Human - Interpretation, Compare and Contrast, Fossil Record - Essay Example

College Human - Interpretation, Compare and Contrast, Fossil Record, Hominin Lineage Several debates and discussions on the similarities and differences between humans and their closest relative, the chimpanzees, have been held over the years but still the question remains - what defines humans? Humans and chimpanzees belong to the same family Hominidae but different genus types: humans belong to the genus Homo, while the chimps’ genus pan. They both depict almost similar characteristics making the chimps the closest relative to the humans. Despite the many similarities they both share, human still stands out a distant different from the chimps. To begin with, the most distinct trait is the verbal communication in humans compared to the growls, screams and hoots. Humans have the ability of passing ideas and information through various means ranging from the verbal communication, facial expressions, and hand gestures and, of late, the writing means. Clear speech has uniquely distinguished them from the chimpanzees where this is controlled by the cerebral cortex in their brains unlike the chimps that lack these functional organs. Humans are believed to have muscular tongue that enables them speak clearly and well compared to the weak chimpanzees’ tongues. Second point is their body covering where the human beings have short and relatively sparsely distributed throughout their bodies but varying from one human being to another by race, their sex, place and, most importantly, the genes. As compared to humans, chimpanzees have short covering all over their all body parts except their faces and palms with no variance from one to another unlike the humans. This factor has uniquely defined humans from the chimpanzees where they have had the manufacture of clothes to prevent them from many factors like cold and rain. Humans’ brain size has uniquely identified them from the chimpanzees’ characterized by the human beings having the larger one than the latter’s. Chimps have 370ml of the brain size compared to the 1350ml in average for the human beings. Human’s larger brain size is actually an important indicator of their intelligence shown by the recent innovation in scientific and technology development. Over the years, human has made numerous scientific developments characterized by the use of complex machine which would rather be difficult for their closest relative, the chimps, to have. This includes aspects like use of computers, where almost every life aspect is now controlled by the computer technology. Improved transport has also been seen where humans' intelligence has brought out complex transport means such as ships, aero planes and electric trains; the chimpanzees can't in any way develop them. Human diet also distinguishes them; both the chimpanzees and the human beings are omnivorous though the humans are more of carnivorous than their closest relative. Chimpanzees throughout their lives occasionally depend on other mammals’ flesh they get through hunting but restrict themselves mostly to fruits and sometimes insects. Opposite to this, humans do feed on the cooked flesh and plants rather than the raw food eaten by the chimps. Posture and locomotion have also defined human differently from their closest relative the chimpanzees. Though both humans and the chimpanzees are considered to portray the bipedalism factor, the distance and time through which this happens define the whole trait. Humans walk throughout their entire lives and perform their daily chores since infancy in two feet unlike the chimpanzees who locomote using their four limbs but can walk and often stand with two feet. This is because humans have bowl-shaped pelvises that provide support to their internal body organs. Chimpanzees do lean forward during their locomotion making them walk using four legs. Chimpanzees, unlike the human beings, have large toes making them stronger than their fore limbs, therefore, using them for crawling, climbing and easy rotating when climbing the trees. This has enabled them adapt fully to their tree home grounds. From research, it is considered that chimpanzees and human do share almost 100% of the DNA. DNA clearly defines humans to a different genus where the human beings have 46 chromosomes, two lesser than the chimpanzees. Humans have the least of the primates’ generic variation and this gives the reason for generic problems, thus, explaining why two different humans can be genetically more of the same as compared to two sibling chimpanzees (Stein and Rowe 112). Over the years, human beings have been the only animal that was considered to use the tools, but recent studies by the archeologists have revealed that besides the humans, chimpanzees can be considered as tool-using animals as well. The most significant of these observations was made in 1960 by Jane Goodall who witnessed amazing discovery. Recent research has also shown that the chimpanzees’ tool making and usage date back to 4300 years ago. Some of these examples of tool use include using a sharpened twig to fish out the termites from their moulds, spear making, makeshift sponges made from mashed leaves and using stones as anvils. Despite this discovery, human beings would still be distant from their closest relatives in the respect that, due to their greater intelligence, humans use complex and more developed tools such as the machines that have rather done the same function but in a different way. It also became evident from the discoveries in Africa among the chimpanzees living in Tai forest in Cote D’Ivoire. They used their stone tools to break hard the nuts and at times the anvils and this later became a culture rather than a skill and was passed from generation to generation. Sex is another important issue where human beings, similar to one more of their closest relative - the bonobos - are known for great sexual appetite. This is, unfortunately, the opposite to the chimps habits as they get angry and often engage in violent actions throughout their lives and do not participate in recreational sex; they only mate whilst eating or doing other things; besides, it takes less than fifteen seconds. Mating occurs in few minutes where female chimps on heat mate with several partners. Humans, unlike chimpanzees, have sexual pleasure and need more effort and form long-term female partners; their sexual intercourse takes longer time. Chimpanzees take the opposite sides where they do not in any way form long-term relationships. Humans’ culture also defines them from the chimpanzees. Both (human and chimps) do have some similar sociability culture. Chimpanzees spend more time socializing and grooming each other. Younger chimpanzees often play tickling themselves and chasing each other and hug and kiss as signs of affection. Through this, they strengthen friendships amongst themselves. Human beings, unlike the chimpanzees, will spent more time socializing through talking which creates stronger bonds amongst themselves besides physical contact like patting, friendly shove and hug. Chimpanzees live in communities which comprise of multiple males and females where rules and protocols are defined by the position of an individual in the group and mostly ruled by the alpha males. Human beings live in ethnic groups defined by race, place and relationship (Stein and Rowe 112). Charles Darwin, influenced by Sir Charles Lyell through geological study and anthropology, has enabled us understand the emergence of their (human and chimps) traits in the fossil record. Several human fossils, unlike chimpanzees, have been found all over the world. However, few chimpanzee fossils have been found in most parts of African continent including Kenya and Ethiopia defining the existence and characteristics of the Pan clade during the Middle Pleistocene. One of the fossils is “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) found by Donald Johanson in Ethiopia which actually depicted how the ancient human is closely related to the chimpanzee. This is evident from their molars and canines relatively reduced and smaller brain size of 430 cm3 From the look of culture emergence in the fossil record, we get to see an example of the Homo Habilis fossils in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania where we get to see the use of tools made with the help of anvils to chip off flakes. This resulted in round stones which were later intended for many purposes. The study of fossil records showed us the emergence of culture where Homo Habilis is considered the first primate to give organization evidence where they constructed “camp sites” which were large rock barriers that became shields to sand blown by the wind. One more of the numerous differences between humans and chimpanzees in fossil records is shown by the Homo habilis which would produce some type of understandable verbal language, as Kenneth L. Feder and Michael Alan Park state from their discovery on Homo skulls and language. As evident from Charles Darwin’s work “On the Origin of Species”, as well as studies by other anthropologists, the species that would actually be labeled “human” is the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) because of the numerous comparisons between them and the humans. Several of the fossil remains of the chimpanzees revealed them to have had the same diet, bipedalism, usage of the same tools to hunt and creation of their homesteads with rocks. Chimpanzees are also believed to have the second largest brain size of the primates after humans making it more intelligent; they undertake versatile tasks similar to humans. Work Cited Stein, Philip L, and Bruce M. Rowe. Physical Anthropology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974. Print. Read More