| Evolutionary connection between humans and monkeys:
If the first man appeared in Africa, then who were the first Asian inhabitants? Where did they come from?
Also, is there any evidence about their migration from Africa to Asia along the assumed route? Here, we need to refer to recent interesting paleoanthropological findings.
In 1993, the Georgian paleontologists Gabunya and Vekua, found a lower jaw of a very ancient man, who lived around 1.7 million years ago, on the territory of their country near Dmanisi.
Dates match coincidently: 1.7 - in South-east Asia and the same - in Georgia, approximately the same (1.6) - in Africa for the Homo Ergaster. Figures give evidence about some large-scale migration of ancient human beings.
As there were no ancient forms of early representatives of Homo such as Homo rudolfensis in Asia and Europe, a conclusion can be made that, it was the beginning of a mass migration of ancient mankind from Africa.
By the end of the 20th century, reports from Georgia were received about new discoveries - two more skulls were found in Dmanisi.
The new found material helped in precisely determining the position of the found creatures among the hominids: the skull was comparable with findings in Nariokotome and also with the Asian Pithecanthropus. They were defined as early Homo ergaster.
European traces:
So, Africa, South-east Asia and the intermediate regions were inhabited by early members of the genus Nomo around more than 1.5 million years back. What was happening in Europe during that period ?
Till recent times, the oldest discovery of ancient human remains found in Europe was the lower jaw of so called Heidelberg man, named after the place of discovery (near Heidelberg, Germany) in 1907. He lived approximately 500 000 years ago. The new discovery made this date much more ancient.
During excavations in Atapuerca hills near Grand Valley (Spain) in 1994, Spanish anthropologists Arsuaga, Bermudez de Castro and Rosas discovered an incomplete skull of an adolescent, aged about 780 thousand years.
He had archaic features combined with more progressive features. On the basis of this discovery, Spanish researchers highlighted a new species - Homo antecessor (Man predecesor), assuming that immediate ancestor of modern man was found.
However, other colleagues consider that the Grand Valley discovery was the earliest form of Heidelberg man and was genetically linked to African Homo ergaster.
Therefore, a conclusion was drawn that Heidelberg man was the successor of Homo ergaster in the ascending evolution line and also has African "roots".
There are many other serious bases in Ethiopia, near Bodo in favour of this conclusion, where a skull, belonging to Heidelberg type of 600 thousand years of age was found in the 1970s.
Maybe, this served as a proof of African roots for the ancient Europe population?
An illustrious event for anthropology occurred at the end of the 20th century after the discovery of a skull in Grand Valley, which changed the notion about the age of the first Europeans.
An Italian anthropologist Ashanti reported about discovering a skull near Ceprano (Italy), the "age" of which was equal to 800-900 thousand years, and its structure corresponded to the early stage in Heidelberg man or Homo ergaster (erectus).
Presently, this date can be considered as the period of the first migration of man to Europe.
Debates still exists with respect to the appearance of modern man (Homo sapiens) in Europe .
One group of scientists believe that the present man is the form that evolved from descendants of Heidelberg man in Europe, and another version says - the Heidelberg form itself is the descendants of Homo sapiens in Africa.
A chain of serial discoveries of human fossils, associating ancient archaic variants of sapiens of Bodo (600 million years old) with early "anatomically modern" man, skulls of whom were discovered in Ethiopia near Omo River at the end of 20th century.
Keeping in view of these discoveries, modern man originated in Africa at least 130,000 years ago (but not 40,000 and also not in Europe as was thought previously). |
The modern theory of evolution says that humans descended from animals - our ancestors were fishes, reptiles, and finally monkeys. From biology schoolbooks, we all remember the images of human embryo development and how at different stages the human embryo looks very similar to the embryos of different animals. Surprisingly, in our early stages, we look closest to rabbits. That may explain some human mating habits too.
