Human Paleontology and Hominins

Human paleontology reconstructs the fossil record of the human lineage, from early bipedal australopiths to the origin of our own species.

Definition

Human paleontology, or paleoanthropology, is the study of fossil hominins, the lineage of humans and their extinct close relatives, reconstructing the anatomical and behavioral evolution leading to modern humans.

Scope

This topic covers the hominin fossil record, including early bipeds, the genus Australopithecus, early Homo, Homo erectus, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens, along with the evolution of bipedalism, brain expansion, and the interpretation of fossil and associated archaeological evidence.

Core questions

• When and why did bipedalism evolve in the human lineage?
• How did brain size and tool use change through hominin evolution?
• How are fossil hominin species recognized and related?
• Where and when did Homo sapiens originate?

Key concepts

• Bipedalism and the postcranial skeleton
• Encephalization
• Australopithecus and early Homo
• Recent African origin and admixture

Key theories

Bipedalism before big brains

Fossils such as the australopiths show that habitual upright walking evolved well before the major expansion of the brain in the human lineage.

Recent African origin of modern humans

Fossil and genetic evidence supports the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa and subsequent dispersal, with some interbreeding with archaic groups.

Clinical relevance

The hominin fossil record provides the empirical basis for understanding human origins and the deep-time context of human anatomy, behavior, and biogeography, complementing genetic and archaeological evidence.

History

Paleoanthropology began with nineteenth-century Neanderthal finds and Raymond Dart's 1925 description of the Taung Child as an early human ancestor. Discoveries such as the Lucy skeleton and ongoing finds in Africa and Eurasia have steadily expanded and revised the hominin family tree.

Debates

Structure of the hominin family tree

Whether human evolution was a relatively linear sequence or a bushy tree of many coexisting species is debated as new fossils are described.

Key figures

• Raymond Dart
• Donald Johanson
• Bernard Wood
• Chris Stringer

Seminal works

• klein2009
• stringer2012

Frequently asked questions

Did humans evolve from chimpanzees?

No. Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor that lived several million years ago; neither evolved from the other.

What came first, walking upright or large brains?

Fossils show that upright walking evolved millions of years before the major increase in human brain size.