Lec 16: Case Study - Human Evolution and Expansion Flashcards
Who was the first to suggest apes and humans had a shared evolutionary history?
Lamarck
What did Huxley propose?
that humans and apes have a recent common ancestor, based on anatomical traits
Which was the first human species to be identified, besides our own?
Homo neanderthalis
Which human specie fossil was found in Indonesia?
Homo erectus
When did our lineage split from current chimps’ lineage?
5-6 mya
Which species is at the base of the human tree? What was it like? When did it exist?
- Australopithecus
- ape-like
- much sexual dimorphism
- 4.2-2 MYA
Who was the first Homo?
- Homo habilis
- bigger brain, smaller teeth
- 2.4 - 1.5 MYA
Which human species is believed to be the first to leave Africa? Describe it.
- Homo erectus
- big brain
- 1.9 MYA to 150 000 years ago
Who was Homo antecessor?
- perhaps a sister species to Homo Sapiens
- lived in Europe
- 1.2 MYA to 800 000 years ago
Who was Homo neanderthalensis?
- sister species to homo sapiens
- Europe and Asia
- 400 000 to 40 000 years ago
Who was Homo Florensis?
- a species which lived alongside ours
- Indonesia
- 200 000 to 50 000 years ago
Who are the Denisovans?
- another sister species
- identified only by DNA
- Asia
- 700 000 - 15 000 years ago
Who is the only extant species in the Homo genus?
- Homo sapiens
- left Africa 185 000 years ago
- 300 000 years ago - today
How does aDNA work?
PCR lets us amplify tiny samples, even if DNA breaks down significantly over time.
Why don’t homo sapiens from Africa have any neanderthal in their DNA?
Because homo neanderthalis only lived in europe and asia
