Origin and Evolution of Man

The Meaning of Evolution of Man

Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioural traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.

One of the earliest defining human traits, bipedalism, the ability to walk on two legs evolved over 4 million years ago. Other important human characteristics such as a large and complex brain, the ability to make and use tools, and the capacity for language developed more recently. Many advanced traits including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years.

The Theory of Evolution of Man and the Religious Theory of Creation of Man

The Theory of Evolution of Man

The story of human evolution began in Africa about six million years ago and it describes the very long process that our ancestors went through to ultimately become modern humans. This process has been uncovered by studying fossils and understanding the underlying theory of evolution, and while new fossils are uncovered every decade revealing new chapters, scientists agree about the basic story.

Evolution means the changes that occur in a population over time. In this definition, a “population” means a group of the same species that share a specific location and habitat. Evolutionary changes always occur on the genetic level. In other words, evolution is a process that results in changes that are passed on or inherited from generation to generation. It does not, for example, describe how people can change their muscle mass by lifting weights.

When successful, these genetic changes or adaptations, which happen when genes mutate and/or combine in different ways during reproduction, help organisms survive, reproduce, and raise offspring. Some individuals inherit characteristics that make them more successful at surviving and having babies. These advantageous characteristics tend to appear more frequently in the population (because those individuals with less advantageous characteristics are more likely to die without reproducing), and over time these changes become common throughout that population, ultimately leading to new species.

STAGES OF HUMAN EVOLUTION

Early man passed through main four stages namely: Modern apes, Australopithecus Africanus, Homo eractus and Homo sapien

1.MODERN APES

• This is the first stage of man's evolution, it is sometimes called pirmates.It consisted of Gorillas and Chimpanzee.

These creatures had the following characteristics:

1. He walked on all four limbs
2. He ate flesh and fruits
3. He had long teeth
4. He used four limbs as arms
5. He hunted and gathered

2.AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICANUS

These creatures are divided into two:

• Zinjathropus
• Homo habilis

Their fossil were first excavated in South Africa and the late fossils of these creatures were discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and they were close to those of modern man. Australopithecus Africanus started 12,000,000 BC when primates changed near to man.

Zinjanthropus

Characteristics of Zinjanthropus were as follows:

1. They had grinding teeth
2. They were short
3. They had low forehead and deep set eyes
4. Their bodies were hairy
5. They had small brain capacity which was a third of a modern man
6. They walked on upright posture
7. They made tools which were simple stone tools which they sometimes used them for protection against other animals

Homo Habilis

The skull of Homo habilis was excavated at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and at Koobi fora near Lake Turkana. Homa habilis means "handy man or with ability or practical man"

Man at this evolution stage had these cultural and physical characteristics:

1. He used his hands to grasp objects
2. He had large brain capacity
3. He made useful tools from stones and sticks
4. He hunted and gathered
5. He resembled man than apes and hence he is regarded as man ancestor
6. He communicated through elementary language and lived in Africa for about one and a half million

3.HOMO ERACTUS

Homo eractus is also reffered as upright man.He was more man than apelike,his remainings were excavated in Ethiopia.

The following were his physical and cultural features

1. He had upright walking posture
2. He was more inteligent than the early man
3. He had higher brain capacity ,1000CC
4. He was able to make stone and bone weapons
5. He painted pictures on the walls of his caves
6. He learnt how to make fire
7. He developed speech
8. He hunted and gathered

4.HOMO SAPIEN

This is the highest stage in the evolution of man.It took place 50,000 BC.Homo sapien means "thinking man".He used advanced tools like chisels.Homo sapien lent to make better tools by use levalois techniques and later developed industry.He existed during the new stone age

The following were the physical and cultural features of man during homo sapien stage:

1. He farmed and keep livestock
2. He caltivated
3. He burnt the dead
4. He settled in villages
5. He began fishing
6. He developed state organization on government
7. He started religion
8. He began simple industry which made beads out of bones and egg shell also pottery, busketry and painting
9. He made better clothes from skin by knitting them with bone needles
10. He built huts made of hatch and mud

WHY EARLY MAN MADE TOOLS AND WEAPONS?

1. For defence against other wild animals
2. For hunting and gathering for example animals and fruits respectively
3. For cultivating especially during the new stone age when he domesticated plants
4. For exchanging with other items
5. Due to curiosity of finding up things