Darwin's idea on Descent of Man

1. What is Darwin's idea on Descent of Man?
The main idea is about how humans are related to apes by a single common ancestor.

2. How humans are connected with the great apes?

  • They share a recent common ancestry comprising chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans.
  • Great apes share many cognitive, physiological and morphological similarities with humans due to their close evolutionary relationship although humans had split from a common ancestors with the African apes (30 my ago).

3. What is distant evolutionary cousins?

  • Humans, apes and monkeys are close, but not too close.
  • It is proven by scientist that 98.5% of the genes in pool in people and chimpanzees are equal.
  • But it doesn't indicate that humans evolved from chimps but humans share a common ancestors with them.

5. What is common ancestor?
Based on English Dictionary, it is any person who two or more person claim descent.

6. Why does the common ancestor was neither ape nor human that lived millions of years in the past?
There are no fossil record to supports evidence that hominid ancestor was terrestrial and bipedal.

7. When human- like species evolved?

  • Believed to evolve app. 6- 7 years ago when the fossil of Orrorin tugenensis found.
  • It is the oldest human ancestor that develops bipedalism.

4. How does humans, apes and monkeys are related to each other?

  • Both are primates.
  • But humans are not descended from monkeys/ any primate living today.
  • Humans share a common ancestor with chimpanzees but evolved differently.
  • Humans are closely related to modern apes but didn't evolve from apes either.
  • The species diverged into two separate lineages, one into gorillas and chimps and the other into early human ancestors

8. What is the evidence that the common ancestor lived million years ago?
By the theory 'Out of Africa' model and 'Multiregional model'.

9. What are the characteristic of human- like species?

  • Smaller brain cavity.
  • Skull shape similar in modern human
  • Small teeth like modern human
  • Wrist and palm similar like modern human but curvier
  • Short foot similar in size to modern human

10. How do they discover the evolution human- like species million years ago?
When they found fossils and the remains of the species.

12. Where does these fossils of the homo species were discovered?

  • Homo habilis - Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania, Africa).
  • Homo erectus - Indonesia, Africa(1960s) & China.
  • Homo neanderthalensis - Neander Valley (Dusseldorf, Germany).

11. What is Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis*?

  • Homo habilis - known as Handy- man, possesed larger braincase, smaller face and teeth and retain some ape- like features. (2.4- 1.4 mya).
  • Homo erectus - known as Upright man, possesed modern human- like body proportions with elognated legs and shorter arms. (1.89- 1.43 years ago).
  • Homo neanderthalensis - known as Neanderthal, have large face, huge nose, shorter body and stockier than humans. (400,000- 40,000 years ago).

13. What are the other species of genus Homo?
Homo rudolfensis, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo floresiensis, Homo naledi, Homo rhodesiensis.

14. What is the time frame of these speceis went extinct?
As stated in Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Homo neanderthals extinct around 40 000 years ago. Earliest fossil evidence dates proves Homo erectus exists between 1.9 mil to 143 000 years ago. Homo habilis believes to extinct 1.5 mil years ago.

15. Why and how they extinct?

  • Due to large brain size that was not developed
  • Due to increasing cold at higher latitudes & increasing airdity in the tropics.
  • Due to failure in reproducing
  • Due to catastrophe (erupted volcano)

16. What are the characteristics of primates?

  • Built on mammals
  • Sensitive hands and feet with 5 digits.
  • Flexible shoulders (easy to move and for climbing) and hips (for motion on legs)
  • Olfactory region of brain is reduced (humans). Cerebrum expanded for visionary ability and social behaviours.
  • Have nails on digits instead of claws. Present of clavicle or collarbone.

17. How are modern humans are related to other primates?

  • Able to walk upright
  • 2- 5% differences in their DNA
  • Features lookalike with short back, arms, hands, wrists and forelimbs.

18. What is the relationship in terms of phylogenetics?

  • Opposoable thumbs.
  • Hands and feet can grasp.
  • Fingernails instead of claws.
  • Flattened face
  • 32 teeth in permanent heterodont dentition
  • Single pair of mammary glands.

Difficult terms

  1. Homo habilis - - Looked like an ape. Instead having hair just on their heads they had everywhere and they were almost always hunched over like apes
  2. Homo erectus - Exhibit more humanlike features than other Homo species.
  3. Homo neanderthalensis -- Neanderthal. Closest extinct human relative.
  4. primates - order of mammals, have hands and feet

Molecular Techniques

  1. Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) technique
  2. DNA- DNA hybridization technique
  3. Microsatelites
  4. PCR- RFLP

Learning outcomes

  1. Phylogenetics
  2. Evolution
  3. Population genetics
  4. Adaptation

Group members:

  1. Anglicessica Emad Ak Winston Tachil 58463
  2. Charmaine Lovey Bernard 58526
  3. Ivy Irene Anak Bujang 56162
  4. Nur Shahnaz Binti Sahmat 59011
  5. Nuraida binti Zakaria 59026
  6. Syameera binti Jemat 59217
  7. Nurulziana Hidayah Jakaria 59111
  8. Syafiqah Aqilah Binti Zulkufli 58027
  9. Nurfatiha Akmal Fawwazah Binti Abdullah Fauzi 57420

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