Our Human Story: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology · LibreTexts
0%
Contents
Text
Size
From LibreTexts, under CC BY-NC 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.
11: Early Hominins
Opening the book…
Learning Objectives
Identify and describe the changing paleo-climates and paleo-environments that contributed to early hominin adaptive radiations.
Compare and contrast early hominin species.
Distinguish key adaptations and characteristics exhibited by early hominins.
Assess how ideas about human evolution have changed through time.
Did You Know?
We (Paleoanthropologists) Love "Lucy" 💛
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Skeleton of Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis), 120 CC BY-SA 3 via Wikimedia Commons
Known scientifically as Australopithecus afarensis, the famous Lucy fossil is called “Dinkenesh” in the Ethiopian language of Amharic which means “you are beautiful.”1 But why do paleoanthropologists love Lucy so much? Because Lucy’s species was a sensational find when she was discovered in 1974. Exhibiting a fascinating mix of ape and human like characteristics, Lucy’s skeleton showed key adaptations for upright walking, providing clear evidence that bipedalism rather than large brains was the defining feature of the human lineage. For nearly two decades, Lucy would be the star of early hominin evolution.
But Lucy's story doesn't start with Lucy. She had predecessors—earlier hominins who were already experimenting with this unique way of walking millions of years before she appeared. Who were these mysterious ancestors? What did they look like, and how did they live? In this chapter, we'll explore the very beginning of the human story by examining fossils from some of the first members of our family tree. These ancient fossils are doing more than just filling in gaps in our knowledge. They're actually forcing scientists to rethink what we thought we knew about how different human ancestors are related to each other, where Lucy fits in the family tree, and even how walking upright first developed. By "digging in" to the fossil record, we'll discover how these finds have been reshaping our understanding of human evolution.
1 Smithsonian Institution. (2025, July 25). What Does It Mean to Be Human? Fun Facts: Why do paleoanthropologists love Lucy?https://humanorigins.si.edu/
Meet The Original Cast of Early Human Survivalists
Have you ever binge-watched Naked and Afraid and secretly wondered if you'd be able to make it in the wilderness for 21 days? Well, imagine having to do that for your entire life! That’s exactly what our earliest human ancestors did stretching back millions of years, and they did it without any of the advantages that even the most hardcore survivalists take for granted today: No spoken language to coordinate plans. No carefully crafted stone tools or wooden spears. No controlled fire for warmth, cooking, or protection from predators. No clothing to shield them from scorching heat or bone-chilling cold. No shelters beyond whatever natural cover they could find. For millions of years, these small-brained, small-bodied early hominins were pretty much like any other primate on the African landscape, except for being bipedal. Yet somehow, they were clever enough to survive in a world full of dangers.
They were the ultimate survivalists, making even the toughest Naked and Afraid contestants look like they're on a luxury vacation. So how did they do it? What made these ancient ancestors so remarkably adaptable that they could conquer harsh environments with nothing but their bare primate hands? That's the incredible story we're about to uncover.
Thumbnail: Cast of Ardipithecus ramidus "Ardi" skull. By Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This page titled 11: Early Hominins was last modified on Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:43:17 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Rachel Mitchell.
