Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mr. H. Jones
History of Human Evolution
Human evolution is the theory that humans evolved from
primates or ape like creatures.
The idea began in 1856, when a skull was found in the Neander
Valley in Germany that seemed half ape, half man.
This fuelled the debate and the search for more skeletons stepped
up.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species which
theorised that all living things had a common ancestor.
In 1863, Thomas Huxley argued strongly for human evolution
from apes but many did not support him including Alfred Russell
Wallace.
In 1871, Darwin published The Descent of Man, applying the theory
of natural selection to human evolution.
Since 1856, many hominid skeletons have been found all over the
world.
A Common Ancestor
It is believed by many
scientist that Apes and
Humans have a common
ancestor.
Most scientists believe that
this ancient ancestor may
have existed between 10 and 7
million years ago.
But there is little fossil
evidence to support this.
This common ancestor may
have been Orrorin tugenensis
which lived 7 million years
ago.
Hominid Groups
Today, the family Hominidae (Bipedal Primates) has
grown to include several genus„ including:
Ardipithecus, the most apelike hominids.