on l’ancêtre commun des chimpanzés et de l’Homme moderne ? 2) Quelle caractéristique est particulière à la lignée humaine ? 3) Quel est le premier animal à être bipède ? Appartenait-il au genre Homo ? 4) Que signifie Homo? 5) Connait-on clairement les liens entre les différentes espèces/genre de la lignée humaine ? 6) Quelle histoire particulière existe-t-il entre Homo neanderthalensis et Homo sapiens ? 7) Que signifie Homo sapiens en anglais ? 8) Comparez la date d’apparition de la lignée humaine avec la date d’apparition des dinosaures et de la vie (faites une petite recherche si nécessaire)
https://bit.ly/TermChap2-HumEvol
TELECHARGER LE TABLEAU
Practical activity: Identification of fossils.
1- Identify the different skulls present in the classroom thanks to the material at your disposal. - pictures on your computer - a computer to visit https://www.pedagogie.ac-nice.fr/svt/productions/mesurim2/ - documents:
Source: lelivrescolaire.fr
a table of measures
TEAM WORK (up to 4 students can work together)
information about cranial measures
2- Use your results and your lesson to build a phylogenetic tree of the human lineage.
information about ancestral traits of individual belonging to the human lineage
a phylogenetic tree (to copy and complete)
3- Record a video of your group presenting your work.
Scientific clues coming from the analysis of fossils allow us to retrace the history of our origins. Fossils aged from 3 to 7 million years ago show specific characteristics of the human lineage: achieved bipedalism, parabolic mandible...). Thanks to these clues, we can classify different species in the Homo genus. They possess the characteristics seen in other species of the human lineage in addition to a developed brain volume. We also discovered that several human species cohabited in the past. It's still difficult to establish a correct phylogenetic tree because of a lack of data.
Note this
Some characteristics are not carried by genes but acquired during lifetime: microbiota, making of tools, food habits, language are all examples of such non-genetic traits.
Note this
The microbiota refers to the collection of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes, that live in and on our bodies, particularly in our gut. While the microbiota is not inherited through our genes, it is passed down from one generation to another in a different way. According to a study published in Nature, the microbes we carry are significantly influenced by our environment, diet, and the people we interact with. For example, babies acquire their first microbiota during birth, either through the mother's birth canal or from the surrounding environment. The process of vertical transmission of microbiota from mother to child is crucial in shaping the infant's microbiome, with early life experiences, such as breastfeeding, playing an important role in microbial establishment (Nature). This microbial community then evolves as the baby grows, adapting to their lifestyle, food, and surroundings. Even though the microbiota is not directly encoded in our DNA, it plays a key role in our health, affecting digestion, immunity, and even mental health. As detailed in a PubMed review, alterations in the gut microbiota have been linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, highlighting the importance of a balanced microbiome for maintaining overall health (PubMed). Thus, the microbiota is considered a non-genetic trait that can be passed from parent to child through contact and shared environments, rather than through genetic inheritance.
Use the answer to these questions to build a synthesis document for your lesson.
1) Name three key traits that characterize the evolution of the human lineage. 2) List the skeletal changes that enabled bipedalism in early human ancestors. 3) Explain how the skeletal adaptations for bipedalism contributed to the survival of early humans. 4) Why was the increase in brain size an important factor for the survival of early humans? 5) How did the changes in tooth size and structure reflect natural selection pressures on diet and food processing?
PDF