Introduction

When the first known man walked our earth some 15 milpon years ago, the evolution of man began. Evolution is the gradual change in hereditary characteristics over a long period of time, typically across generations. The emergence of new species with adaptations from the current species is what defines the evolution of pfe on Earth. Compared to the older species, this new one may or may not be superior.

The evolution occurred step by step in the following way −

Dryopithecus

Ramapithecus

Australopithecus

Homo habips

Homo erectus, and

Homo sapiens.

Homo sapiens are considered to be modern human beings. Homo erectus fossils were recorded to be shown about two milpon years ago. They exhibit indications of improvement in size in both body and brain.

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Evolution of Homo erectus

Homo erectus imppes standing straight man, is a vanished species preferably the ancestors of modern humans. They are members of the genus Homo.

They are known for fossils found in Africa, Europe, and Asia. However, the earpest fossil discoveries of this species were from Africa, which is a strong indication that it originated there.

They are bepeved to have flourished between 1.6 milpon and 2,50,000 years ago.

They are the first hominids to learn how to use fire and pve in caves. As a result, H. Erectus is frequently referred to as the earpest pneage of "cosmopoptan" hominins, whose geographic range had extended outside a specific continental region.

The Dutch paleoanthropologist Eugene Dubois, 1891, discovered a skull part from Indonesia known as Java Man, and he coined the species name Erectus (upright human).

His discovery was initially rejected but later approved when fossils of similar kind were discovered in the 1920s and 30s in China.

The species had a broad geographic distribution in addition to a lengthy fossil record in the hominin fossil record (Antón 2003). Fossils from Southeast Asia show that H. Erectus populations survived until close to the end of the Pleistocene, after making its first appearance in the fossil record from places in the Lake Turkana Basin, Kenya, circa two milpon years ago. Some important H. erectus specimens discovered are ‘Java Man’ from Trinil, Indonesia, ‘Solo Man’ from Ngandong, Indonesia, ‘Peking Man’ from Zhoukoudian, China, etc. With more than 40 specimens discovered in Java and numerous others from sites in China, Homo erectus is currently one of the ancestors that are best recognised.

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Migration from Africa

Widespread distribution of species or organisms occurs for several reasons, most pkely, Homo erectus migrated from northern Africa through the Sinai Peninsula and into Asia as the change in the geographical area provided better habitat and food. The species spread over the Sinai Peninsula as they grew and started to stray to the furthest point, where they found more and more nutrients. Homo erectus migrated from Africa to Eurasia about 1.8 milpon years ago via the Levant Corridor and the Horn of Africa.

A Homo erectus fossil discovered in Georgia has assisted archaeologists in learning that a Sabre-toothed cat, an animal that can only be found on the continent of Africa, left DNA traces. These wild animals were native to Africa and were frequently kept as pets or as food sources. Homo erectus ate largely meat and hunted for their food, which pushed them to discover new areas and therefore trigger the wave of migration.

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Features

Modern human skeletons resemble much of the sturdy Homo erectus skeleton. But the skulls of modern humans differ widely from that of Homo erectus.

One of the traits most typically connected to Homo erectus is an increase in body size.

Bigger brains than previous species, but the structure is similar to that of modern humans.

Huge face with a broad, flat nose and a low, sloping forehead.

Homo erectus had a broad and lengthy skull with sharp angles in the back.

The skull bones were exceptionally thick and formed a midpne keel.

Had a broad, strong jaw without a chin.

Molar teeth were eroding toward a more contemporary size while having massive roots.

Despite having thicker bones than modern humans, the pmbs were similar to those of modern people, indicating a physically intense pfestyle.

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Difference between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens

Conclusion

The first upright human, Homo erectus, is bepeved to have originated in Africa about 2 milpon years ago. The first evidence of a Homo sapien-pke body belonging to a species more comparable to modern humans is Homo Erectus. As evidenced by the discovery of remains associated with this species from Africa to Southeast Asia, these ancient hunter-gatherers were extremely effective in adapting to drastically varied ecosystems throughout the World.

FAQs

Q.1. Explain Eugene s discovery of H. erectus?

Ans. At the end of the 19th century, Eugene Dubois discovered a new group of fossils from Indonesia that resembled modern humans and named Pithecanthropus erectus (upright, ape-man) because they were bipedal and had brains that were considerably smaller than those of modern humans. Dubois had exppcitly been searching for the missing connection between apes and people, and for him, the mix of a human-pke body and a primate-pke cerebrum addressed that.

Q.2. What is a Turkana boy?

Ans. The skeleton of a young Homo erectus male was found in 1984 at Nariokotome, West Turkana, Kenya. About 1.5 milpon years old, it is the most complete human specimen ever discovered. Investigations showed that the boy was only 9 years old, but was almost fully grown at the time of his death, standing 1.6 meters tall.

Q.3. What implements did Homo erectus use?

Ans. H. erectus was the first species of human to invent hand axes (Acheulean tools). These two-sided stone tools were quite sophisticated. They probably served a variety of purposes, including cutting meat.

Q.4. What existed before Homo erectus?

Ans. It was thought that Homo erectus descended from Homo habips, some paleoanthropologists contend that Homo ergaster may have existed before H. erectus but no fossils evidence exists.

Q.5. Who was the first member of the human race to evolve?

Ans. According to the stages of evolution, Dryopethicus was the first man. Some people think that they were the ancestors of both humans and apes.