This week we are learning about the genus Homo. Using the information presented in this week’s learning modules and your readings. Create a question in Packback, and respond to it.
Introduction: The Genus Homo
The earliest members of our genus, Homo, arose nearly 2.5 mya and were characterized by an increase in brain size and a stronger reliance on material culture for survival. Key anatomical changes in Homo habilis—such as a larger brain, a less robust jaw, and smaller teeth— highlight the growing importance of tool use and dietary diversity as adaptations in the genus Homo.Louis Leakey’s discovery of the type specimen of Homo habilis focused attention on evolutionary changes in human brain size as well as changes in dentition. Homo habilis had a larger brain but smaller teeth than the australopithecines. This species is also associated with the stone tools in the Oldowan complex.
Homo erectus is known to be the first hominin species to move out of Africa into Europe and Asia. Homo erectus possessed a different set of physical traits from Homo habilis, including a larger brain and larger body size. Homo erectus also developed cultural traits different from those of Homo habilis: consumption of meat protein, use of fire, and the Acheulian tool complex. These cultural developments affected human biology. Homo erectus became the first hominin species to spread out of Africa to Europe and Asia, a global dispersal made possible by anatomical and cultural adaptations, including increased brain size, larger body size, more complex tool technology, use of fire for cooking, and emergence of hunting behaviors. The first members of Homo exhibited a series of evolutionary trends that set the stage for the ongoing evolution of the genus and the eventual emergence of our own species, Homo sapiens.
