Fossils and genetic evidence of the evolution of homo sapiens
Fossil records and genetic evidence have offered a clear explanation about the evolution of Homo Sapiens. Fossils are remains of ancient man that have been found on rocks that have existed for very many years. According to Velasco (19), fossils support Darwin’s theory of evolution that simple life forms are the ones that evolve to become more complex body forms. Homo Sapiens that show similarity in their fossils have evolutionary relationships. On the other hand, genetic evidence supports evolution through comparative sequence analysis of DNA. Those organisms, or rather homo sapiens, which similar genetic codes reflect a shared ancestry (Velasco 16).
DNA sequencing makes it possible for organisms to be grouped and those with similar sequences indicate some phylogenetic relationships. Some populations of Homo sapiens that migrated to Africa have been influenced by hybridization with other homo sapiens. This is because, through interbreeding, genetic components mix up, thus producing organisms with completely different alleles. The effect of this is, a new species different from the original one arises.
Question 3: Species of the genus Australopithecus
Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that existed in Africa around three million years ago, and it is from this genus that modern human beings have descendent. There are several species of genus Australopithecus, but the common three are Australopithecus Africanus, Australopithecus anamensis and Afarensis (Johanson &Henry 2). Australopithecus appeared in Africa in South Africa, a country in the southern part of the African continent. This species was apelike with a protruding face and a small brain. Its canines were small and the face was protruding like that of an ape. Australopithecus anamensis was found in Lake Turkana in Kenya in eastern Africa. The species is thought to have existed about 4 million years ago. It is thought to be having similarities with the chimpanzees. Australopithecus Afarensis, on the other hand, was discovered in eastern Africa in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The species is estimated to have existed 4.1 million years ago. These three species had some morphological similarities such as an upright posture, protruding jaws and apelike dentition (Johanson, & Henry 5). The species also show similarity in their bipedalism, and this suggests this stage of hominin evolution share a common origin.
Question 5: The four forces of evolution and how they impacted the Evolution of Homo Sapiens
The common forces are mutation, gene flow, genetic drift and natural selection. According to Sober (8), these forces of evolution have had a lot of influence in the evolution of homo sapiens. A mutation refers to the spontaneous change in the gene make up of an organism. Once a mutation occurs, a new gene variation is created. As a force of evolution, the mutation has resulted in the changes of behavior and other characteristics in homo sapiens because such characteristics are passed to the next generation. Gene flow refers to the movement of populations with their genes from one place to another (Sober 6). If the rate of gene migration is high among homo sapiens, a significant effect is brought to their allele frequencies. Once this happens, a new population of homo sapiens with new alleles is created. Genetic drift is a random change in the alleles of organisms. They have brought a tremendous effect in the evolution of homo sapiens in that, offspring with different alleles from the parents are created (Velasco 12). The last force of evolution that has impacted homo sapiens is natural selection. Through natural selection, homo sapiens who are not able to compete for resources in nature don’t survive and their characteristics are not passed to the next generation.