Essay on The History of Human Evolution - 1517 Words

The History of Human Evolution By definition, human evolution is the development, both biological and cultural, of humans. Human ideologies of how the evolution of man came to be is determined by cultural beliefs that have been adopted by societies going back as far as the Upper Paleolithic era, some 40,000 years ago. Through the study of paleoanthropology, we have come to determine that a human is any member belonging to the species of Homo Sapiens. Paleoanthropologists, while studying the evolution of humans, identify and explain evolutionary changes that occur throughout time that aid in the development of the human species. It will be through the examination of human physical traits, human origins from pre-humans to modern†¦show more content†¦Modern humans have a â€Å"braincase volume of between 79.3 and 91.5 cubic inches†.(Gallagher) Throughout the development of humans, one can notice that the brain has more than tripled in size. This augmentation may be related to behavioral patterns of th e hominids with an increase in number and sophistication of stone tools and other artifacts. The art of tool making along with other learnt skills made it possible for hominids to heighten their ability to live in a range of different environments. â€Å"The earliest hominine fossils show evidence of marked differences in body size, which may reflect a pattern of the different sexes in our early ancestors†.(Gallagher) Females tended to be smaller, weighing in at about 70 lbs and measuring 3 to 4 feet tall, while men were on average 5ft tall and weighing 150lbs. This drastic size difference between genders decreased through time, sometime after a million years ago. â€Å"The third major trend in hominine development is the gradual decrease in the size of the face and teeth.†(Microsoft Encarta) Unlike the apes (from whom we derived) that were characterized by large, tusk-like canine teeth, the earliest hominine remains were smaller in size and had canines that projected slightly. Also we can see a reduction in the size of the face and jaws. â€Å"In early hominines, the face was large and positioned in front of the braincase. As the teeth became smaller and the brain expanded,Show MoreRelatedHuman Evolution Of Human History879 Words   |  4 PagesThe beginning of human history, is no longer a gray area on the behalf of historians, scientist and perhaps geologist. Many specialized in their respectful field. Move toward together to get a world view of human life. History is a word that is always driven out, to look back at a period of time and one might compare the pervious time to the present. It’s vital for us mortal to understand where came from and where we are going. Since history often does repeats itself, it may be good, to look backwardsRead MoreThe Theory Of Evolution Of Human History And Modern Thinking2012 Words   |  9 PagesSince the dawn of time, the theory of evolution has played an important role in the process of understa nding human history and modern thinking. However, this theory didn’t always have an explicit term to clarify its meaning. Philosophers embraced the ideals of knowledge and enlightenment of reason—searching for answers as to better understand the origins of mankind and how it attributes to what it means to be human. Alongside social progress and intellectual development, fascinating new discoveriesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Red Mars 1087 Words   |  5 Pagesbegin? 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However, Creationism doesn’t have all of the answers. Over 60 percent of people believe in evolution. Why shouldn’t you? Evolution is defined as â€Å"the slow process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time† (Webster’s Dictionary)Read MoreEssay on human evolution1305 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding human evolution and the history of psychology for the modern psychologist. For the human evolution, the essay will be addressing on how we and other species descended from our ancestors and how the different environment has helped to us to become more adaptable. Regarding the history of psychology, the essay will be discussing on how psychology branched off from the philosophy approach to become its own science. The essay will then go on discussing how the understanding of both human evolutionRead MoreThe Full Scope Of Human Life871 Words   |  4 PagesHumans are an interesting species because of the strong need humans have to fully understand what it truly means to be human. Many fields such as history, psychology, and sociology all offer a perspective in the study of h umanity, but there are distinguishable from anthropology. Anthropology differs from other humanities fields due to its holistic nature, comparative research methods, and the strong emphasis on fieldwork and participant interaction. Anthropology is the study of people throughoutRead MoreWhy Evolution Is True. Oakley T. Lowe. St. Leo’S University.1263 Words   |  6 PagesWhy Evolution Is True Oakley T. Lowe St. Leo’s University  Abstract Throughout history, there has been a major debate on the theory of evolution. Is it true? The term evolution has been defined many ways, and for the purpose of this paper, I will use the fourth definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. â€Å"Evolution is the descent with modification from preexisting species:  cumulative inherited change in a population of organisms through time leading to the appearance of new forms:  the process