Neanderthals and Homo: Exploring Evolutionary Relationships

Wichita State University Name: _______________________ ANTH 106 Fall 2020 Tuesday/Thursday Instructor: Buchanan-Burke LAB # 12 – Neanderthals and Late Homo OBJECTIVES:  Review the similarities and differences in fossil Homo populations.  Understand the relationships between archaic and modern Homo sapiens.  Learn how artifacts may relate to cultural and symbolic behavior.  Appreciate the adaptive origins of symbolic behavior. KEY TERMS: primitive traits, derived traits SECTION 1: Background Approximately 2 million years ago, a species more closely resembling anatomically modern Homo sapiens (AMHS) arose. This species had larger bodies than their australopith-like ancestors and were fully bipedal, like modern humans. This group of hominins, informally known as “pre-modern Homo” includes early species like Homo ergaster and Homo erectus and later species such as Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis. Some species, such as H. neanderthalensis, persisted into very recent times, but only modern humans remain on the earth today. The exact evolutionary relationships between pre-modern Homo and modern Homo remain unknown. Today we will explore aspects of the morphology and behavior of later hominins, with a special emphasis on Neanderthals.

SECTION 2: Later Hominin Morphology The specimens illustrated below belong to three Homo species dating from 750,000 years ago to the present: Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens. 2.1 (5 pts) Compare and contrast the three skulls illustrated below. Identify four defining traits for each (12 traits total, traits may be used more than once). Draw arrows and label each trait on the skull illustrations. Underline primitive traits and circle derived traits. Extruded teeth large nose large skull Flat forehead flat teeth mid-size nose Thin skull thin nose round skull Small nose mid-size skull large jaw and teeth 2.2 (5 pts) It has been suggested that Neanderthals represent our sister taxa, rather than our ancestors. Do the primitive or derived traits of the Neanderthal suggest they are our ancestors? Why or why not? They do not because the primitive and derived traits are too different from each primate.

SECTION 3: Neanderthal Variation This map shows the known range of Neanderthals from ~130,000 to 30,000 years ago. As you can see, the geographic range is broad. Within this area are many different environments which experienced several large-scale climatic changes over the millennia. Because variation exists in all populations, it can be reasonably expected to find geographic variation within Neanderthals. Consider the mandibles from different Neanderthal populations. Assume that all mandibles come from adult males. 3.1 (5 pts) Are the morphological (shape) differences between humans and Neanderthals different enough to justify classifying them into different species? Yes because the two species have very different features such as the chin, eyebrow, and forehead. There are just too many changes for them to be related. 3.2 (5 pts) Humans, primarily from Europe, exhibit a small percentage of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. What does this mean in regards to the evolution of modern humans? Are Neandertals and Homo sapiens different species? I believe since a portion of Neandertal is in humans DNA it would make sense that humans derived from Neandertals.

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SECTION 4: Stone Tools All later hominins were adept tool-users. Over evolutionary time, tools have become much more complicated in order to accomplish new and harder tasks. This kind of behavioral evolution can be observed in artifacts left at fossil sites, and archaeologists often use these artifacts to make hypotheses concerning the lifestyles of our extinct relatives. Consider some common stone tool industries and answer the following questions. Oldowan: simple stone tool technology with flakes and choppers, associated with early Homo Acheulean: flakes and bifacial tools including handaxes, associated with H. ergaster and H. erectus Mousterian: smaller stone flakes or blades with long edges, made through a process that more efficiently produces sharp edges and flakes of a given shape from a core, associated with H. neanderthalensis

4.1 (5 pts) How do these stone tools differ from one another (manufacture, purpose, etc.)? They all flake however Mousterian are smaller and associated with neanderthalensis, as for acheulean they are bifacial tools and were used by the homo erectus, and the oldowan is just a simple stone used by early homo 4.2 (5 pts) Is it possible that these tools represent different stages of development along the path to a more complicated tool, or do they represent distinct technologies? I believe they represent different stages of technology because they each got more sophisticated 4.3 (5 pts) What can the differences in the stone tools tell us about the individuals who made them? You can can tell at what stage of evolution they were in. Take-Home Questions: (10 pts) The origin of our complex cultures and symbolic behavior is unknown, but many researchers argue that it preceded the biological transition to AMHS. Based on your knowledge of hominin evolution and comparative primatology, when do you think behavioral modernity

emerged? Did culture emerge at the same time? Make sure to provide support for your theory. 1 page, typed, double spaced. The story of when humans became truly "modern" in behavior is like putting together pieces of a complex puzzle. Picture a gradual journey rather than a sudden transformation, where our ancestors, laid the groundwork for what we now recognize as modern human behavior. The transition was a very slow process with each step building upon the previous one. The gradual development hypothesis suggests that the traits defining behavioral modernity, such as symbolic thinking and language, weren't switched on abruptly but emerged over time through the collective intellect of our ancestors The evolution of the modern human brain played a pivotal role. the brain evolved, but the journey toward sophisticated cultures and symbolic thinking also required the right social fuel. As our ancestors formed larger, more interconnected groups, the need for effective communication and cooperation became needed, propelling us toward the complexities of modern human society. In essence, the journey to behavioral modernity is an amazing tale of human development a gradual unfolding shaped by both our biological evolution and the rich tapestry of cultural innovations within our ancient communities. This ongoing quest to understand our roots invites us to appreciate the complexity and connections of the puzzle that makes us uniquely human.

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