the ape that stood on its own two feet: hominids of the plio-pleistocene
TRANSCRIPT
The Ape that Stood on Its Own Two Feet:
Hominids of the Plio-Pleistocene
We’re just a blink of Time’s eye
What's this "Plio-Pleistocene" thing?
Or, What caused human evolution?
The Pleistocene: Ice Ages
Why glaciers? Perhaps a ‘wobbly’ earth
Glaciers and the earth
Compression of climatic zones up to 30° latitude
Massive ice sheets as much as 1.5 kilometers thick covered much of the
northern hemisphere.
32% of land mass was ice-covered (10% now)
Glaciers and the earth
Climatic compression detail: North America
Glaciers and the earth
Sea level changes of up to 100m (300+ feet)
As the glaciers went away, sea levels rose
Time (1000 Years)
ConditionsNorth America
AlpsNorthern Europe
Poland-Russia
0-18 Interglacial
18-67 Glacial Wisconsin Wurm Vistula Varsovian
67-128 Interglacial Sangamon Uznach Eem Masovian
128-180 Glacial Illinoisan RissWarthe/Saale
Cracovian
180-230 Interglacial Yarmouth Hoetting HolsteinSandomiria
n
230-300 Glacial Kansan Mindel Elster Jaroslavian
300-330 Interglacial Aftonian Cromer Likhvin
330-470 Glacial Nebraskan Gunz Menapian
470-540 Interglacial Waalian
540-550 Glacial Donau II Weybourne
550-585 Interglacial Tiglian
585-600 Glacial Donau I
600-2000 About 20 Glacial Advances
2000 (2 M.Y.)
Beginning of Pleistocene
4000 (4 M.Y.)
Dwarf forests still in Antarctica
15 M.Y. First Glaciation in Antarctica
World glacial sequences:
A complex sequences of advances and retreats
All this led to…
•Environmental stresses on species
•Increased mutation
•Increased competition for econiches
•Population movements
Which led to…
Early Man
HomeThe Great Rift Valley of East Africa
Homo floreiensis
One view of the sequence
Click on skull image for information.Click for a list with details of these and other specimens
A slightly different view
1 HOMO HABILIS ~ NICKNAME: Handyman LIVED: 2.4 to 1.6 million years ago HABITAT: Tropical Africa DIET: Omnivorous – nuts, seeds, tubers, fruits, some meat
2 HOMO SAPIEN ~ NICKNAME: Human LIVED: 200,000 years ago to present HABITAT: All DIET: Omnivorous - meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts, pizza, sushi
3 HOMO FLORESIENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Hobbit LIVED: 95,000 to 13,000 years ago HABITAT: Flores, Indonesia (tropical) DIET: Omnivorous - meat included pygmy stegodon, giant rat
4 HOMO ERECTUS ~ NICKNAME: Erectus LIVED: 1.8 million years to 100,000 years ago HABITAT: Tropical to temperate - Africa, Asia, Europe DIET: Omnivorous - meat, tubers, fruits, nuts
5 PARANTHROPUS BOISEI ~ NICKNAME: Nutcracker man LIVED: 2.3 to 1.4 million years ago HABITAT: Tropical Africa DIET: Omnivorous - nuts, seeds, leaves, tubers, fruits, maybe some meat
6 HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Goliath LIVED: 700,000 to 300,000 years ago HABITAT: Temperate and tropical, Africa and Europe DIET: Omnivorous - meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts
7 HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Neanderthal LIVED: 250,000 to 30,000 years ago HABITAT: Europe and Western Asia DIET: Relied heavily on meat, such as bison, deer and musk ox
‘Co-evolution’ of biology and culture
Controversial, but exciting
Why don’t we know all that much?
Why all the controversy?
All the fossil specimens we’ve found so far would
fit into the back of one pickup truck!
Ardipithecus ramidus
The Australopithecines
Australoptihecus anamensis
Raymond Dart and the 1924 Taung discovery
Taung Child
(Australopithecus africanus)
Australopithecus africanus
Paranthropusrobustus
Robert Broom(1866-1951)
The Australopithecines
Mary and Louis Leakey with a Zinjanthropus boisei palateand a modern human skull
Laetoli footprints
Australopithecus afarensis
Tim White
Donald Johanson with "Lucy"
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
What did Homo erectus look like?
The origins of complex cultural practicesHomo erectus
•Stone-knapping advances that resulted in Acheulean bifacial tools•The beginnings of shelter construction•The control and use of fire•Increased dependence on hunting•Communal Hunting•Care of the infirm
Neanderthal
The original caveman
100,000 to 30,000 years ago
Neanderthal culture
Well developed family and clan structures
Intentional burial
Walking with CavemenWalking with Cavemen
Key questions about Neanderthal
What is there relationship to modern humans?
•DNA evidence suggests a shared ancestor at about 550,000 years ago. See Neanderthal DNA
•Did the overlap humans in some areas?
•Did they interbreed with humans?
Did AMH competition drive Neanderthal to extinction?
Did Neanderthals have language?
We have finally arrived!
Anatomically Modern Humans
Sophisticated art
Sophisticated stone and other tools
Music
What cave art means about us
Palm prints at Chauvet (above right shows hand placement of palm prints at left
A firm sense of individual identity
Cave Bear altar, Chauvet Cave, 32,600+/-490 and
21,390+/-420 ybp
Searching for meaning
Altamira, Bison, 40,000 ybp
A search for control of the unknown? Or just documentation of life?
Hunting magic?
Cattle herding?
Shamanic trance states?
and more…
Sophisticated , permanent shelter
Burials
Firm identity as individuals
Visit Chauvet cave
Modern Human Migration