Human origins

Course code: 1400-231HO, USOS

For whom: elective monograph

When: Wednesdays 8:30-10:00 (lecture); Wednesdays 10:15-11:15 (labs)

Room: Lecture – 232D (Faculty of Biology); Lab – 1.35 (Biological and Chemical Research Center)

Language: English

ECTS: 3

This course will cover the evolutionary history from the very first primates up until the earliest occurrences of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. The course will 1) examine modern human and non-human primate anatomy and adaptations, with an eye to the types of data that can be reconstructed from fossils; 2) cover the evolution of the primates from the earliest representatives of the order to the ancestors of modern groups; 3) focus on what the fossil record actually tells us about the evolution of our most recent ancestors and close cousins. This perspective will be enhanced by laboratories based around human and non-human primate skeletal material, fossil casts, and virtual data.

Schedule

● February 28: Housekeeping; Primate Taxonomy; Lab 1: Primate Taxonomy.
● March 6: Skeletal Anatomy I; Lab 2: Skeletal anatomy.
● March 13: Skeletal Anatomy II; Lab 3: Skeletal anatomy.
● March 20: Primate Adaptations; Lab 4: Primate Adaptations.
● March 27: Test; Temporal and environmental context of human and non-human primate evolution.
● April 3: Primate and Euprimate Origins; Plesiadapiforms; Lab 5: Non-Primate Euarchontoglirans and Early Primates.
● April 10: Fossil Prosimians; Lab 6: Fossil prosimians.
● April 17: Early Anthropoids; Panamerican Monkeys; Lab 7: Anthropoids
● April 24: Afroeurasian Monkeys; Primitive Catarrhines; Fossil Apes; Lab 8: Mystery Fossil Project.
● May 1: (no class)
● May 8: Anatomical features of bipedalism; Contenders for the earliest hominin; Lab 9: Mystery Fossil Project.
● May 15: Gracile Australopiths; Lab 10: Mystery Fossil Project.
● May 22: Robust Australopiths; Australopith Behaviour and Evolution; Lab 11: Australopiths.
● May 29: The earliest members of the genus Homo; Homo erectus; Homo naledi; Lab 12: Mystery Fossil Project.
● June 5: Homo floresiensis; Archaic Homo sapiens; Neanderthals; Lab 13: Mystery Fossil Project.
● June 12: Origins of Anatomically Modern Homo sapiens; Denisovans; Homo longi; Lab 14: Homo.
● June 19 (mystery fossil project due): (no class)