EVOLUTION OF MAN, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Evolution of Man

The Meaning of Evolution of Man

Explain the meaning of evolution of man

Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.

One of the earliest defining human traits, bipedalism -- the ability to walk on two legs -- evolved over 4 million years ago. Other important human characteristics -- such as a large and complex brain, the ability to make and use tools, and the capacity for language -- developed more recently. Many advanced traits -- including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity -- emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years.

The Theory of Evolution of Man and the Religious Theory of Creation of Man

Explain the theory of evolution of man and the religious theory of creation of man

The Theory of Evolution of Man

The story of human evolution began in Africa about six million years ago and it describes the very long process that our ancestors went through to ultimately become modern humans. This process has been uncovered by studying fossils and understanding the underlying theory of evolution, and while new fossils are uncovered every decade revealing new chapters, scientists agree about the basic story.

Evolution means the changes that occur in a population over time. In this definition, a “population” means a group of the samespeciesthat share a specific location and habitat. Evolutionary changes always occur on the genetic level. In other words, evolution is a process that results in changes that are passed on or inherited from generation to generation. It does not, for example, describe how people can change their muscle mass by lifting weights.

When successful, these genetic changes or adaptations, which happen when genes mutate and/or combine in different ways during reproduction, help organisms survive, reproduce, and raise offspring. Some individuals inherit characteristics that make them more successful at surviving and having babies. These advantageous characteristics tend to appear more frequently in the population (because those individuals with less advantageous characteristics are more likely to die without reproducing), and over time these changes become common throughout that population, ultimately leading to new species. 

Update

Evolution of Man Is the gradual changes development of plants and animals from a simple form to a more complex form. This change leads to existence of plants and animals that are different from the original plants and animals.

The theory of evolution of man
The theory of evolution tries to explain the origin of man by describing the changes that our ancestors underwent until they were like modern man.
There are two theories which attempt to explain the origin of man.

1st THEORY OF CREATION
This theory explains that there is super natural power that creates everything.
This super natural power is God. Refer from the Holy Bible and Qur'an e.g from Biblical knowledge (Genesis chapter 1:26) it says that : - God created man by using soil, at first they created a man and then later a woman.
These two creatures established their relationship and this marked the beginning of human family.

2nd THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION OF MAN
The theory of evolution of man was proposed by an English man known as Charles Darwin (1809 –1882)
The theory says that: - man’s species has been changing gradually from lower stage to better stage due to environment.
Changing goes hand in hand with improvement of methods of obtaining food, cloth and shelter.
The gradual change of man is called evolution. The first man belong to the family of primates which included Ape, Gorilla, Monkey and Chimpanzee.
These animals lived in the forest walking on four limbs and their bodies covered with hair.
Because of environmental changes and diminishing of forests, they started to live in open grassland.
Environment forced them to adopt new way of walking.
The forelimbs instead of walking become special for tool making and using.
Forelimbs become free from walking.
The walking is known as Bi –pedalism

STAGES OF MAN’S EVOLUTION

1. PRIMATES (Ape, Gorilla, Monkey, Chimpanzee)
Characteristics
1. Their bodies were covered with lots of hair.
2. They walked on four limbs
3. They lived in dense forest.
4. They had poorly mental abilities.
5. They totally depended on nature eg. ate raw food

2. AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICAN FAMILY
This stage started about 12million years ago (B.C) when primates changed to near man.
This stage divided into two
1. Zinjanthropus
2. Homo habilis
Zinjanthropus
In this stage:
1. Fore limbs were free from walking.
2. Hind limbs were used for standing and body balance.
3. Man started to design, make and use tools.
4. Man become skillful.
Homo habilis
- It lived between 1,500,000 and 750,000 BC.
- Homohabilis become more skillful man, because was systematic tools maker.
- Homohabilis believed to be the direct ancestor of modern man.
- He had bigger brain and he was more systematic tool maker.
- The skull of those creatures were discovered at Olduvai Gorge and omo in Eastern and Rudolf in Kenya.

3. HOMO ERECTUS
Man was fully moving upright.
He become more skillful tools maker than Homohabilis.
It's fossils have been dug up in Olorgesaille and near Lake Turkana in the Kenya , Olduvai gorge in Tanzania.

4. HOMO SAPIENS
Characteristics
He is a true man of today
Has a large brain in size
Has less thick jaws
He was highly skillful man
He made tools by using stones and bones.
NB: the theory of evolution has been supported by Archaeologist
Dr. Leakey in Olduvai Gorge in 1959
Basic characteristics of human evolution
1. Development of man’s ability to design, make and use tools.
2. Ability of man to walk on two limbs. (Bi-pedalism)
3. Ability of man to think.
4. Ability of man to domesticate plants and animals.

5. HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS
Homo sapiens is a modern man.
Homo sapiens is believed to have evolved into Homo sapiens sapiens about 50,000 years ago. This man has a large brain and great intelligence.