Lesson 27: The Evolution of
Hominids The great ri* valley
What you need to be able to do:
SC.912.L.15.10
Iden6fy basic trends in hominid evolu6on from
early ancestors six million years ago to modern humans, including
brain size, jaw size, language, and manufacture of tools.
Homo Sapiens:
Who are we?
• Homo “man” sapiens “being”
Where did we originate? • Africa 1st found fossils
Fossil evidence supports origins in Africa
Great Ri2 Valley Map of hominid fossils found
Hominid cladogram
Missing fossils in 6meline
Stone tool manufacturing
Homo genus originates
Common ancestor
Changes in skull shape led to advanced intelligence
Changes in brain size
Skeletal changes support bipedalism
Language acquisi6on
Tool usage and advancements
Changes in denFFon due to changes in diet
How fossils are formed and found
RefrigeraFon, DesiccaFon, Asphalt, and Amber
Some reliable sources of informa6on
• hNp://www.pnas.org/content/97/25/13506.full
• hNp://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v56/n12/full/1601646a.html
• hNp://www.newarchaeology.com/ar6cles/earlyhom.php
• hNp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8079169 • hNp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolu6on/
• hNp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolu6on/becoming-‐human.html
• Mutant Planet: Great Ri* Valley Lakes
• hNps://www.amazon.com/gp/video/library?ie=UTF8&ref_=sv_mov_aiv_4 • Nova “Becoming Human”
• hNp://video.pbs.org/video/1312522241/