HUMAN BIOLOGICAL AND

SOCIO-CULTURAL
EVOLUTION
 Since the appearance of the first humanlike
beings about 4 million years ago until the
development of the first modern-looking
humans around 100,000 years ago, profound
changes had happened to the human species,
changes that transformed them from
Hominids to Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL EVOLUTIONS ARE
KEY CONCEPTS IN THE STUDY OF THE
ORIGINS OF MODERN HUMANS.

Changes & Processes

 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Refers to the changes, modifications, and
variations in the genetics and inherited traits
of biological populations from one generation
to another.

Scientists study the changes in the physical

body of humans, the changes in the shape and
size of their bones, brain, dentition, and
fingers for instance.
 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Included in this study are the changes in
posture, movement, and the development of
bipedalism or walking on the two feet in an
upright position.
 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Explains the physical transformation of modern
humans from Hominids into thinking modern
humans or Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

Is the process through which the characteristics of

organisms change over successive generations, by
means of genetic variation and natural selection.
 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Based on the theory of evolution that was introduced by a
famous English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin.

After conducting numerous studies regarding the changes

that occur among plants, fossil, animals, and different
breeds of pigeons, Darwin concluded that each specie was
not created at one time in a fixed form.

He introduced his concept of evolution in his book entitled

On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection
 Darwins Theory of Evolution
He hypothesized that the evolution of species
happens through the process of natural
selection.

He also believed that natural selection was the

reason for the occurrence of evolution.
 Natural Selection
It is the outcome of processes that affect the
frequencies of traits in a particular environment.
Traits that enhance survival and reproductive
success increase in frequency over time.

According to Darwin, the environment favors

certain organisms and those organisms that
survive can pass on their traits.

Selection of traits that are most successful in

current environment
 The nature creates an environment for people or organisms
that can live on it. So, not all organisms are capable of living in
a particular environment.

Those who survive continue to live there. They survive

because they possess the traits needed to live in that
environment. They retain and use the traits that make them
capable of surviving in that environment . They pass these
traits to their offspring.

Humans before did not retain their physique because it is no

longer enough for survival (e.g. Posture of man- man stood
upright because environment demands it to be upright and
until now humans stand upright)
 Other organisms disappear but others move
to other places where their traits will fit.
Others have been modified as they adapted
to different and changing environment.
(adaptation, Survival of the fittest)

Those features of early ancestors that are not

present in us have been deleted through
natural selection. And those traits we have as
humans now have been retained because it
makes us survive.
 Natural Selection
Is a process through which certain
environmentally adapted biological features are
perpetuated at the expense of less adaptive
features.

Natural selection is the process in nature by which

organisms better adapted to their environment
tend to survive and reproduce more than those
less adapted to their environment.
 Natural Selection: Example
For instance, Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)
and Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) in the
Southern United States seem to be
ecologically equivalent. Both species eat
insects, live off the ground on vegetation and
lay their eggs in small pools. So why is there
not just one species?
Natural Selection: Example
 Natural Selection: Example

Treefrogs go to environments where they cannot

be easily catched by a prey.

This explains the distribution of Gray and Green

Treefrogs. The wooded habitat of the Grey
Treefrog is larger and extends farther North,
while the Green Treefrogs swamp and marsh
habitat is concentrated in the South.
 3 Important Principles of
Natural Selection
Every specie is made up of a variety of individuals
wherein some are better adapted to their
environments compared to others.

Organisms produce progeny or offspring with

different sets of traits that can be inherited

Organisms that have traits most suitable to their

environment will survive and transfer these
variations to their offspring in subsequent
generations.
 CULTURAL EVOLUTION OR
SOCIOCULTURAL EVOLUTION
Refers to the changes or development in cultures from
a simple form to a more complex form of human
culture.

It happens as a result of human adaptation to different

factors like climatic changes and population increase.

Scientists study cultural evolution by analyzing the

changes in the latters way of life reflected in the
different tools and other human-made objects that
they have used.
 CULTURAL EVOLUTION
Is the idea that human cultural changethat
is, changes in socially transmitted beliefs,
knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes,
languages, and so oncan be described as a
Darwinian evolutionary process that is similar
in key respects (but not identical) to
biological/genetic evolution
 CULTURAL EVOLUTION
Humans developed and modified their culture
through time as a response to the threats and
challenges posed in their environment.

Since the hunting and gathering stage up to

the agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial
stages, modern humans made significant
sociocultural developments.
FROM HOMINIDS TO HOMO
SAPIENS SAPIENS: THE
BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL
EVOLUTION OF MODERN
HUMANS
 Homo is the human genus, which also
includes Neanderthals and many other extinct
species of hominin;
Homo sapiens is the only surviving species of
the genus Homo.
Modern humans are the subspecies Homo
sapiens sapiens, which differentiates them
from what has been argued to be their direct
ancestor, Homo sapiens idaltu.
 For many generations, scientists believed that
the evolution of modern humans follows an
evolutionary ladder.
 The transformation from apelike ancestors to
modern humans occurred after millions of
years of biological and cultural evolution. In
this long process of evolution, an apelike
ancestors developed and eventually became
modern humans.
 In order to understand the development of
humans, archaeologists or social scientists who
study ancient and past of humans conduct
excavations to search for fossils and artifacts that
can provide information about the origins of
humans.

Fossils are human, plant, animal remains that

have been preserved through time like human or
animal teeth, skull and bone fragments.

Artifacts are objects that were made and used by

humans (e.g. Stone tools, metal tools, ceramics,
burial jars, and ornaments)
 Artifacts and fossils are important sources of
information in the reconstruction of human
evolution.
 FORENSIC FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION
Forensic facial reconstruction (or forensic
facial approximation) is the process of
recreating the face of an individual (whose
identity is often not known) from their skeletal
remains through an amalgamation of
artistry, forensic science, anthropology,
osteology, and anatomy.
 HOMINID is the general term used by scientists
to categorize the group of early humans and
other humanlike creatures that can walk erect
during the prehistoric times.

Hominidae, in zoology, one of the two living

families of the ape superfamily Hominoidea, the
other being the Hylobatidae (gibbons).

Hominidae includes the great apesthat is,

the orangutans (genus Pongo), gorillas (Gorilla),
and chimpanzees and bonobos (Pan)as well
as human beings (Homo).
 4 Categories of Hominids based on
the age of the artifacts and fossils
that were found

The Sahelanthropus
The Ardipithecus
The Australopithecus
The Homo
 The Australopithecus & The Homo
Had the most number of species based on the
fossils and artifacts that were excavated by
archeologists

The Australopithecus
Considered the first stage of human evolution

The Homo
Considered the last stage of human evolution
 The Australopithecus, Sahelanthropus, and
Ardipithecus, are considered the prehuman
stage of evolution.

The Sahenlanthropus, Australopithecuse, and

Ardipithecus, had both apelike and humanlike
characteristics.

The Homo had biological and cultural

characteristics of humans.
Sahelanthropus
 Sahelanthropus Tchadensis
Based on evidences, the first ancestors of the
Sahelanthropus tchadensis species was 6-7 million
years ago.

It had both apelike and humanlike characteristics;

a skull similar to Australopithecus and modern human;
height almost similar with the chimpanzee;
brain size of about 320-380 cubic centimeters;
small teeth similar to other hominids;
had the ability to walk upright.
 After the Sahenlanthropus Tchadensis came the:
Orrorin Tugenensis (5.7 MYA) And the Apdipithecus

Orrorin Tugenensis
The Ardipithecus
 The Ardipithecus
Apdipithecus family had 2 species namely:
Ardipithecus Kadabba (5.6 MYA)
Ardipithecus Ramidus (4.4 MYA)

Ardipithecus means ape on the ground

while ramidus means root
 The Ardipithecus
Characteristics of
Apdipithecus
Height of about 4 feet
Weight of about 120
pounds
Skull size similar to an
ape
Small brain
Biped
Lived in jungles and
forests like the
chimpanzees
The Australopithecus
 The Australopithecus
southern Ape was the 3rd group of hominids

They lived in the African jungle from 5 million

to 1 million years ago.
 The Australopithecus
Characteristics of Australopithecus
Brain weight of 500 cubic centimeters or almost 1/3 size of
the modern human brain
Upright
Biped
Tool users only and NOT TOOL MAKERS
Used sticks and stones for digging
Lived in small social groups
Distance of movement was estimated to be 15 kilometers
or more to search stones to be used as tools
Food scavengers
Ate insects, eggs, plants, fruits, and some meat
 The Australopithecus
At present, there are 6 species of
Australopithecus and they are divided into 2
major categories:

A. Gracile Australopithecine had small teeth and

jaw.
A. Australopithecus africanus
B. Australopithecus afarensis
C. Audtralopithecus africanus
 The Australopithecus
At present, there are 6 species of
Australopithecus and they are divided into 2
major categories:

B. Robust Australopithecus had large teeth and

jaws and muscular built
A. Australopithecus aethiopicus
B. Australopithecus robustus
C. Australopithecus boisei had muscular built
Australopithecus aferensis: Lucy
LUCY
A 3.2 million-year-old Austalopithecus afarensis
fossil found in Hadar, Ethiopia.
November 1974 Date of discovery
Dr. Donald Johanson - Paleoanthropologist
Considered as one of the modern humans
earliest ancestors
the most famous hominid fossil discovered up to
date
Australopithecus aferensis: Lucy
 The Australopithecus disappeared in the
evolutionary map after almost 1 million years
and were replaced by a much more intelligent
group of hominids that belong to a new
genus- The Homo.
The Homo
 The Homo
Classified as humans and not humanlike
creatures because they had bigger brains and
were bipedal.

According to fossil evidence, the first Homo lived

in Africa about 2.4 million years ago.

The Homo included the Homo habilis (handy

man), Homo erectus (Upright man), and the
Homo sapiens (wise man).
The Homo
The Homo
 Who are the direct ancestors of the
modern humans?
To study this, archaeologists used the tool-making
abilities of the early humans in the 1960s.

On the basis of evidence, the Homo habilis

(handy man) was the direct ancestors of the
modern humans because of its ability to
produce tools.
 Homo habilis
Characteristics of Homo habilis
1. Height of about 3 to 4 feet
2. brain size half the sixe of the modern human
(700 cc)
3. Made tools called Oldowan (name came from
the place where they were found- in Olduvai
George, Tanzania) which were used as cutting
tools and made from volcanic stones
4. Used tools for hunting and food gathering
Oldowan tools
 Homo ergaster
The working man
Also called the African Homo erectus
The Homo ergaster (1.8 MYA) was the next
Homo species to flourish.
It was from this specie where
Homo erectus came from.
 Homo erectus
Estimated to have lived from 1.8
million to 300,000 years ago.

Characteristics
1. Brain size of 1,000 cc or about 2/3
of the modern human brain size
1. Height of about five feet
2. Walks upright
 Homo erectus
They were first located at Africa and later, they
started to travel outside the African continent.
It also reached as far as Asia and Southern
Europe.

The were regarded as the first Homo to live

and survive in Asia.
 Homo erectus
Based on archaeological
evidences, the first fossil of
Homo erectus was found in
the Longgupo Cave in China.

It was believed to have lived

around
1.9 million years ago.
Homo erectus
Another evidence of Homo
erectus was excavated in Trinil,
Jave, Indonesia by Eugene
Dubois- a Dutch anatomist and
geologist.

The fossil became known as the

Java Man and it was dated to be
1.8 million years of age.
 Homo erectus
In 1920, another Homo
erectus was excavated
in the cave in
Zhoukoudian, China.
This became known as
the Peking Man and it
was estimated to have
lived about 1.1 millions
years ago.
Cultural Development of Homo erectus
Believed to be the more intelligent and more
adaptable compared to Homo habilis.

They also manifested cultural evolution

because they used their intelligence to invent
and develop different technologies to respond
to their needs.
Cultural Development of Homo erectus
They are know for making complex tools used
for digging, cutting, and scraping.

They are also famous for making and using

axe tools for slicing, chopping, and digging.

Because of their ability to make complicated

tools, the Homo erectus are considered as
skillful hunters
Cultural Development of Homo erectus
They were the first Homo species to use fire and
to live in caves and small houses made of tree
branches.

Through the use of fire, they were able to live in

cold and dark places like caves. It also allowed
them to cook food and meat.

Fire also served as protection from attacking

wild animals.
Cultural Development of Homo erectus
The first Homo to use spoken language

Because of language, they were able to:

exchange ideas, plan cooperative hunting, and
helped each other in other activities
give names of different objects, places, animals
and plants
Develop different religious rituals particularly
burial practices
 Homo sapiens
The LAST GENUS in the evolution ladder of the
Homo family was the Homo sapiens or the
Thinking Man.

Included in this specie are the

Homo sapiens of Africa
Homo heidelbergensis
Homo neanderthalensis
Homo sapiens sapiens
 Homo sapiens
Their physical
anatomy is very
similar to the
modern human
beings that is why
it is considered as
the specie where
all modern human
belong to.
 Homo sapiens
Characteristics
1. Large brain size (1,400 cc) that is almost similar to
the brain of modern humans
2. Lived in shelters
3. Food gatherers
4. Ate plants and fruits
5. Hunted animals
6. Learned to gather and cook shellfish
7. Used fire
8. Crafted metals
 Homo sapiens
The made sophisticated and
smoothened tools and had more
developed shelters and advanced technology.
They were also able to
make different stone tools
that include fishing tools,
harpoons, bows and
arrows, spear throwers
and sewing needles.
 Homo sapiens
Some anthropologists argue that the Homo
sapiens were the first to develop language
because they have more developed brains and
speech organs.
 Homo neanderthalensis &
Cro-Magnon
Considered as the first group of Homo sapiens
However, after a DNA analysis of the
Neanderthal in 1997, it was proven that they
are not an ancestor of modern humans.

X
 Cro-Magnon
It is now considered as the first fossil skeleton
to be considered as the specie of the Homo
sapiens, called as the Homo sapiens sapiens
(Wise Man)
 Cro-Magnon
the name Cro-Magnon was taken from a rock shelter in
France where the fossil was excavated in 1868.

It is considered the oldest population of Homo sapiens

in Europe.

It appeared 40,000 years ago

First fossils and artifacts have been found in Europe but

it is believed that the first Cro-Magnon appeared in
North Africa and later travelled to Europe and Asia.
 Cro-Magnon
Characteristics
5 and inches in height
Strong body
Brain size of
about 1,400 cc