Download Human Evolution

Darwin’s Discovery and Chimps and
Humans
Standards:

 BI.7 a. Students know why natural selection acts on
the phenotype rather than the genotype of an
organism.
 BI. 8. a. Students know how natural selection
determines the differential survival of groups of
organisms.
 BI. 8. b. Students know a great diversity of species
increase the chance that at least some organisms will
survive major changes in the environment
 BI. 8. e Students know how to analyze fossil evidence
with regard to biological diversity, episodic
speciation, and mass extinction.
Objectives:

SWBAT (in regards to human evolution)
 Explain how natural selection determines the
differential survival of groups of organisms.
 Analyze multiple sources of evidence for evolution.
 Explain how a great diversity of species increase the
chance that at least some organisms will survive
major changes in the environment
 Analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.
Darwin

 “Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his
history”
 Didn’t talk about humans in On the Origin of Species,
to avoid prejudice of his findings
 1871, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to
Sex
Accepted Theories

 Gravity
 Cell Theory
 Mendelian Genetics
Human Evolution

What is Human
Evolution?

 Humans and great apes shared a common ancestor 5
million years ago
 Common ancestor was a knuckle-walker
What is Human
Evolution?

 Modern humans have an ancestor that evolved into
the humans we have today
 Chimpanzees are closely related to humans because
they share this ancestor
Morphological Evidence of
Shared Ancestry

 Big brain, relative to body size
 More upright posture
 Arm structure (side to side)
 Teeth
 Binocular vision
 Opposable thumb
 Five fingers and toes
Molecular Evidence of Shared
Ancestry between Chimps and
Humans
 DNA sequences 96-99%
identical
 DNA sequences code for similar proteins
 Both have lots of deletions in their DNA sequences
 Allows opportunities for mutations (evolution)
Shared Behaviors

 Tool usage
 Child rearing
 Social interactions
 Emotions
 Delayed sexual maturity
 Hunting
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BIG BIG IDEA!!!

 If chimps and humans share a common ancestor then
this would suggest that humans’ ancestor changed
over time=evolution!!!!
Summary Questions

True/False-Humans evolved from monkeys.
How similar are humans and chimps
genetically?
List 3 morphological similarities between
humans and chimpanzees.
What is the evolutionary relationship
between humans and other primates?