Chapter 16, Problem 23A

Summary Introduction

To replace:

The correct vocabulary term in place of the underlined word.

Introduction:

Tracing the evolution of the genus Homo is important for understanding the ancestry of humans. The genus Homo includes living and extinct humans. Homo species had bigger brains, lighter skeletons, flatter faces, and smaller teeth than their ancestor.

Answer to Problem 23A

The genus Australopithecus is thought to be ancestral to the genus Homo .

Explanation of Solution

Although the fossil record is lacking fossils, many scientists infer that the genus Homo had evolved from an ancestor of the Australopithecines .