Homo erectus
Human Evolution is the evolutionary process that resulted in the appearance of modern-day humans. Conventionally, humans are associated with the primates’ family tree, which consists of about 180 species. Early genetic studies indicate that primates deviated from other mammals about 85million years ago. The humans that are in existence today underwent various stages of Evolution before the first known man walked on earth. Among the evolutionary steps involved are the Homo erectus, also known as ‘the upright man.’ Homo erectus is a species of the human genus that lived during the geological period. The species was in existence from 1.89 million to 143,000 years ago, and he was the subsequent species after his immediate ancestors, the Homo habilis. The paper will focus on various aspects of the species, including its discovery, usage of tools, biological changes, expansion of culture, and depiction of art.
Homo erectus was the first species to leave Africa. The species had a wide range of names depending on the location he was inhabiting at a given time. For instance, in Africa, he was referred to as the Turkana Boy, in China, he was Peking man, and in Indonesia, he was popularly known as Java Man. In 1891, the earliest fossils of the species were first discovered at Trinil on the Solo River by Eugene Dubois, who was a Dutch Army surgeon. The river was located on the Indonesian island of Java. contributed to the hominid’s colloquial name ‘Java Man.’ Dubois had been inspired by Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution.the theory triggered him to embark on on a persistent search on the hominid species (Jelinek, N.p.). The species continued to thrive and reproduce in various populations giving rise to the consequent species of Homo heidelbergensis and Homo sapiens.
Homo erectus had some unique defining characteristics. First and foremost, he was the first human to discover, use, and control fire, which signified a major turning point of the cultural aspects of the human evolution process. The hominid used the fire for lighting, cooking, and warmth, as he was a cave dweller. The discovery led to diversity in diet, behavioral conduct, and cultural innovations. Other defining characteristics of the Homo erectus were the biological uniqueness that distinguished him from his ancestors. His brain size was significantly larger, of about 1000 cubic centimeters, and almost the size as that of the modern humans. The larger brain explains his superficial intelligence and portrayal of distinct human behaviors (Joordens, p.228). His nose was broad and fleshy, with a flat face and protruding ridges around the brow. The species had relatively shorter arms as compared to those of Homo habilis, implying that their tree-climbing ability was considerably diminishing. He also had long legs that enabled him to run and walk over long distances, which explains his movement from Africa all through to Asia. Also, the species had variations in height with more tall and short individuals than their presiding primitive humans. Homo erectus used tools such as carved shells, with the latest discovery of these dating to 2014. Anthropologists discovered shells that contained peculiar shacks near the shells’ pivots. The evidence suggested the possibility that the Homo erectus had intentionally drilled the holes to make it easy to suck the mollusks, and also use them as tools and canvasses.
New fossil evidence concerning the dramatic change in the tooth size of the Homo erectus has brought an insight into the modern-human’s small teeth and gut. The finding confirms the already existing theory that at the Homo erectus species had qualities that prove that they were already feeding on cooked and processed food. During the study that resulted in this finding, the researchers measured the tooth size and body mass of four different species, including humans, chimpanzees, and present-day apes, to determine the minimum chewing time. The findings indicated that humans had less chewing time because they mainly consume processed food, which takes minimal time to chew. The extinct humans seemed to have a chewing time closer to that of humans, which indeed implied that the Homo erectus were mainly consuming cooked food. It also signified that their main meals would have been vegetables and various types of meats. There are also suggestions that the common types of cooking during the Homo erectus period of existence were mashing foods with stones and roasting. The find plays a substantial role in confirming that the food processing practiced in the present-day humans originated a million years ago.
The find discovered by the archeologists is in line with the information introduced in the book. The species’ reliance on hunting and improved means of cultural adaptation, together with the use of tools, all show the uniqueness of the species. There is also uniformity concerning the innovations evident amongst the Homo erectus. The information provided in the book describes that he used shells and bones to dig for tubers. Also, it indicated that the species’ main types of food were roasted meat and vegetables. All the food preferences were easy to chew, explaining their size of teeth and gut (Kottak, p.249). The book explains that the dramatic change in the jaw and tooth size among the Homo erectus was due to smaller jaws. The jaws which did not have enough room to fit large teeth, and that the changes were due to natural selection.
Works Cited
Joordens, Josephine CA, et al. “Homo erectus at Trinil on Java used shells for tool production and engraving.” Nature 518.7538 (2015): 228.
Jelinek, Jan. “European Homo erectus and the origin of Homo sapiens.” Current Argument on Early Man: Report from a Nobel Symposium. Elsevier, 2016.
Kottak, Conrad Phillip. Window on Humanity: A concise introduction to general anthropology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011.