From Primate to Human

This chapter introduces some key ideas and findings on the issue and on human evolution in general. The analysis of genetic material or the comparison of hand morphology may allow distinctions to be made between humans and the chimpanzee, but seeking to discover the last common ancestor is a more complex task. The suggestion that modern humans arose uniquely from a second wave of migration by modern humans from Africa around 150,000 years ago is in general terms a linear hypothesis. The role of culture has been identified as an important element in human evolution, particularly with regard to language acquisition and the development of symbolic reasoning. Humankind taxonomically is included in the Order Primate within which there are two sub-orders; the Prosimii which includes lemurs, and the Anthropoiddea including, for example, monkeys and apes. The existence of interchangeability over time between gracile and robust features illustrated in the fossil record suggests a non-linear progression to modern humans.