The Human Chimp

1
The Human Chimp

• Aug 22nd

2
How Similar are Chimps and Humans?

• Implications
• What are the similarities?

3
Molecular Clocks

• Used to measure genetic distances and to date
  times of evolutionary divergence
• How it works

4
DNA

• The best molecule for use with molecular clocks
• To measure the change in DNA structure
• Mix DNA from 2 species
• Measure how many degrees of temperature the
  melting point of the mixed DNA is reduced below
  the melting point of pure DNA from a single
  species
• A melting point lowered by 1C means the DNAs of
  the 2 species differ by roughly 1

5
Family Tree of the Higher Primates
6
Man the Hunter

• Unclear whether early Homo sapiens were hunters
  or scavengers
• Big-game hunting led to

7
The Human Family Tree
8
The Great Leap Forward

• When modern humans replaced Neanderthals
• 3 changes launched us in the direction of modern
  humans
• 4 mya upright posture
• 3 mya Australopithecus robustus and A.
  africanus
• 2.5 mya tool use

9
The Great Leap Forward

• 40,000 years ago in Europe

Examples of Aurignacian Culture art