11.3: The Genus Homo

Learning Objectives

• Compare early Homo species to Au. africanus
• Compare species of Homo
• Understand the evolution of species belonging to the genus Homo

Supplies Needed

• Fossil casts of Au africanus, H. erectus, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, H. sapiens
• Student worksheet (provided)

Readings

• Yoshida-Levine, Bonnie. 2019. Chapter 10. Explorations.
• Paskey, Amanda and AnnMarie Beasley Cisneros. 2019. Chapter 11. Explorations

Introduction

The genus Homo first appears around 2.5 million years ago in East Africa. By this time all but one Australopithecus species has become extinct. Paranthropus survives as a contemporary of Homo for almost 1.5 million years.

We see a number of trends in this genus, perhaps the most important being the enlargement of the brain, increase in stature, and the elaboration of technology including stone tools. However, the genus is quite variable. There are many species within Homo including Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neandertalensis, and Homo floresiensis. Some researchers place the early species within the genus Australopithecus, and some refer to the later species as archaic Homo sapiens. This lab includes three exercises in which students examine and measure hominin cranial and postcranial fossil casts, as well as postcranial ape casts. It is assumed that students have a good working knowledge of anatomy from the textbook, lectures, and/or previous exercises.

Steps

• Before class, the instructor should organize fossil casts for students to analyze, either individually or in groups.
• For Exercise 1, students will need access to fossil crania casts of Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus.
• For Exercise 2, students will need access to fossil crania casts of Homo erectus, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens.
• For Exercise 3, students will need access to pelvis and femur casts of an ape, Au. afarensis, H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens.
• Students will analyze casts, complete charts, and answer questions on the worksheet.

Review Questions

1. Identify the major species within the genus Homo.
2. Which features can we use to separate an australopithecine from a Homo erectus skull?
3. Specify major cranial differences between the H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens.
4. What are some broad trends that occurred over the course of Homo evolution? Discuss skull shape, facial morphology, and tooth or jaw proportions using specific examples from the different species, noting how they compare to each other.
5. What changes have occurred to the breadth of the pelvic inlet over hominin evolution? What does this suggest about the social behavior and life history of the different hominin species?

Adapting for Online Learning

If this is an in-person lab, rank how adaptable to online learning it would be (mark in bold): Possible to adapt

Much of the data students will collect on the worksheets is descriptive or could be assessed without actually measuring. For online courses, using photographs and online 3D rotation images, students could compare the skulls and pelvic girdles of the species. Many resources are free to post in online course management systems. Additional options could be available with subscriptions or other licensing agreements.

See for example: https://africanfossils.org/, http://efossils.org/, https://sketchfab.com/, https://3d.si.edu/collections/hominin-fossils

References

1. Frank, Rebecca. 2019. “Activity 14: The Hominin Fossils: Australopithecines.” In LAVC Anthro 111 Lab Manual, 7th Edition, edited by Frank, Rebecca, Brian Pierson, and Philip Stein.
2. Paskey, Amanda and AnnMarie Beasley Cisneros. 2019. “Chapter 11: Archaic Homo.” In Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, edited by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, Kelsie Aguilera, and Lara Braff. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association. http://explorations.americananthro.org/
3. Yoshida-Levine, Bonnie. 2019. “Chapter 10: Early Members of the Genus Homo.” In Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, edited by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, Kelsie Aguilera, and Lara Braff. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association. http://explorations.americananthro.org/