On The Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin

For many years there has been a debate over where modern humans originated from. The first theory, out of Africa, discusses modern humans evolving in Africa. They migrated out to Eurasia and as the time went on their species evolved independently and developed into distinct species. All other human populations were eventually replaced with no interbreeding involved in the process and Homo sapiens had successfully dominated the rest of the world. On the other hand, the second theory, regional continuity, says that our earliest hominid ancestors had departed Africa and spread into other parts of the world later evolving into modern human beings. In this paper I will discuss the Regional continuity theory and elaborating on the Out of Africa theory. Evidence based on fossils, artifacts, and other crucial components will be discussed. Based on the evidence found I will come to a conclusion as to which theory I think best fits the origins of humans.

1.1) The MRC theory says after the first migration from Africa 1.8 million years ago, the different groups of humans in different part of the world slowly evolved in parallel with each other. The emergence of modern humans didn’t occur in a single area, but on different continents. In contrast, the OOA theory says humans evolved first in African and then migrated to different continents. The Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens evolved into different species and interbreeding would be rare which is why there are different races. The only similarity between the two theories is that humans started in Africa. Until about 14 years ago, Genetic DNA showed that the MRC theory was correct. But 13 years ago more evidence shows the OOA theory is more realistic. Anatomical evidence shows different physical characteristic between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. Archeological

As humans evolve, they will change. Through the years, humans will both change mentally and physically. Through research and reasoning, people can only predict what might be the next human evolution. Much of what is predicted is based on the world that humans live in today. Some day, humans might be even be able to change their own genetics as science and technology advances.

One of the most fiercely debated issues in paleoanthropology points at the origins the primate species. The top two continents that have been very evident in our origins that can be traced to Africa and (Eur)Asia. African origin stresses the multiregional continuity theory it suggests a single origin for modern humans and gives an explanation to the Out-of-Africa model for the patter of our human evolution.

Darwin once hypothesized that humans evolved from an ape like ancestor and that those ancestors most likely originated in Africa since the majority of the great apes lived there. Unfortunately, Darwin’s hypothesis was ignored for reasons such as people (e.g. Europeans) not liking of having African ancestors—not to mention the lack of evidence did not help in supporting such hypothesis. Thus, finding the missing link between apes and humans was of great important—it still is. Thankfully, through extensive research many scientists have been able to determine a clade called Hominin [7]. This clade contains humans as well as their most closely related relatives.

The earliest stage of human evolution came to be found in Africa. Human history began about 7 million years ago and came from a descendant of the gorilla line. These early humans known as Homo erectus dispersed to different continents and started colonizations. Since every human being came from the same background it supports diamond’s theory that different human intellectuals wasn’t the cause of different advancements. As the inhabitants of Africa started to create new tools Europe and Asia began to follow this trend. As of some 400,000 years ago, Cro-Magnons in Europe developed modern skeletons, superior weapons, and other advanced cultural traits, a sign human evolution.

This chapter beings explaining the evolution of mankind. Prior to 11,000 BCE, all humans were equal. Due to our evolutionary past, we branched off from apes to humans and spread around the world. Nearly 4 million years ago, humans began their mark on earth in Africa. Jared Diamond compares human development on all seven continents about 13,000 years ago. Although many early humans were found primarily in Eurasia and Africa, over time they expanded and gained new territory. The early humans created tools as they evolved, and many became hunter and gatherers. Then, human history made a Great Leap Forward around 40,000 BCE. The Great Leap Forward was when the earliest humans created new technology and exciting innovations that did not exist previously

Human evolution is “the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates” (Human Evolution, 2017). It is thought that human evolution began with a species of ape called Australopithecus, or one referred to as Neanderthals. These species most closely resemble the beginning of humans because they were a type of ape that walked up-right. As time progressed our primates began to adapt to the environment, and slowly changed into who we are today; Homo sapiens. Charles Darwin— an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist—was known for developing the theory of evolution. He explained that evolution was a “decent with modification” (On the Origin of Species, 1859). This meant that we all originated from a different species. However, we do not look exactly alike because we adapted to the environment we were exposed to. Although we all originated form a certain species, after undergoing serval mutations throughout generations to ensure

There is much speculation as to where humans today came from, until recently much was up for debate when considering where one came from. The film, The Human Family Tree, directed by Chad Cohen, produced by the National Geographic Channel in 2009 attempts to answer the question: Where did we (as humans) come from? The film’s answer to this question comes from the Genographic Project which aims to uncover the origins of humans as a modern species. “The Human Family Tree” argues that modern humans originated in Africa around 200,000 years ago. The film uses the evidence provided by the Genographic Project to support their claim.

During the early 19th century, scientists, archeologist and other scholars, speculated, studied and disagreed about the development of humans and our origins. Some experts theorized that humans are monogenism and developed into various varieties of species. Others argue that we

The “Out of Africa” theory asserts that modern humans evolved from early Homo in Africa and then spread throughout the world to regions such as Asia and Europe. According to this theory, the early Homo ancestors interbreed with other hominids living at the time and acquired characteristics that afforded them an evolutionary advantage that led to increased survival, later known as natural selection and variation. Homo led to the extinction of other hominids that coexisted with them (Laland, Odling-Smee and Myles, 2010). Evidence for the “Out of Africa” model comes primarily from genetic studies of early hominid and human populations since the fossil record does not contain extensive evidence before the advent of agriculture due to most early materials being highly decomposable.

1. The text was written by Charles Darwin, who is renowned for his theory of evolution. Besides his book The Origin of Species, he also wrote Voyage of the Beagle and The

Human evolution is the gradual process in which people, or Homo sapiens, originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence, particularly in the form of fossils and secondary remains, show that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people evolved over a period of approximately six million years. Humans are primates. Both genetic and physical similarities show that humans and the great apes (large apes) of Africa, chimpanzees (including bonobos, or so-called “pygmy chimpanzees”) and gorillas share a common ancestor that lived between 8 and 6 million years ago. The volume of fossils found in Africa suggests that most evolution occurred there and is likely the place of origin for early humans. This brings to fruition the “out of Africa” theory, also called the “single-origin hypothesis.”

There has been a great deal of heated debate for the last few decades about where modern Homo sapiens originated. From the battle grounds, two main theories emerged. One theory, labeled “Out-of-Africa” or “population replacement” explains that all modern Homo sapiens evolved from a common Homo erectus ancestor in Africa 100,000 years ago. The species began to spread and replace all other archaic human-like populations around 35,000 to 89,000 years ago. The rivaling opinion, entitled the “regional continuity” theory or “multiregional evolution” model refutes this theory and states modern humans evolved from various species of Homo erectus who interbred with others that lived in

Human evolution according to research started over 6 million years ago. The outcome of the evolution process is the current human beings. Scientific studies have revealed over the years a remarkable affinity between the chimpanzees/Apes and human beings. Even though this reality is not a definitive prove that human beings evolved from apes, it does show that the human beings are in one way or another related to other primates. Scientists suppose that the humans and the primates shared a common ancestor. The subject of what makes humans what they are and their origin has been the exclusive purpose leading to many scientific studies globally (Coolidge & Wynn, 2011). Studies believe that Africa was the origin of evolution millions of years ago. Fossil remains have been discovered in different parts of Africa as well as other regions of the world. Different hominins have been discovered around the world in the last 1 million years. Thus, the different discoveries have led to comparisons between the various species of hominins to clarify on their similarities as well as differences. This essay seeks to explain whether they were distinctively different species or regional versions of the same species.