Evolution Of The Fossil Record

Foreheads began to develop in the later members of the species, most likely as a result of an expanding frontal lobe (that part of the brain that we believe controls many of our higher functions such as reasoning, foresight and concentration) (Johanson and Shreeve 1989). Homo erectus had a lighter jaw than did Homo Habilis (Johanson and Shreeve 1989).

Homo Heidelbergensis: Lower half of skull pops out more than the rest of the ‘homo skulls’

Neanderthals were a species of archaic humans who migrated out of Africa and into Europe and Asia. However, around 40,000 years ago the large populations of Neanderthals died off and became extinct. The mysterious circumstances that surrounded their extinction drove various research teams to undertake the task of excavating numerous Neanderthal sites to collect fossilized bones, and artifacts in order to learn more about this group of ancestral humans. Over the past years, major technological advances have allowed researches to analyze the fossilized remains of the Neanderthals which led to major discoveries. For example, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology found that the ear ossicles of Neanderthals and modern humans had similar functions but differed in terms of structure. In the study, the researchers used high-resolution computer tomography (CT) to scan numerous Neanderthal skulls from different sites in order to determine if there are ossicles present in the middle ear cavity (tympanic membrane). The scans revealed ossicles in fourteen different skulls which came as a surprise to the researchers since the bones of the ossicles are fragile and break down easily in the soil. The researchers then used microcomputed tomography scans and 3D geometric morphometrics in order to virtually reconstruct the bones of the ossicles which are composed of the malleus, incus and stapes. The 3D reconstructions of the ossicles allowed the scientists to

Fossils Tell of Long Ago uses accessible language and illustrations to aid all students in vocabulary and new concept growth. Explicit instructions, reading the book allowed to the class, and allowing conversation among individual students as they work through learning new words will aid ELL students in expanding their word knowledge. Furthermore, having ELL students translate new word to into their native language will help them activate their previous knowledge. Encouraging all students to be actively engage in learning words will ensure that ELL students and all students will gain knowledge and make connections to new words.

Give an example of a vestigial structure. Students sometimes confuse vestigial structures from byproducts. Distinguish vestigial structures from byproducts of adaptations (covered in previous unit).

Creationism, it is theory that claims every element in the earth, including living species, are all created by the god as the Bible said, which denies the evolutional theory came up by Charles Darwin. Then, since Darwin’s evolutionary theory is testable and make solid predictions whereas creationism cannot be tested nor predict precisely, it has been considered as a pseudoscience. However, recently there is a Ph.D. Biochemist bring creationism theory back to the audience again, his name is Duane Tolbert Gish from University of California. Dr. Duane T. Gish has written several books and articles to support creationism, and the most famous one is Evolution: The Fossil Say No!, which published in 1978. In his article, he denied the evolutionism since he claims there is insufficient fossil evidence to support Darwin’s theory, and which would prove creationism is real.

Neanderthals share many biological similarities to that of modern day humans, giving rise to the idea of a Neanderthal humanity. One similarity was shown in a recent article published in 2013 on a scientific study done on the Neanderthal hyoid bone called the Kebra 2 hyoid which was found in 1898 in the Kebra caves. The article is called Micro-Biomechanics of the Kebra 2 Hyoid and Its Implications for Speech in Neanderthals. The study involved using a range of computational techniques to examine the mechanical nature and differences between the Neanderthal hyoid and human hyoid bones. The results from the study found, examining the macroscopic anatomy of the Kebra 2 hyoid that it was virtually identical to that of a human’s hyoid bone. Many

Others see these differences as variation within the human species. As pointed out in both the book, The Past in Perspective, and the film, differences included projecting brow ridges and face, and an occipital bun, a projection in the back of the skull. It is concluded that the occipital bun evolved to accommodate brain growth. However, skulls are far too complex to give simple answers as to why certain features, such as the occipital bun, evolve the way they do. The more we understand how skulls grow and function, the better we can understand the complexity of the brain and be able to answer these

The most distinct of H. neanderthalensis is its unique cranial features. These features comprise of a large middle part of the face where their skull was more long and flat but had more of a protruding brow ridge. They also had slanting cheek bones and a large nose which is said to be for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. Their jaw and teeth are larger and have a hole called the retro molar space (behind wisdom teeth at the back of the

Introduction: In this lab we are trying to examine on evolution. To see the change over time. Evolution shows where an organism comes from, so if we retrace it to the beginning of its time we will be able to know more about the organism and its ancestors more reliable than an opinion. Measuring the skulls and comparing the the measurements can help us see how far the animal has came and how it changed over time. Also get to see who's related to who and how.

This scientific article is very interesting and the news element are unusualness and timeliness. This event is uncommon because finding ancient remains is not common and is very hard to find. However, with hard work, paleoanthropologist found ancient Neanderthal remains and made a new discovery on how the brains of ancient Neanderthal differ from modern brains.

In station 5, I had to organize hominin skulls from oldest to youngest based on a chart that had a timeline of the creature with that type of skull. The skulls, from oldest to youngest, were D, B and A coexisting, E, and the modern human skull and C coexisting. I was able to sort these skulls by judging the size of the skull’s brain cavity and by noting the similarities between certain skulls and the modern human skull. Since there was an overlap between some of the hominins, they probably interbred and that caused a change in the lineage over time. In station 6, there were two groups of brains with different colored bases; one with blue colored bases and one with red colored bases. I had to state whether the brains with different bases were homologous, analogous, or neither. The brains with the blue bases

What is convergent evolution and how can convergent evolution in the past affect the description of fossilized species? Convergent evolution is when two branches of evolution converge on the same feature by separate paths. For example, birds and bats share the feature of having wings and being able to fly. But they arrived at that ability through separate paths, not through their common

I believe that the brow ridge is an important characteristic of research. With the information my group and I gathered, we found that the quantitative aspects on the brow ridge show us a large distinction between the skulls. For example, the skull #6, that we believe is a human skull, has a brow ridge of 2 cm while skull #5, that we believe is a primate, has a more protruding brow ridge of 5cm. After furthering my research online I found out that the neanderthals had the trait of a more defined brow ridge, but not as defined as an ape’s, and over time the human species brow ridge became less protruding. A theory for why this prominent brow may have existed could be protection from the glare of the sun or to protect it from potential harm to

: Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient organisms which have been preserved. For example, a fossil can exist as skeletal remains or even as a footprint. Such organisms are subjected to a slow rate of decaying since they have been rapidly buried under conditions that facilitate this. It is common for fossils to occur as hard-bodied organisms as these are more resistant to environmental influences. Fossils are usually found embedded in rock. The layers of rock are of different age and makeup. Hence fossils found in one layer would vary in characteristics from those found in another layer. They can be observed and analyzed through visual as well as radiometric means so that the age and morphology can be determined. These features indicate