Archaic humans
million years ago ) |
Archaic humans
Most archaic humans had a brain size averaging 1,200 to 1,400 cubic centimeters, which overlaps with the range of modern humans. Notable exceptions include Homo naledi and Homo floresiensis, having cranial capacities of 465-610 and 380 cubic centimeters, respectively.
Archaic humans are distinguished from
Anatomically modern humans appeared around 300,000 years ago in
Terminology and definition
The category archaic human lacks a single, agreed definition.[9] According to one definition, Homo sapiens is a single species comprising several subspecies that include the archaics and modern humans. Under this definition, modern humans are referred to as Homo sapiens sapiens and archaics are also designated with the prefix "Homo sapiens". For example, the Neanderthals are Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, and Homo heidelbergensis is Homo sapiens heidelbergensis. Other taxonomists prefer not to consider archaics and modern humans as a single species but as several different species. In this case the standard taxonomy is used, i.e. Homo rhodesiensis, or Homo neanderthalensis.[9]
The evolutionary dividing lines that separate modern humans from archaic humans and archaic humans from Homo erectus are unclear. The earliest known fossils of anatomically modern humans such as the
Brain size expansion
The emergence of archaic humans is sometimes used as an example of punctuated equilibrium.[17] This occurs when a species undergoes significant biological evolution within a relatively short period. Subsequently, the species undergoes very little change for long periods until the next punctuation. The brain size of archaic humans expanded significantly from 900 cm3 (55 cu in) in erectus to 1,300 cm3 (79 cu in). Since the peak of human brain size during the archaics, it has begun to decline.[18]
Origin of language
Fossils
- Altamura Man
- Atapuerca Mountains, Sima de los Huesos
- Cro-magnon Man
- Dragon Man
- Kabwe skull
- Ndutu cranium
- Saldanha man
- Steinheim skull
See also
References
Footnotes
- H. erectusby some authors.
- ^ Which of these, if any, are included under the term "archaic human" is a matter of definition and varies among authors.
Citations
- PMID 27298468.
- ^ PMID 28552208.
- S2CID 4432091.
- ^ . Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ^ a b Sample, Ian (7 June 2017). "Oldest Homo sapiens bones ever found shake foundations of the human story". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ S2CID 256771372.
- PMID 35022610.
- PMID 19805257.
- ^ ISBN 978-0618619160.
- ISBN 978-0415213295– via Google Books.
- ^ Mitchell, Alanna (January 30, 2012). "DNA Turning Human Story Into a Tell-All". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ Telegraph Reporters (14 August 2012). "Neanderthals did not interbreed with humans, scientists find". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12.
- ^ "Neanderthals 'unlikely to have interbred with human ancestors'". The Guardian. Press Association. 4 February 2013.
- PMID 23872234.
- YNet News. Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- PMC 3385680.
- ^ Zyga, Lisa (15 March 2010). "Cro Magnon skull shows that our brains have shrunk". phys.org. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ "Behavioral and Brain Sciences". Cambridge Core. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0674363366.
External links
- Early and Late "Archaic" Homo Sapiens and "Anatomically Modern" Homo Sapiens (archived 16 August 2009)
- Origins of Modern Humans: Multiregional or Out of Africa?
- Homo sapiens, Museum of Natural History (archived 9 July 2009)
- Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).
