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Name: ANSWERS
Human Evolution 5
Year 13 Science
Ruawai College 2013
In the examination:
Resource material may use the names of currently recognised species. If candidates use named
species in their answer, any information they produce must be consistent with those species named.
Trends are limited to those exhibited by early bipedal hominins onwards and may involve
comparison with other living hominids (apes).
Any discussion of the causes of hominin evolution should consider the selection pressures that
would lead to evolutionary change.
Cultural evolution covers the following tool cultures and key species associated with them, through
to development of agriculture and early settlements:
• Oldowan
• Acheulean
• Mousterian
• Upper Palaeolithic
• Neolithic.
Dispersal of hominins covers the period up to 10 000 years ago. Candidates should be able to
demonstrate understanding of the ecological/evolutionary changes that could drive such dispersal.
Scientific evidence relating to human evolution may include skeletal remains, nuclear and
mitochondrial DNA, tools, evidence from scientific and comparative dating.
Answers must be based on scientific evidence.
Biological Evolution:
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change in genetic information from generation to generation
genotypes selected for in natural selection
genes of successful genotypes increase in gene pool
genes of unsuccessful genotypes decrease in gene pool
slow and not directional
mutation that leads to new genes is random and not controlled
Cultural Evolution:
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1.
change in learned information from generation to generation
skills, knowledge, history, beliefs, attitudes
stored in a population by oral or written means
fast and directional
can be controlled by humans
How is genetic information passed from generation to generation?
Through inheritance of DNA / genes with mutations and selection for favourable traits
2.
Who do you inherit genetic information from?
Parents
3.
How is learned information passed from generation to generation?
Teaching, modelling
4.
Who do you inherit learned information from?
Parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, other adults
5.
Why is biological evolution slow?
relies on mutation of DNA and natural selection of favourable traits
6.
Why is cultural evolution fast?
Passed on intentionally through learning
Evolution of the Homo genus occurred in the ‘stone age’ (Palaeolithic). Physical and cultural changes
occurred and evolved over the next 2 million years.
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brain progressively enlarged
stature got taller
ability to hunt developed
improved and varied diet
meat rich in protein and fat – high energy content – less time spent gathering food
stone tools developed
controlled use of fire
social organisation became more complex
speech developed
Homo habilis – handy man – lived 2.3 to 1.4 mya
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7.
first and oldest of species
transitional between Australopithecines and the Homo species
Australopithecine type body – long arms
human like face – less protruding
brain bigger than Australopithecine’s but smaller than modern humans
intelligence and social organisation more sophisticated than Australopithecine’s
fossils accompanied by simple stone tools – Oldowan tool culture
How long ago did Homo habilis live?
2.3 to 1.4 million years ago
8.
Why is Homo habilis thought to be transitional between the Australopithecine and the Homo
species?
Has some primitive characteristic – Australopithecine body type
And human characteristics – larger brain, flat face, increased intelligence and social oraganisation,
use of tools
Oldowan stone tools
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one side broken
H habilis used fine-grained rock
H habilis understood how to strike rock at
correct angle once or twice to make sharp flake
used as choppers, hammers, diggers
to work wood, cut meat, cut reeds, dig up roots
used for scavenging rather than killing
kills easily processed, tough plant food crushed
or cut – more food sources available
What did Oldowan tools like?
One side sharpened
10.
How were Oldowan tools made?
Striking on one side
11.
What were Oldowan tools used for?
Work wood, cut meat, cut reeds, dig up roots
12.
Why would more food sources be available because stone tools were in use?
Food could be processed before eating – tough food now cut into smaller pieces so can be eaten
Homo habilis believed to be first to used tools – but Australopithecus garhi (2.6 mya) may also have
done so – tools found with fossil remains.
Widely accepted that Homo habilis was ancestor of later Homo species – but Homo ergaster /
erectus may have co-existed – so may have a common ancestor – no fossil remains have been yet
discovered.
13.
Why is it thought that Australopithecus garhi used Oldowan stone tools?
Found with fossil remains
14.
Why do some scientists believe Homo habilis and Homo ergaster / erectus had a common
ancestor?
Have similar characteristics
15.
Why do some scientists not believe this is the case?
No fossil evidence found
Some scientists believe that Homo ergaster and Homo erectus are one species. Some scientists
believe they are two different species.
H ergaster – ‘Turkana boy’
 divered from H habilis about
1.9 – 1.8 mya
 then divered to H erectus
H erectus – ‘Peking man’ ‘Java man’
 had migrated to Asia
Commonly thought – one species –
Homo erectus – two populations –
Africa and Asia
slight skull differnces between two populations of one
species
16.
Why do some scientists believe that Homo ergaster and Homo erectus are two different
species?
Skulls are different
17.
What is the commonly held view?
One species with two populations, one in Asia and one in Africa
The African population of Homo erectus is thought to be the ancestor of the Homo heidelbergensis,
Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens.
Another separate species – Homo georgicus – may have emerged from Africa about 800 000 years
before Homo erectus.
It took:
 200 000 years for Homo erectus to appear
in Asia
 300 000 years to appear in Europe
Migration linked to:
 cooler drier conditions from wet, tropical
 open savannah from forest
 change in food – tree fruits to grass seeds
and roots
 change in prey and predator species –
food more easily obtained
18.
Where did Homo erectus migrate to from Africa?
Europe and Asia
Place
Turkana, Kenya
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Ubeidiya, Israel
Atapuerca Spain
Dmanisi, Georgia
Longgupo Cave, China
Java
19.
Occupation dates (earliest known)
1.6 to 1.9 mya
1.2 to 1.8 mya
1.5 mya
780 000 ya
1.7 mya
1.78 mya
1.6 mya (some date it 1.8 mya)
Find the places of occupation on the world map and show the migration routes of Homo
erectus.
Homo erectus used more diverse and sophisticated tools than Homo habilis – Acheulean tool culture.
Acheulean tools:
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more complex than Oldowan tools
two faced (bi-facial) flake tools
symmetrical tear-drop, oval or disc
shape
made for specific purpose – e.g. hand
axe for chopping
tools took a long time to make – average
65 blows
scraping patterns on fossil bones show
how these were used
What did Acheulean tools like?
Sharpened on two sides
21.
How were Acheulean tools made?
Striking numerous times average of 65
22.
What were Acheulean tools used for?
Chopping, cutting, scraping foods from bones
Early Homo erectus in Africa used Oldowan stone tools but developed Acheulean tools over time.
The Asian population – only Oldowan tools found with fossil remains.
Homo erectus (thought to have been)
 first to have controlled use of fire in
Europe and Asia
 charred animal bones, heat-altered
stones and hearths found 1.5 mya
 used and maintained fire from original,
natural source e.g. lightning
 first to have hunter-gatherer existence
 living in bands and hunting cooperatively
23.
Fire used for:
 providing light
 keeping predators away
 cooking food
 meeting place
 hardening wooden spear points
 providing warmth
Why was Homo erectus thought to be the first hominin to use fire?
Remains of burnt animal bones, stones changed by fire, hearths found 1.5 mya
24.
Where was fire obtained from?
From natural sources like lightening
Advantages of fire:
 cooking makes food softer and easier to chew and to digest. Kills parasites and detoxifies
some plant poisons (tuberous roots). Shortens time spent chewing and eating – freeing time
 source of warmth – allows new habitats to be exploited, colder areas may have more
resources
 keeping predators away from campsites – allows activities to be performed in safety
(cooking, making tools, raising young) – gives group stability
 hardened wooden spear points – improved hunting
 stampede animals into traps or over a cliff
 light – extended time to make tools etc. allows social interaction
 meeting place – social organisation to allow communication, planning, learning, sharing
25.
Distinguish between biological evolution and cultural evolution.
Biological evolution involves changes in genes; cultural evolution involves changes in knowledge,
ideas, thoughts, customs, skills.
Biological evolution is inherited from parents, is fixed within an individual and can be passed on
only to offspring
Cultural information is acquired/learnt from the environment, is easily modified, and can be
passed on to any individual rapidly
26.
Explain why cultural evolution can occur much faster than biological evolution.
Cultural evolution can happen within a lifetime / generation
Biological evolution can happen only once from generation to generation and occurs over many
generations
26.
Describe Homo habilis and explain in what ways the species might be transitional between
the Australopithecines and the Homo line.
Homo habilis was small, and bipedal, like the rest of the Homo line.
While cranium size was still small with a 500 to 800 cm3 volume, and there were distinct brow
ridges – Australopithecine features
Teeth were small with no large canines and jaw was U shaped, similar to Homo species
27.
Complete the table comparing Oldowan and Acheulean tool cultures.
Oldowan
Acheulean
Associated with:
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Tools made from:
stone
Stone
Number of blows needed to
fashion typical tool
Number of faces of tool
1 or 2
65
One
Two
Shape of tool
Rounded, sharp flake
Tools used for
Chopping, hammering, digging,
cutting
Symmetrical tear-drop, oval or
disc shape
Chopping, spearing, slicing –
constructed for specific
purpose
Example diagram
28.
List five uses of fire and for each describe one advantage for those that used it.
Use of fire
Evolutionary Advantage
Shortens time spent eating, allowing more time for other activities
Cooking food
Source of warmth
Allow exploitation of new habitats
Keeping predators
away
Daily activities performed in safety
Harden wooden
spear
Improved hunting ability
Source of light
Longer time to carry out home based activities e.g. making tools, more
social interaction
29.
Describe the ways in which biological and cultural evolution made Homo erectus a more
advanced hominin than Homo habilis.
a.
biological evolution
H. erectus was taller, heavier and had a larger cranial capacity
H. habilis
b.
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indicating a larger brain than
cultural evolution
Acheulean tools used by H. erectus were more refined and sophisticated than the Oldowan tools
used by H. habilis. H. erectus had controlled use of fire, which enhanced many aspects of life e.g.
socialisation, cooking, hardening tools, driving away predators, warmth. H. erectus lived in groups
and co-operatively hunted. Communication was more advanced in H. erectus than H. habilis.
30.
Suggest reasons for:
a.
the great diversity in fossil remains of Homo erectus
H. erectus migrated out of Africa and spread throughout Europe and Asia. In doing so H. erectus
occupied a great diversity of environments, all with different selection pressures which will have
acted to select different features from populations in other environments.
b.
the classification of the fossil remains found in Georgia as belonging to a separate species
the remains are sufficiently different that scientists believe they fall outside the natural variation
of a single species and so they are put into a new species.
31.
The earliest evidence of tool making, known as Oldowan tool culture, has been associated
with Homo habilis approximately 2 to 1.5 mya. Homo erectus (1.8 mya to 300 000 ya) was the first
known species to use fire and Acheulean stone tools.
a.
Explain how Acheulean tools differ from Oldowan tools in their design and manufacture.
Acheulean tools are more sophisticated than Oldowan tools, as they were made with greater
precision with more finer blows to shape the tool. The hand-axe shape is more refined than the
axe of the Oldowan culture, so took greater time and skill to form
b.
The table presents fossil data for species belong to the genus Homo.
Hominin species
Homo habilis
Estimated
existence mya
2.0 to 1.5
Cranial capacity
(cm3)
500-800
Evidence of use of Fossil excavation
fire
sites
No
East Africa
Homo georgicus
1.8 to 1.7
600-780
No
Homo erectus /
ergaster
Homo
heidelbergensis
1.7 to 0.2
800-1100
Yes
0.6 to 0.25
1000-1300
yes
Europe / Asia
(Georgia)
Africa and Asia
Africa, Asia and
Europe
The map shows fossil excavation sites for several Homo species.
Homo erectus is considered to be the first hominin capable of migrating out of Africa and across Asia
about 1.5 million years ago.
Discuss the reasons why many scientists believe Homo erectus was the first hominin equipped to
migrate out of Africa:
You should consider:
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evidence from the table of fossil data and the map
the features of Homo erectus that enabled it to survive outside Africa
evidence that conflicts with this view
Fossils of H. erectus are found outside Africa, while those of other earlier forms H. habilis and H.
ergaster are found only in Africa – so did not migrate out of Africa
H. erectus had a larger cranial capacity than earlier forms, so had greater ability to plan e.g.
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manufacture of Acheulean tools
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control fire – would have greatly aided survival in the colder climates of regions north and
east of Africa – other forms unlikely to survive
More sophisticated tools would have increased hunting and scavenging, aiding survival
Increased brain capacity with evidence of Broca’s area – evidence of greater ability to
communicate and plan – co-operative hunting – increasing chance of success
Improved diet would also have assisted survival
Conflicting evidence comes from H. georgicus – hominins were older, had smaller brains, only had
Oldowan tools but apparently left Africa before H. erectus.