We have an essay due tomorrow for honors biologyII. And I've had writer's block all day... or like, I know I'm thinking of something, but I don't know what I'm thinking OF. If that makes any sense.

Human Evolution Essay
(page 656 - 665)
Graph measurements for the diastema, zygomatic arch and cranial capacity. Using information from both your text book and the skull lab, write an essay describing how humans are uniquely different from other primates. Use the questions as a guide:
1. How long ago did humans and chimpanzees diverge from a common ancestor?
2. What are some misconceptions about human evolution?
3. What are the five characteristics that changed over the course of evolution of humans
from a hominid ancestor?
4. Compare and contrast the multiregional and monogenesis models of the evolution of anatomically modern humans. What evidence is used to support each of these models?

That's what we have to do. And I think I'm going to hang out here 'til my thinking ability comes back. >.<;;

I doubt anybody here really has a clue about this. But if it were me, I'd read the pages in the textbook, create a thesis, and just find stuff in the textbook that supports my thesis.

gl

Thanks, Alex..

I don't know how good the chances are... but does anyone know any misconceptions about human evolution? There's not really anything on the pages... But I have a little... but not really enough. Unless I try and BS more. >.<

Wow, thats an honors paper? I could at least get a C just from watching History Channel. XD

I suppose one thing people think is that there was only one form of prehistoric man, when there was at least 2.

Oh, thank you. ^_^

There were atleast eight... (Getting some of these from the book)
Ardipithecus ramidus
Austrolopithecus aferenses (Lucy)
Australopithecus boisei
Australopithecus robustus
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Homo sapien neanderthalensis
Homo sapien sapien (Modern Man)

And of course gorillas and chimps, which we did not evolve from.


EDIT: And so, I learned that my teacher cannot spell.

I learned about those in my anthropology class!

1. How long ago did humans and chimpanzees diverge from a common ancestor?

I'm not sure, but probably at least a few million years ago.

2. What are some misconceptions about human evolution?

Man did not evolve from a chimp or a gorilla or anything else we know of today. We evolved from something related to them, but still significantly different. Just because we're in the same family or order or whatever doesn't mean we are the same as chimps. I mean, a lion is much different from a house cat.

3. What are the five characteristics that changed over the course of evolution of humans from a hominid ancestor?

I have no idea. Standing upright and using tools might be two, though.

4. Compare and contrast the multiregional and monogenesis models of the evolution of anatomically modern humans. What evidence is used to support each of these models?

No idea.

Sorry, we havn't gotten this far in AP Bio yet.

The only idea I can think of is that maybe, some people think humans are just a branch of apes. Like, that there were chimps and then there was homo sapiens, and there weren't a bunch of intersticial species that represent descent with modification in the human race, with many different adaptations occuring over time.

Not really sure what a misconception of most people is, though.

By the way, gorillas have an avergage IQ only slightly less than that of humans.

EDIT-By monogensis, are you talking about Out of Africa stuff? There are two viewpoints: one is that Homo erectus evolved, spread out of Africa, and in many different areas evolved into Homo sapiens (candelabra theory), while the other posits something quite different - Homo erectus spread throughout the world but died out, and in the meantime Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and then spread throughout the world.

Personally, I think Occam's razor slices up the Candelabra model. I think it unlikely, highly unlikely, that in a multitude of different environments all with different conditions one species would, mostly simultaneously, evolve into a new species which at the same time would be uniform throughout the continent and be interfertile without being able to breed with Homo erectus. The candelabra model only involves stress, even possibly caused by the eventual spread of sapiens, in all environments, while Noah's Ark involves mostly uniform adaptation to that stress that is ultimately successful. The candelabra model also fits with the appearance of the earliest civilizations in Africa - specifically Egypt, which was founded by Ethiopians - and the Middle East (fertile crescent).

I'm at number 4 now, but this is what I have so far:

With scientific evidence, humans evolved from chimpanzees, and chimpanzees from another ancestor, and so on. The first primates descended from insectivors in the Cretaceous period. These primates were probably small tree-dwelling mammals. And thus, during the Mesozoic era, our order was defined by characteristics that had been shaped, through natural selection, by the demands of living in the trees.
Evidentally, the myth that our ancestors were chimpanzees is... false. Chimpanzees and humans represent two different branches of the anthropoid tree that evolved from a common, less-specialized ancestor. Another includes the misconception of a "step ladder evolution." Human evolution is not an iscicle (the book described it as a "parade"). In other words, human evolution did not start at a general form (the base), and then become more strictly structured as modern man over time (the tip). Human evolution worked like a bush, with many branches; our species being the tip of the only twig that still lives. A third myth says that an upright posture and enlarged brain happened in unison. This is where monaic evolution comes in. Mosaic evolution simply says that different features evolved at different rates--with erect posture, or bipedalism, leading the way. Our pedigree includes ancestors who walked upright but had a brain much less developed than ours.
And going further back in the timeline, we appearantly evolved from the early fish. "Pikaia, a small swimmer and the earliest known animal with a notochord, is believed to be the ancestor of all chordates and vertebrates. The lancelet, a species still alive today, retains some of the features of the primitive chordates, and resembles the Pikaia in many ways. The conodont is an 'eel-shaped animal of 4-20 centimeters long' with a pair of huge eyes and a complex basket of teeth"(wikipedia).
Evolution works in funny ways; everything and anything can change over time. Such as: The gap (diastema) between the biting and chewing teeth. As the teeth became smaller, so did the gap. Australopithecus aferenses had a gap of around 1 centimeter; Australopithecus boisei, Homo Erectus, Homo sapien neanderthalensis had a gap of around 1.5 centimeters. The measurement for Homo sapien sapien was less than 1 centimeter. The zygomatic arch reduced in size. The chart shows Lucy at 2 centimeters, Australopithecus boisei at 3 centimeters. Homo erectus had an arch of 1 centimeter; the neanderthalensis was at 2 centimeters. Modern man beats them (with smallest) at 1.5 centimeters. Third, the saggital crest disappeared: Lucy was at .5 centimeter; Australopithecus boisei at 1.5 centimeter; Homo erectus was as small as Lucy's, and the neanderthalensis and modern man had no saggital crest. For the fourth change was the surpraorbital ridge: Lucy at 1 centimeters; Australopithecus boisei at 2 centimeters; Homo erctus at 3 centimeters; Homo sapian neanderthalensis at 2.5 centimeters, and Homo sapien at 1.7 centimeters. And the fifth change was the brain; cranial capacity grew over time. Lucy measured 450 centimeters cubed; Australopithecus boisei measured 500 centimeters cubed; Homo erectus measured 900 centimeters cubed; Homo sapian neanderthalensis measured 1450 centimeters cubed; Homo sapian measures around 2000 centimeters cubed.

Hopefully it doesn't suck too hard..?

Oops... Have to change the first sentance. XD My retarded intro sentence...
Actually... *takes it out.*

And the rest:


According to the multiregional model, modern humans evolved in many parts of the world from regional descendants of Homo erectus, who disappeared from Africa between 1 and 2 million years ago. The boxed names indicate various fossils associated with each region. The dashed lines symbolize interbreeding and gene flow between different populations.

According to the monogenesis model, only the African descendants of Homo erectus gave rise to modern humans. All other regional descendants of Homo erectus, including Neanderthals, became extinct without contributing to the gene pool of modern humanity. Advocates of the monogenesis model argue that modern humans began spreading from Africa just 100,000 years ago, giving rise to all the diverse populations of medern humans.

There are two pictures with that; but of course they don't show with copy and pasting.

And sorry about that douple post.

Well, it makes for interesting reading. Hope it work(s, ed?) out for you.

"It is a common misconception that Man evolved from the ape. Everything that they learn, they learn from us; so therefore, ape evolved from Man. Now we are in a race to save ourselves from extinction at their (the apes) hands..." Supporting Evidence - Planet of the Apes

Actually, that's not supporting evidence. It was just put in there to make ya laugh.

I just gotta have to know, how did it turn out?