in the course of human evolution, which of the following was a key factor

by Dr. Constantin Jenkins 7 min read

Full Answer

What is the main idea of human evolution?

Introduction to Human Evolution. Human evolution. Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.

How does evolution affect the way of life of humans?

Over time, genetic change can alter a species' overall way of life, such as what it eats, how it grows, and where it can live. Human evolution took place as new genetic variations in early ancestor populations favored new abilities to adapt to environmental change and so altered the human way of life.

Which factor is the cause of evolution?

So we can conclude that if any of the above conditions are not met then there is a change in allele frequency and thus evolution, and thus that factor is the cause of evolution.

What are three possible outcomes of population evolution in environmental dynamics?

Three possible outcomes of population evolution in environmental dynamics typical of the Plio-Pleistocene (left). The ability to move and track habitat change geographically (narrow lines) or to expand the degree of adaptive versatility is important for any lineage to persist.

What is the main factor of human evolution?

Five different forces have influenced human evolution: natural selection, random genetic drift, mutation, population mating structure, and culture. All evolutionary biologists agree on the first three of these forces, although there have been disputes at times about the relative importance of each force.

What are the 3 major changes in human evolution?

The evolution of modern humans from our hominid ancestor is commonly considered as having involved four major steps: evolving terrestriality, bipedalism, a large brain (encephalization) and civilization.

What was the most significant trend in human evolution?

The most significant trend in the evolution of modern man (Homo sapiens) from the ancestors is increasing brain capacity. The human species developed a much larger brain than that of other primates—typically 1,330 cm3 in modern humans, over twice the size of that of a chimpanzee or gorilla.

What are the two major trends in human evolution?

Taking into account the manifestation of the changes occurring in the Homo brain-case, two evolutionary trends can be distinguished: the expansion of the cranial capacity (quantitative sapientization) and the attainment of the recent shape (qualitative sapientization).

What are the main stages of human evolution?

The following are the stages of human evolution:Dryopithecus. These are deemed to be the ancestors of both man and apes. ... Ramapithecus. ... Australopithecus. ... Homo Erectus. ... Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis. ... Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

What is the process of human evolution?

human evolution, the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates. Viewed zoologically, we humans are Homo sapiens, a culture-bearing upright-walking species that lives on the ground and very likely first evolved in Africa about 315,000 years ago.

How was the first human made?

The first human ancestors appeared between five million and seven million years ago, probably when some apelike creatures in Africa began to walk habitually on two legs. They were flaking crude stone tools by 2.5 million years ago. Then some of them spread from Africa into Asia and Europe after two million years ago.

What did humans evolve before apes?

It evolved from a Homo erectus population in Africa about 600,000 years ago.

How has humanity's evolution from primitive stage to the present been?

The correct answer is Option 2. This can be referred to in the lines- Mankind's experience of various evolutionary changes from primitive times to the present day has been extensive and varied. Extensive and varied means huge and diversified.

Who is the father of human performance?

The beginnings of human performance (HP) can be traced back to 1898. Frederick W. Taylor – a mechanical engineer who has been called the father of scientific management – modified the way workers completed their tasks at Bethlehem Steel by providing customized tools.

Who developed HF teams?

Although the military sponsored almost all HF research during the war, the civilian industry later also became interested in its value. McDonnell Douglas and Boeing both established HF teams, and Bell Laboratories created an HF group that advised engineers on the layout of keys for telephone handsets.

What was the period of psychology in the early 1900s?

The early 1900s was a period when psychology was dynamically growing as a discipline . Flying aptitude tests were first developed for the US Army, with other efforts focused on improving selection and training.

How did the Second World War affect the use of psychological research?

The Second World War accelerated the application of psychological research in high-risk activities. By looking at both the mental and physical needs of end users, it led to better designs. For example, radar controls and displays allowed for more effective recognition of enemy aircraft.

Does HF depend on human or machine?

During this time, many industries began to realize that the increased effectiveness of reaching desired goals does not depend on the human or the technology alone. Rather, it depends on how well the person, the machine and the process interact together to create a system. HF professionals focus on this system, not the human or machine separately.

What is evolution in biology?

Evolution is defined as a change in the allele frequency of population through time. The Hardy-Weinberg model predicts that the allele frequency of a population will not change (i.e., evolution will not occur) if the following conditions are met: no natural or sexual selection.

What is natural selection?

Natural selection refers to the deterministic change in allele frequency due to a differential in fitness among different genotypes. Sexual selection and artificial selection are typically considered as part of natural selection (although that may vary from author to author) Genetic Drift.

What is genetic drift?

Genetic Drift refers to the stochastic sampling process of individuals. Mutations. A mutation refers to any spontaneous change (substitution, indel, chromosome duplication, etc...) in an individual's genotype. Gene flow (aka. migration) Gene flow refers to the transfer (migration) of DNA sequences among populations.

How to compare two modern hominids?

Start by comparing two modern hominids : a human and a chimpanzee. 1. Examine the Front view of the Homo sapiens (modern human) skull. Then, use the Select skull menu to examine the same view of the Pan troglodytes (chimp) skull.

Where is the brain located?

Introduction: The brain is housed inside the cranium. The internal volume of the cranium is called the cranial capacity . The larger an organism’s cranial capacity is, the larger its brain tends to be.

Where does the phylogenetic history of humans begin?

The story begins in Africa and mostly in east Africa in the Afar triangle here and down through the Rift Valley. But there are very important fossils over in the Sahel area in the Chad area, and of course down in South Africa.

What is the Homo sapiens module?

This module explores the rich variety of hominids on the tree of life, along with how and when different human species - including Homo sapiens - migrated around the world. You’ll also learn strategies for teaching evolution in culturally diverse classrooms.

What is the name of the fossil that walked upright?

Now, a little bit later, a couple million years later, one of the more famous fossils was found, called Ardi, for ardipithecus ramidus.

Where did Homo erectus move to?

Homo erectus, as I said, moved in to middle, the Middle East and across Asia. And one of the populations they found is in Dmanisi, Georgia, the Republic of Georgia at around 1.77 million years ago.

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Climate Fluctuation

Organisms and Environmental Change

  • All organisms encounter some amount of environmental change. Some changes occur over a short time, and may be cyclical, such as daily or seasonal variations in the amount of temperature, light, and precipitation. On longer time scales, hominins experienced large-scale shifts in temperature and precipitation that, in turn, caused vast changes in vegetation – shifts from gras…
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Adaptation to Change

  • There are many ideas about the role of the environment in human evolution. Some views assume that certain adaptations, such as upright walking or tool-making, were associated with drier habitat and the spread of grasslands, an idea often known as the savanna hypothesis. According to this long-held view, many important human adaptations arose in the African savanna or were i…
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The Variability Selection Hypothesis

  • A different hypothesis is that the key events in human evolution were shaped not by any single type of habitat (e.g., grassland) or environmental trend (e.g., drying) but rather by environmental instability. This idea, developed by Dr. Rick Potts of the Human Origins Program, is called variability selection. This hypothesis calls attention to the v...
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Ancient Hominins Were Found in Diverse Habitats

  • Ancient hominin remains have been found in a variety of different habitats. While some hominins, such as Orrorin tugenensis and Ardipithecus ramidus have been found in wooded habitats, others such as Sahelanthropus tchadensis were found associated with diverse types of vegetation within a small geographic area. Reconstructions of the ancient habitat of Ardipithecus ramidus at two …
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Two Legs, Long Arms; Moving Around in Diverse Habitats

  • By about 4 million years ago, the genus Australopithecus had evolved a skeletal form that enabled adjustment to changes in moisture and vegetation. The best current example of adaptability in Australopithecus is apparent in the skeleton known as Lucy, which represents Au. afarensis. Lucy’s 3.18-million-year-old skeleton has a humanlike hip bone and knee joints coupled with lon…
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Stone Toolmaking: Gaining Access to Diverse Foods

  • The first known stone tools date to around 3.3 million years ago. Making and using stone tools also conferred versatility in how hominin toolmakers interacted with and adjusted to their surroundings. Simple toolmaking by stone-on-stone fracturing of rock conferred a selective advantage in that these hominin toolmakers possessed sharp flakes for cutting and hammersto…
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The Expanding World of Early Homo

  • As predicted by the variability selection hypothesis, hominins were not found solely in one kind of habitat, but rather in a variety. A major signal of the ability to tolerate different environments was the dispersal of the genus early Homo beyond Africa into Asian environments. After 1.9 million years ago, the genus Homo is found in a variety of locations in Asia, including some that are rela…
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Hominins Persisted Through Environmental Change

  • Environmental instability may have been a factor not only in shaping adaptations but also in contributing to the extinction of some lineages. Environmental variability associated with the extinction of large mammal species has been proposed for the southern Kenya region. Sediments, stone artifacts, and animal faunal at the site of Olorgesailie span most of the past 1.2 million ye…
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Encephalization and Adaptability

  • Brain enlargement during human evolution has been dramatic. During the first four million years of human evolution, brain size increased very slowly. Encephalization, or the evolutionary enlargement of the brain relative to body size, was especially pronounced over the past 800,000 years, coinciding with the period of strongest climate fluctuation worldwide. Larger brains allow…
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