Environmental Change and Human Evolution

Not long ago, as science advanced, it began to learn the roots of the problem and to understand certain unsolved equations, they divided the work among different branches of science. Anthropology combines the study of archaeology (human history), biology, social culture, and linguistics (study of languages). They combine all these aspects of studies to understand the history of humans, their roots, any possible extinction-level that created a change in the human evolution and played a major role at that. The early lineage of humans that has been discovered, can date back to millions of years. Through climate change, human ancestral lineage shifted into different branches and caused changes in their development over time. Among those evolutions, Australopithecus afarensis, Paranthropus, Early Homo, Homo Sapiens played an important role in defining modern humans today. These evolutions date back to 2. 9 million years to 123, 000 years ago. 2. 9 million years ago, the evolution of Australopithecus afarensis took place. Climate changes played a major role in their distinction and development during human evolution. The first most closely related evolution that came into around 2. 9 million years ago was the species Australopithecus afarensis named lucy. This species of australopithecines had traits closely related to humans. Their fully bipedal motion made them travel long distances. As climate change played an important role in shifting the characteristics of lucy, their shift from an area covered with trees to an open grassland developed a change in their mouth and teeth structures (made it more adaptable to the eating environment) and made them more vulnerable (open to threats). As species shift, the adaptability to environments become crucial to their survival. A. Afarensis grew developing ideas and crafted tools to protect themselves, for hunting, developing ideas and in this way, their diet also started to include meat in it. The bipedal motion also means legs elongated enough to look over and protect themselves from a faraway prey on grassy land (which they shifted to afterwards). A. Afarensis females had trouble carrying around their babies due to their bipedal motion. They stood up straight enough to cling to the baby in their arms. Some climate shifts, later subjected to their extinction. As this species shifted due to climate changes, they split into two species and one that shaped us modern humans and the other into Paranthropus. Paranthropus is from Australopithecine’s lineage, and they were rather an unsuccessful species. Bipedal locomotion allowed them to cover regions through generation. This evolution took place around 1. 9 million years ago. These regions were prone to climate change and had a larger impact on the species of Paranthropus over time. This species was dependent on grass which made their enamel grow thicker. Their survival depended on the C3 grass diet, but some were able to consume the C4 diet due to their climatical genetic changes over a large period. The drier climate made it harder for greenery to prosper and Paranthropus became vulnerable. Later the environment changed, which made lesser the Paranthropus survival rate and later they went extinct. Around the Paranthropus era, other deviations of Australopithecines, early homo existed. Their eating dietary need met both the C3 and C4 plant diet, meaning grass and meat which also played a role in lessening the climate vulnerability risks. This species was revolutionizing in becoming fully humans. Their tools became more advanced and helped them with gathering and hunting food. Early homo was protection liable and used their crafted tools to protect themselves. Their tools included cleavers, hand axes and other crafted tools that helped them perform complex work at the time. This advancement was a sign of their congenital development that other species will carry on in their next phase of development. This genus will later change into species, sapiens which we know today as us humans. Time makes the past fade away. Earliest of humans’ fossils dated back to around 300000 years ago. Lesser the less time has passed, the clearer the past becomes. Scientists have dug deep into finding what little remnants are left to discover the humans physically, behaviorally, and culturally. After surviving a near extinction-level threat, the most known location of sapiens are being discovered in the African region which is also the most favourable location for homo sapiens survival at that and their migration can date back to 70, 000 years. The most suitable climate where there was the availability of seashell (the know crafter at that time), dietary needs. The shells served many purposes including decorations (symbolizes when they started beliefs practices), used as cutting-edge tools and indicate their travels to seashores and points to their discovery of days and times and their devotion to seas also shows the development of their cultural practices. From the beginning of an environmental change that led to human development, the environment had played a major role in transferring humans and their predecessors, physically, biologically, and culturally. The use of stones and primitive hunting techniques to sophisticated crafted tools such as axes and spears lead to their development on a large scale, making them cultivate and spread over regions. Climate change played its role in picking the best characteristics and passing them on over a large span of time, helping them more adaptable to nature and prosper through an epoch of recent million years. Homo Sapiens has passed its natures test in early regions and the evidence remains tangible.