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One of the main characteristics that defines the hominin tribe are their bipedal tendencies
One of the main characteristics that defines the hominin tribe are their bipedal tendencies. However, as you have noted in reading for this week's assigments, not all hominins had the same bipedal capabilities. Early hominins can be defined as being at various stages of transitioning into bipedalism while later forms are obligate bipeds. At the same time there are many other things that we can explore that relate to hominins. Often times there are new discoveries that are made and those discoveries make the news.
Make sure you do the following for points.
Note: Make sure that the news that you read only deals with one of the following genera - Sahelanthropus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus.
- Give a brief summary of what you read. In one short paragraph tell the class what the news was about. Include the following items as part of your post.
- Name the species in question (genus and species designations).
- What is the approximate age of the fossil and where it was found.
- Tell us why it the fossil made the news. Why is it important.
- Make sure you cite your information.
- Respond to at least one other student posts.
- In your posts briefly explain to the other student why that post is important to the understanding of human evolution.
Expert Solution
The news was about humankind’s skull, which was first discovered in Ethiopia. Devlin (2019) explains that the skull is believed to have lived approximately between 4.2 and 3.8 million years ago. Research shows that the fossil belongs to Australopithecus anamensis, the oldest known Australopithecus species. It is also directly connected to Australopithecus afarensis. Australopithecus anamensis existed at a time when the ancestors had tiny brains, walked on two legs because they had appeared from the trees, had powerful jaws, and their faces were still ape-like and protruding (Devlin, 2019). The discovery of Australopithecus anamensis proved that Australopithecus afarensis did not give enough information about human evolution. This is because scientists had to depend on the latter’s limb bones, pieces of the skull, and a small number of teeth to study the lifestyle and appearance of human beings.
The discovery was epic and the fossil made it to the news because scientists were excited to find a specimen that gave them a glance at how the species looked. Scientists studied its physical appearance and concluded that it was connected to Australopithecus afarensis, famously known as Lucy. Some of the physical features of the fossil included smaller canines, powerful jaws, protruding cheekbones, smaller brains, and massive eyes. The scientists were able to establish their lifestyles and habitats through their physical appearance.
Additionally, scientists were able to use the discovery to dispute linear evolution, where it was believed that after a species disappears, it is replaced by another. For the longest time, it was thought that Australopithecus afarensis brought about the modern generation, which belongs to the Homo lineage. However, after the discovery of Australopithecus anamensis, this theory had to change. According to Devlin (2019), the theory changed because the discovery of the fossil proved that different lineages had coexisted before it. Because of this, scientists point out that it is difficult to pinpoint which species brought about the existence of Homo.
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