One of the most controversial and little-studied processes in biology is anthropogenesis - the evolutionary path of human development as a biological species. What, from the point of view of natural science, is characteristic of human evolution? It is no secret that the available paleontological remains of fossil forms, classified as anthropoid ancestors, are interpreted differently in science. Cases of falsification of facts also played a negative role in the study of the historical development of Homo sapiens. How did this affect the development of anthropology?
English Hoax
Recall the story of the skull of Piltdown Man found in 1912 in the dumps of an abandoned quarry in the east of England, which for more than fifty years was considered a transitional form between ape and man. It was only in 1963 that it was established that the lower jaw of an orangutan was skillfully attached to a part of the skull of modern Homo sapiens and presented all this as an artifact and a missing link in anthropogenesis. In this article, we will find out what is really characteristic of human evolution. Biology, unlikereligion and philosophy, has on this score the facts presented by archeology and paleontology. Consider them further.
Stages of anthropogenesis
In the development of the human body as a biological species, the following stages are distinguished: ancient, ancient and first modern people. Biologists consider the fossil parts of the skeletons of the Heidelberg man, Sinanthropus, Javanese Pithecanthropus to be descendants of Australopithecus, who lived about 1.7 million years ago. Many scientists consider them as populations of a hypothetical species - Homo erectus, which lived in East Africa.
Further, the opinion of biologists is divided. Some suggest that about 300 thousand years ago, a separate species of ancient people, the Neanderthals, was formed, from which the first modern people, the Cro-Magnons, later descended. Other researchers believe that during this historical period, human evolution is characterized by the predominance of one species - Homo sapiens, consisting of two subspecies at the same time: both Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons. Their populations were located on the territory of the modern Caucasus, Western Asia and Europe.
Biological patterns in human development
The results of comparative anatomical observations convincingly prove that Homo sapiens belongs to the order Primates. The similarity of people with animals of this group concerns all parts of the skeleton, the general plan of the structure of the nervous, circulatory, respiratory and other physiological systems. Genetics has confirmed a single plan for organizing the genome of humans and higher primates. Allthe above facts indicate that human evolution is characterized by the presence of a significant number of biological features that unite them with mammals. But they are not the main ones. The leading role in anthropogenesis belongs to social factors: labor joint activity that promotes speech communication, the formation of a social system, the development of religion and culture. Let's take a closer look at them.
Phylogenesis of human population
Developing in parallel with representatives of the Earth's fauna, the species Homo sapiens has taken a dominant position in nature. The reason for this is as follows: human evolution is characterized by the predominance of the influence of society over biological factors. The development of the analytical-synthetic function of the cerebral cortex and speech are the main differences between humans and animals.
These properties are not fixed in the genome and are not passed on to offspring. They can be formed only at an early age in the process of the influence of society: training and education. Thanks to the development of society, such a phenomenon as altruism arose. Along with the influence of socio-economic factors, caring for the elderly, caring for children and women - this is what is currently most characteristic of human evolution.
