From the writing assignments, I learnt about the origin of human beings with regard to hominid evolution. Hominid evolution studies the subgroup of species known as Homo sapiens which includes the humans and their immediate ancestors. The videos availed in class helped in observing the actual bones of various hominids which gave me an understanding of the anatomical similarities which are vital in the study of human evolution.
I was also able to view various non-human primates that were discovered 3 million years ago and how they displayed bipedal locomotion as that of humans. That is, their pelvic bones and hip region were similar to those of ancient humans. The foot and the leg bones were also similar to those of human beings than those of apes. From the writing assignment I also learnt the aspect of bi-pedalism that is vital in the study of human evolution. As a matter of fact, the early hominins had longer legs than arms.
This was basically for maintaining an upright posture. Their hands were also adapted to carrying objects such as tools. The pictures revealed to me that the chimpanzees and the apes had elongated arms than legs. Their feet lack the arches are found on the bottom of human feet. They also have big toes which are not typical of humans.
These provide a clue that the apes and chimpanzees might be sharing the same ancestral origin which may not be the case with humans. The late australopithecines share similar anatomically features beneath their neck but they head differed with regard to various features. The study of non-human primates provides a special insight into the understanding of the nature of human conduct. The study of non-human primates also explores the degree to which some cognitive accomplishments of human are exceptional and that such achievements may not be possible for other species to realize.
For instance, a Nobel-Prize winner, Tinbergen argued that to understand human behavior, scientists must employ four diverse levels of analysis which included the development of non-human primates.
