Grade 10.

(20 marks)

EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN SKULL

It is generally thought that humans share a common ancestry with the apes. Fossils give us
much of the evidence, and this is supported by comparing DNA. Fossils also allow us to
visualise trends in human evolution. Scientists estimate that our human ancestors split from the
rest of the ape family between 8 and 5 million years ago. Figure 1 gives you the idea.

Notice that humans belong to the genus Homo and that our immediate relatives are extinct
species of the genus Australopithecus. The different species of Homo are also extinct, except for
us, Homo sapiens.
Identifying trends in human evolution is very difficult. Features such as language, art and music,
which distinguish humans from the apes, leave no fossil evidence. These features are perhaps
the result of our 'braininess'. The development of a large brain, therefore, is often thought of as
the most important trend in human evolution. Figure 2 (next page) shows the skulls of
Australopithecus africanus and two different species of extinct Homo, and ourselves, Homo
sapiens. The diagrams are drawn to the same scale.
Decide how to work out the volume of the brain case for each skull. This is a challenge!
Now answer these questions in your notebook.
1. Why is it important that all the skulls in Figure 2 are drawn to the same scale?
(2)
2. Briefly explain how you have decided to work out the volumes of the brain cases.
(2)
3. Make a table, showing the brain case volumes which you have calculated for each of the
four skulls.
(4)

4. Draw a graph of your results for brain case volume, plotted against time in millions of years
from when humans and australopithecines split from a shared (common) ancestor. (Look at
Figure 1)
(5)
5. Which species shown in Figure 2 do you think is ancestral to the other species. Give
reasons for your answer.
(3)
6. Compare the drawings. Apart from brain case volume, how else are the skulls different one
from another? Write a short report of your observations and comment on their possible
significance.
(4)