The evolutionary process of human beings can be divided into four stages:
(1) Early ape-man stage: living approximately 3 million to 1.5 million years ago, already possessing basic human characteristics. Can walk upright and make simple gravel tools.
(2) Late ape-man stage: about 2 million to 300,000 years ago, with a human-like body and a larger brain, and can make more advanced tools Paleolithic and began to use fire, such as the Peking Man in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, my country.
(3) Early Homo sapiens (ancient man) stage: 100,000-200,000 to 50,000 years ago, gradually breaking away from apes The characteristics of modern humans are very close to those of modern humans, such as the Neanderthals in Germany.
(4) Late Homo sapiens (New Homo) stage: about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, when human beings Evolution has obviously accelerated, and they are very similar to modern humans in form. Culturally, they have the art of sculpture and painting, and decorations have appeared. For example, the cave man at the top of Longgu Mountain in Zhoukoudian was discovered in 1933. At this time, primitive religion had emerged and entered matrilineal society. In the late Homo sapiens stage, modern humans began to differentiate and form, and were distributed all over the world. The origin and development of human beings is a very complex issue. Although it has been excavated and researched by Darwin and others for more than 100 years, it still exists today. Different opinions and questions.
Characteristics displayed by humans in the process of evolution
The earliest Australopithecus afarensis (Australopithecus afarensis) appeared less than 4 million to 3 million years ago. This species has a very large brain capacity. Small, the male is obviously much larger than the female. The skeleton of a young female Australopithecus named "Lucy" was unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974. Because the skeleton is relatively complete, people can establish the walking of the Australopithecus. Form: Standing upright on its feet and walking with a staggering gait. Scientists analyzed the shoulder blades and arm bones and found that Australopithecus still maintains the climbing characteristics of its distant primate ancestors. Later, Australopithecus africanus was discovered. It is speculated that the height is 145 centimeters, the average weight of males is 65 kilograms, and the female is 35 kilograms. The brain capacity is one-third that of modern humans.
Australopithecus robustus has already developed molars, and they began to feed on hard and fibrous plants. They already have obvious social relationships and can make and use simple tools. The earliest stone tools appeared 2.5 million years ago. The tools are also clearly differentiated, such as fellers, scrapers and polygons. In addition, they are also found in ancient ape sites. Animal bones and horns were found. The large number of robust australopithecines that successfully evolved in the eastern part of the barrier were ultimately defeated by natural disasters: a sudden volcanic eruption 3 million years ago buried the australopithecines in the fires of the East African Rift Valley. This was a major disaster in the history of humankind. Great catastrophe. Australopithecus boisei, also known as East African Homo, is considered to be a geographical variant of Australopithecus robustus.
The slender Australopithecus is closest to the ancient ape of the genus Homo. It lives in tropical and subtropical areas and collects plant tubers and wild fruits for food. They may also pick up dead animals and eat them. In order to ensure sufficient food sources, hunting began to occur. The antelopes, wild deer and donkeys in the grassland became the targets of hunting. At the same time, in order to prevent the invasion of large carnivores, they had the obligation to watch and help each other. After a period of The series of natural adaptations have successfully evolved towards the direction of human development. Between 3.5 million and 1.5 million years ago, this kind of Australopithecus evolved steadily to walk on two legs, allowing them to successfully evolve into the prototype of humans.
Homo habilis means a race of people that can make tools. It is the most primitive member of the genus Homo. Its brain capacity is 700~800 ml for males and 500~600 ml for females. It may have the ability to speak. A large number of stone tools were found in their sites, which suggests that human ancestors had learned to knock stones to make stone tools and use stone tools to knock animal bones or butcher meat. It is known from the excavation site that Homo habilis once existed in the same place with several different species of Australopithecus and even Homo. Because they had their own living habits, archaeological evidence without fighting has been discovered, and even those with the ability to fight have been found. A record of the survival of Homo erectus and his descendants. After hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, Homo habilis was eventually replaced by Homo erectus and became the mainstream of mankind.
When Homo erectus appeared, human history had already been a long time. They inherited the skills of their predecessors and improved them. At that time, humans knew how to use fire and could run like modern humans. According to They made stone tools with their own thoughts. From the structure of the brain bones, it can be determined that they had the ability to speak. From the richest Homo erectus site in Beijing, nearly 100,000 stone tools and traces of fire were found, as well as more than 100 animal fossils. From the burned It is known from the bones that they already have the habit of cooked food. As a result of hunting, humans have a tendency to eat meat. The effects of meat on the human body can be divided into: The brain can absorb more nutrients, thereby promoting sexual intercourse