Term Papers on Human Evolution

Term Paper Title	Human Evolution
# of Words	851
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.4

Human Evolution

Evolution is the complexity of
processes by which living organisms established
on earth and have been expanded and modified
through theorized changes in form and function.
Human evolution is the biological and cultural
development of the species Homo sapiens
sapiens, or human beings. Humans evolved from
apes because of their similarities. This can be
shown in the evidence that humans had a decrease
in the size of the face and teeth that evolved. Early
humans are classified in ten different types of
families. Creationists believe that humans were
always humans. Humans are classified in the
mammalian family Primates. In this arrangement,
humans, along with our extinct close ancestors,
and our nearest living relatives, the African apes,
are sometimes placed together in the family
Hominidae because of genetic similarities. Two-leg
walking seems to be one of the earliest of the
major hominine characteristics to have evolved. In
the course of human evolution the size of the brain
has been more than tripled. The increase in brain
size may be related to changes in hominine
behavior (See figure 3). The third major trend in
hominine development is the gradual decrease in
the size of the face and teeth. According to the
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia ’98, the fossil
evidence for direct ancestors of modern humans is
divided into the category Australopithecus and
Homo, and begins about 5 million years ago (See
figure 1). Between 7 and 20 million years ago,
primitive apelike animals were widely distributed
on the African and, later, on the Eurasian
continents (See figure 2). Although many fossil
bones and teeth have been found, the way of life
of these creatures, and their evolutionary
relationships to the living apes and humans, remain
matters of active discussion among scientists. The
evidence for human evolution begins with the
australopithecines. All the australopithecines were
bipedal and therefore possible hominines. In
details of their teeth, jaws, and brain size,
however, they modify enough among themselves
to be divided into five species: Australopithecus
anamensis, A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. robustus,
and A. boisei. Genus Homo are also divided in
five different spices: Homo erectus, H. habilis, H.
sapiens, and H. sapiens sapiens. According to
Britannica Encyclopædia, Australopithecus
anamensis lived in Kenya between 4.2 million and
3.9 million years ago. A. afarensis lived in eastern
Africa between 3 and 4 million years ago. This
australopithecine had a brain size a little larger than
chimpanzees. Some had canine teeth more sticking
out than those of later hominines. No tools of any
kind have been found with A. afarensis fossils.
According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
’98, between about 2.5 million and 3 million years
ago, A. afarensis clearly evolved into A. africanus.
A. africanus had a brain similar to that of its
ancestor. However, although the size of the
chewing teeth remained large, the canines, instead...

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