...nomenclature scientific name for the human species. One of the most hotly debated issues in paleoanthropology focuses on the origins of modern humans, Homo sapiens. Specifically where did we come from or evolve from. There are several ideas of where we originated or came from depending on how you view it such as a religious view or scientific view. For this purpose we will be discussing the scientific view methods which include the regional continuity method and the replacement method. 1.5 to 2 million years ago there was the Homo-habilis species. The earliest form of man. They were the first 'great apes.' 500,000 years ago lived the Homo-erectus species. They lived during the Pleistocene period and are considered the first homo species to walk upright on two legs. Then came the Neanderthal (about 100,000-30,000 years ago). They were very primitive and animalistic, but they lived in groups, wore clothing, used fire and made basic hunting tools. They got their name from Neander Valley, the location in Germany where they were first discovered. Next up in the evolution process was the cro-magnum or early modern humans (40,000-10,000 years ago). There cranial features were elongated to allow for a larger brain, more evolved tools and grinding rocks and the developers of religion. There are 2 theories for the origin of modern humans. One of them is the replacement theory or “Out of Africa” model by Stringer. According to Stringer a single African origin of Homo sapiens occurred about...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...ENGL 212. September 21, 2012 Universal and Human Origins According to several essays in the Longman Anthology of World Literature, there are differing views as to how humans originated. One essay stated that the heavens and the earth were first created. Then the creatures that fly, next were the creatures that live on the earth and those in the waters were then created. Then God said, “let us make a human in our image and likeness to hold sway over the fish and the fowl of the heavens and the cattle and the wild beast and all crawling things upon the earth.” He created a male and female and then he blessed them. He then said to them, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. So the first couple was told to have children and fill the earth with offspring (Genesis, chap. 1). Other writing such as Jacob Carothers Intellectual Warfare perspective on the origin of human was more of a mythological stand, which dealt with more than one God Zeus and the Titians. For many years Scientist, archeologist searched for the origin of mankind, many years of research has gone into finding out the big mistery of where do and how was this earth created? Genesis, chapter two elaborates that the man was created first and since God did not want him to be alone, he created the woman and he used one of the man’s ribs to do so. Genesis, chapter four introduces the first child, Cain who unfortunately kills the second child, Abel. In Genesis chapter five we learn that the third child...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...Humans belong to the species Homo sapiens, which is a member of the subgroup Homininin (Rasmussen, 1993). Along with chimpanzees and gorillas, humans belong to the subfamily Homininae. Fossil evidence and genetic studies show that humans and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor dating back millions of years ago (Rasmussen, 1993). Four trends led to major evolutionary changes and the development of Homo sapiens. The Hall of Human Origins is an exhibit at the National Museum of History that summarizes the changes that sets us apart as humans. The path to becoming human began 1.8 million years ago when our ancestors started to walk upright. The first major change to occur was the development of a bipedal structure. Initially our early ancestors walked on four legs while on the ground and climbed trees. Changes in anatomy such as reshaping the hips, skull, and lower limbs resulted in an upright body, longer stride, efficient gait, and the ability to run (Blaxland and Dorey, 2012). The second major change occurred when human ancestors developed shorter jaws and smaller teeth. The canines became shorter and rounded and the less protruding jaw allowed the face to become more vertical and proportionate (Blaxland and Dorey, 2012). One of the more significant changes that occurred was the development of a larger brain size. Early on about 3 million years ago the brain size of our early ancestors was very similar to the modern chimpanzee. The dramatic change in size led to...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...Throughout the 2,000 plus years of Western World History, it was believed that humans were the product of God’s creation, and about the age of the Bible’s humans. In the 17th century religious scholars dated Creation and Adam and Eve at around 4000 BCE. Modern theology puts the estimate at between 40,000 and 100,000 years (Apologist). As the Western World moved from the dark ages, through the European Renaissance, into the age of enlightenment, and through industrial revolutions in both Great Britain and the United States, emerging scientists discovered tying origins of humans to theology was problematic, particularly because some key scientific discoveries challenged the creationism model. Most notable of these was Charles Darwin. Thus, as Western European scholars developed the scientific method, a growing number of social based sciences emerged. One of these sciences was anthropology, or the study of all aspects of humankind, including zoological origins of the human mammal....
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...Q1: Darwin's Origin consisted of two parts. The first described observations in support of common descent, the second a mechanism to explain how it was the case. Provide examples of the observations Darwin used (1 page). ‘On the origin of species by means of natural selection : or, The preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life’ by Charles Darwin (1860) was the first book to put forward the scientific theory that populations evolve over a period of generations by the process of natural selection. The first part of the book described observations in support of common descent. One such observation is that of the homologous structures possessed by a wide variety of animals. Darwin used the fact that lizards, bats, whales, birds, frogs cats and even humans all contain a pent dactyl limb to support his theory that all life is descended from one common ancestor. As he says himself , “What can be more curious than that the hand of a man, formed for grasping, that of a mole for digging, the leg of the horse, the paddle of the porpoise, and the wing of the bat, should all be constructed on the same pattern, and should include the same bones, in the same relative positions?”(Darwin 1860) Another observation of common descent from the first part of Darwin’s book is that of convergence of form. This is the presence of similar biological traits in members of different species. Darwin illustrated this using the example of the finches. He observed a variety of forms encountered...
Words: 1114 - Pages: 5
...Revolutionized Our Understanding. Have you ever wondered where human life started? If you have, you certainly are not alone. Charles Darwin spent much of his life trying to answer that question. In 1859, when Darwin published his book The Theory of Origin he gave us one of the most widely accepted theories on how life developed on earth. His findings changed science forever and still has lasting effects today. Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times essay Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea illustrates many of the reasons why Darwin was such an important and revolutionary person. Charles Darwin’s essay Natural Selection was ahead of its time when it was published in the 19th century. Darwin discussed animals and the traits that are passed on from generation to generation. Through his observations Charles Darwin came to the conclusion that animals compete for resources and that the animal with the most desirable trait will be more likely to survive and pass on their genes. He also stated that because of this, it helps explain all of the variation within each different species of living things. Darwin also discussed that his theory of Natural Selection doesn’t only apply to animals but also to plants. He observed that only plants that had the best ways to distribute their pollen would be able to reproduce. Charles Darwin’s ideas still live on over 150 years after his publication of The Origins of Species. In Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times essay Darwin at...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...first became aware of the capability of this theory when he studied variation in plants and animals during a five-year voyage around the world in the 19th century. He noticed whilst in the Galapagos Islands that the habitat of certain finches on the island changed their physical characteristics. Darwin mainly focused on the shape of the finches beak according to their habitat, concluding that even though the finch had a common ancestor, their beak shaped evolved according the foods that they ate in their habitat. He continued the development of this theory by studying hundreds more plants and animals than on his voyage. He developed this theory in 1858 after a thirty year period of study. The theory was published in a book titled ‘On the Origin of Species.’ His theory of Natural Selection has endured centuries of controversy, particularly as many reasons it conflicts with religious explanations of the world’s creation, as well as the organisms that inhabit it. Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection has a process with four components: Variation Each organism within populations has a difference in appearance in behaviour, such as body size, hair colour and number of offspring. In contrast, some have little to no variation among the population, for example, number of eyes in vertebrates. Colour, particularly in the palatability and appearance of foods, can determine one’s choice of food. Foods that are red give the perception that the food is...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...Is Evolution True? Kelius Hardy SCI 115SC October 21, 2013 Kenneth Skena Is Evolution True? Evolution is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary online as a progression of constant change from a plain to a compound state (2013). It is a perspective that different kinds of animals and plants originated from earlier species and have distinctive features because of their adaptation to new environments (Merriam-Webster, 2013). There are different perspectives concerning the origin of evolution and depending on an individual’s particular belief he may agree or disagree with the various viewpoints in existence today. This paper will cover the various viewpoints concerning evolution to include philosophical, theological, and sociological reflections. It will also cover the scientific process of evolution showing my agreement or disagreement with the process. What is Evolution? Organisms or species go through many hereditary changes over an extended period of time (Coyne, 2009). This means that one generation will be different from the other as they continue to evolve through changes in their genetic composition as they adapt to their environment (Coyne, 2009). Another belief concerning evolution is the concept of gradualism, which believes that a change in a species takes place after many generations have evolved, such as the development of birds from reptiles (Coyne, 2009). Speciation, yet another evolutionary concept, has the belief that although species share common traits...
Words: 3111 - Pages: 13
...Darwinism is “the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin”, according to the Oxford University Press. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who made major contributions to the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin’s writings were very significant in the scientific world, for a more specific example, his writing of the Origin of Species. The Origin of Species sparked huge national interest and the book’s first copies sold out quicker than they appeared. Although many saw this work as a step towards improvement in understanding of evolution, it also brought with it much opposition. Darwin’s...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...Darwin first presented his theory of evolution by natural selection through his book called ‘On the Origin of Species’. The book was released in 1859 and it explained the process of how organisms changed over time through the result of changes in heritable physical or behavioural traits. These changes allow an organism to adapt to the environment that it inhabits so that the organism’s chances of survival improve and produce more offspring (Than, 2015). However, biological evolution does not simply mean a change over time. It is believed that the central idea of biological evolution is that all organisms on Earth share a common ancestor (Understanding Evolution, 2015).The major principles of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection...
Words: 1474 - Pages: 6
...proven, by then it becomes a scientific law, but the theory of evolution never went pass that bar. It never made it to that level, because there might never be a scientific way of proving that everything is evolved (unless of course, someone ages for millions of years and lived to tell the story, but that's not the case, and definitely not the point). The point is, the theory of evolution is generally accepted scientifically and religiously, it's the Darwinian theory that is still in the grey area, despite existing for almost two centuries. Modern readers often misunderstand the meaning of the title of Darwin's book. They take the origin of species to mean the origin of life. Then it is pointed out that Darwin 'failed' to throw light on the origin of life. Others seem to think that his book is called The origin of THE species , aimed at human beings. But this was not Darwin's aim. Darwin argued that species—that is the different kinds of organisms in the world —come not from multiple unique creation events on each island or particular place—but instead that species are the modified descendants of earlier forms. Darwin demonstrated that the origination of...
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...Introduction: Charles Darwin's revolutionary theory has changed the way we see society, ethics and religion. It has cause multiple problems within religion. What Darwin directly challenged was the view that God had originally created all species of plant and animal life, just as they exist today. The ongoing debate about the most valid perception of the world's origins has troubled both the scientific and religious communities, causing, in many cases, intense conflicts and misconceptions. The goal of the current academic essay is to investigate the compatibility between the scientific theory of evolution and the christian beliefs about the origin of human kind. I will also research the philosophical foundations of Christianity and Darwinism...
Words: 1343 - Pages: 6
...True? I’m a raised catholic brought up in the faith that God created all heaven and earth, and on earth he placed us (humans) created perfect as His reflection. To add more skepticism about evolution, I’m pursuing a degree in finance/accounting subjects that have nothing to do with biology, science, or geology. Then why did I take this class you might ask? An easy answer will be that my student advisor recommended it and I didn’t think about it and just enrolled in it; but I look at things differently and always trying to find the positive side, I believe that it was meant for me to take this class, I needed to be exposed out of my comfort zone to a subject that if it wouldn’t have been this way I would have probably remained ignorant all my life. With that being said, I will venture on this essay to explain what I’ve learned about evolution, talk about evidence that we have found on the rocks including documented changes through the evolution of species like vestiges, embryos and bad designs. I will talk about the engine of evolution, given that some variations are heritable and that they can be passed from parents to offspring in the process of reproduction, including evolution by natural selection. While talking about reproduction, I’ll explain how sex drives evolution going back to the origin of species and ending in the present time with us the human species. The term evolution derives from the Latin term ēvolūtiō and makes reference to the verb evolve and its effects...
Words: 3156 - Pages: 13
...Taressa Toto October 3, 2016 Ela III - Period 4 Origin Myths Essay “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” and “The Navajo Origin Legend” show similarities, but also many differences throughout their stories. Both tell you their different aspects as to what they believe happened at the time of the creation. The symbol of wind also plays a big part when telling about the main ideas. What the two find important in culture and humanity is their biggest difference. “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” and “The Navajo Origin Legend” are able to be compared because they are all about the first creation of humans. In “When Grizzlies Walked Upright,” on page 25 you read the quote “When she became a young woman, her and the oldest grizzly bear were married. In...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...An understanding of Social Darwinism Social Darwinism is the application of the theory of natural selection to social, political and economic issues, it follows the mantra of the strong survive including animals and human issues. This theory was used to promote the idea that the white Europeans race was superior to others and destined to rule over them. Darwin’s influence is not only limited to science, but rather it has influenced political, social and economic thinking. People have been trying to apply it to types of human relations and this resulted to scramble of Africa, apartheid, genocide, demining of social values and the controlled economies by super powers. Malthus’s writings provided the germ Darwin’s theory of natural selection....
Words: 2179 - Pages: 9
