The Affects Of Climate Effects On Human Evolution

Previous climate change predictions have provided scientists, archaeologist and ecologists with information about the past and future of humans. These indications are backed up by scientific research based off of the physics of the Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land and ice. In addition, many researchers have recently turned their focus to past civilizations and their downfall. With information from Mark Kinver’s “Roman Rise and Fall ‘Recorded in Trees’” studies show that from the demise of the Argaric society to the fall of the Mayan, and Ancient Roman Empire, climate change has played a key role in regards to civilizations collapse and nuclear annihilation.

The beginning of human history, is no longer a gray area on the behalf of historians, scientist and perhaps geologist. Many specialized in their respectful field. Move toward together to get a world view of human life. History is a word that is always driven out, to look back at a period of time and one might compare the pervious time to the present. It’s vital for us mortal to understand where came from and where we are going. Since history often does repeats itself, it may be good, to look backwards to get a sense what actually happened, in the past. This writing will be discussing about societies that have changed, and how, human evolution helped. I will point out what I think are the most significant part of human evolution and doing that, that I write in a coherent order from the beginning of time.

Climate change has been heavily debated amongst scientists; many agree that since the rise of Modernism, anthropogenic activities have resulted in the accumulation of atmospheric CO2, therefore magnifying the greenhouse effect and causing climate change to become a more prevalent issue (Capstick, S. et al, 2015). Conversely some scientists argue that global warming is a natural fluctuation similar to that of the Ice Age, therefore not effecting ecology permanently (Moran, JM 2016). On the other hand, Montoya and Raffaelli (2011) argue that climate change is a major threat to biodiversity and presents information proving that several species are declining in numbers and being forced to move due to the temperatures, acidity and light exposure moving out of their tolerance ranges. This evidence proves that climate change is adversely effecting flora and fauna species as well as changing abiotic factors such as temperature and sea levels. Through this it is clear that climate change is not a hypothesis, but a serious threat that is threatening several biological systems.

The Neanderthals’ survival methods were being compromised by the changing environment as they were not equipped with the right physique or technology to survive in plain-dominated environments. The change in climate also helped to boost the expansion of anatomically modern humans. Eriksson A., et al (2012) used a model that quantified the effects of past climate change on demography of modern humans takes into consideration past demographic events and estimated the effect of climate on atomically modern humans (Eriksson A., et al, 2012). The model shows a positive relationship between climate and the expansion of modern humans. Humans were equipped with technology that were favored after the environment changed to a plain-dominated one and thus this change in environment offered opportunities for human ambush hunters (Finlayson, 2004). They were able to travel longer distances and shoot further, which gave them a greater advantage when it comes to attacking these plain mammals (Markova A.K, et al, 2002). This relationship between climate change and anatomically modern humans further restrains the Neanderthals. The Neanderthals are not only less efficient in sourcing for food due to their inability to adapt their methods to the changing environment, but are also faced with resource competition from the modern humans.

Climate change can results in animals and plants migrating north to escape the heat but in many cases suitable habitats became scare or even unavailable farther away from the species natural habitat. “Shannon Pelini, a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame conducted experiments revealing that warmer increased the survival ship and shape of caterpillar and most northern habitats.”As if the direct effects of rising temperature weren’t enough, climate change also has impacts that could make climate patterns less consistent over time. “Michael Notaro a scientist at the University of Wisconsin Madison used climate data from the past century model vegetation changes over time.” He found that variability in climates cause an increasing number and and intensity of fire and droughts, as well as extreme weather events like ice ages and even heat

The latter phases of the Paleolithic Era brought about a multitude of changes in social interaction as well as technology. These advancements allowed early Homo sapiens to adapt to new continent’s environments at a rapid rate.

This distinguishing feature of humans reproduces their evolution in various settings with ever changing circumstances that imposed on different ways of survival and procreative results (Wood & Eagly, 2002, in press). For instance, in the late Pleistocene era, the climate appears to have been extremely inconstant. Furthermore, humans and their predecessors were highly involved in niche construction, in other words their actions changed the environments in which they lived. However, catering to these alterations mandated behavioral plasticity, permitted by an advanced capacity for inventing and sharing knowledge through social learning, yielding an accumulation in art, music, and literature. As humans’ our plasticity is obvious in our various innovative solutions with regards to reproduction and survival, including a tolerance for a wide range of foods, ecosystems, and living

Over millions of years there have been major changes in the evolution of humans. Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioural traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years. (Smithsonian Institution, 2015) These major changes include skull shape, brain size and muzzle size. This research essay will outline and evaluate these major changes of the evolution of humans and also describe and explain how modern day humans have evolved to what they are today.

With the increase of anthropogenic effect on ecosystems, through climate change and other human induced modifications to habitats and populations, there has been a surge in scientific studies attempting to understand contemporary evolution as a response to these anthropogenic influences. The study of contemporary evolution in response to climate change burgeoned in the 1980’s and 90’s and continued to gain momentum in the last two decades (Merila and Hendry, 2013). With the rapid increase in the volume of studies conducted linking particularly, climate change to evolutionary response in populations, concerns arose surrounding the assumptions implicit in researchers conclusions about adaptive values, genetic versus plastic basis, and causal

Mutations and errors in sexual reproduction allow for variation within a population. These variations can eventually lead to the complex process of evolution in a species. The genetically derived mutation Polycythemia and the environmentally derived mutation lip augmentations, affect human evolution in a beneficial and detrimental way.

In the two million years it is believed that humans have populated the Earth, they have displayed the remarkable ability to adapt to any environment. Archaeological evidence has proven that the earliest humans were able to occupy and control every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. Human impact on the environment has increased progressively through time from the earliest hominid hunters to modern city-dwellers. A fundamental expression of early humanities ability to control the environment occurred during the birth of agriculture. While the ecological impact from this feat has allowed humanity increased control over its environment, the earliest hominids were able to survive nearly two

The role of climate change in the development of many key evolutionary traits that allowed for the rise of the genus Homo has been the topic of much interdisciplinary debate in the fields of archaeology and the geological sciences. Correlations of evolutionary events shown in the archaeological record and global climate trends have formed the foundation of several climate driven evolutionary models (reviewed in Behrensmeyer 2006). Despite an apparent importance placed on climate change, there are many challenges in establishing a cause and effect relationship between climate change and human evolution (Behrensmeyer 2006). This essay aims to critically evaluate the effects of the marine isotope stage six (MIS6, ~195 to 130kya) glacial period on the evolution of behaviourally modern humans in the Middle Stone Age (MSA, ~280 to 35kya) in South Africa. This essay will outline a brief background to the origins of behaviourally modern humans (BMH) and key archaeological sites, an overview of available climate data, different interpretations of the data, and explore alternate ideas to explain the appearance of BMH in the archaeological record of the MSA in South Africa. In order to better understand the relationship between climate change and the origins of modern humans, it is important to examine the emergence of BMH in the MSA records.

About 1.5 million years ago “Multiregional Variation “marked the beginning of human evolution, and the fossils represented the evolving of Homo sapiens. In this theory is stated that there is no place where the Homo sapiens actually evolved they migrated out of Africa and the evolution took place in another place. . Although for human evolution the fossil record seemed to be the most reliable and useful evidence. With the fossils record this helped no depending on assumptions, and false evidence. The “Multiregional Variation lists a couple predictions that fossil evidence should prove. The first one is that all living humans derive for the species homo erectus that left Africa. Natural selection in regional populations is responsible for regional variants. And the emergence of homo sapiens was not restricted to one area. This theory is not supported by many due to the lack of support and evidence. Some believed that

Archaeology is a broad discipline that encompasses various aspects of past human behavior. One of archaeology’s many focuses is on the emergence of modern humans from those preceding them. The specific study of human modernism in the archaeological world has been relevant for decades. These disciplinary studies seek to uncover the truth about how past humans survived and lived, as well as to see how they were able to adapt and contribute to modern human advances. It is often appropriate to ask, “Why are these studies relevant to humans today?” In reality, the past is a gateway to the future, and without understanding the origins, it becomes increasingly difficult to interpret and predict the path that future humans are leading towards. One specific study focuses on shellfish gathering in South Africa, and aims to uncover dietary patterns of early hominins in an attempt to discover parallels between these species and our own modern civilization. In contrast, another study takes a holistic view and works on the specific site of Lake Ndutu in Olduvai Gorge. This study looks at several different aspects of the site in an attempt to explain and make connections with modern human origins and behavioral patterns. Though both studies aim to connect past human patterns with those today, both focus on different aspects of culture but come up with similar conclusions as to how and when the modern human emerged.

Evolution is the idea of similarities among organisms the indicate a common ancestor from which all species link back to. Michael Park states that "Different species exist because, in the continuous process of adaptation, species can and do give rise to new species. Environments to which species are adapted are always changing (Park, 47)." Human evolution is the process of humans changing from primate ancestors to what is now modern-day homo sapiens. The shared DNA could have shaped our individual susceptibility to modern day diseases or adaptation to new environments and climates. Evolutionary history does violate how humans see themselves in the modern world. However, I believe this is a natural part of evolution that is brought about by the long-term evolution of a single species. In his book park explains this idea through the idea of adaptation stating that "Each living species has its own unique set of adaptations to its own unique environmental niche, and these can be described (Park ,48)." The way humans view themselves is part of the process of evolutionary history itself the modern worldview is a by-product of our evolutionary history. Park states that "In fact, we are unique in that we can consciously change certain behaviors if they are not giving us the desired results (Park, 49)."