Up to now, there are still different opinions about the origin of human beings in academic circles. Through hundreds of years' research and debate, most scientists now agree that there have been drastic crustal changes on the African continent, forming a huge fault valley. The fault valley starts from Tanzania in the south, passes through the whole East Africa in the north, and reaches Palestine and the Dead Sea, with a length of 8 km. The ecological environment on both sides of the fault valley has changed greatly, and the local forest apes have gradually divided into two branches: the forest apes still living in the forest environment have gradually evolved into modern apes; Forest apes living in the eastern highlands of the fault valley often have to come down from trees to look for food because of the decrease of forests. Due to the variation of body structure and the change of environment, the habit of walking with lower limbs has gradually formed, thus gaining great development opportunities in the long years to come. Up to about 2 million years ago, ancient humans who walked upright and were able to make and use tools appeared. Anthropologists called them Homo erectus. In a word, human beings originated from forest apes and generally appeared more than 4 million years ago. According to the discovery of early human fossils in Africa, it can be considered that human beings originated in Africa. In addition, some scientists' comparative study of mitochondrial genes and genes on Y chromosome in people from different regions and human genes in Africa also supports that human beings originated in Africa and migrated to different regions of the earth.
In the last hundred years, the evidence about the origin of human beings has been increasing with the discovery of new human fossils. Through the analysis and study of these fossils, people have gradually made clear a general outline of human beings from appearance to development into modern people. This long process can be roughly divided into the following four stages:
the basic stage
the age before
the representative and the main features of fossil origin
the cultural development
the early ape-man
from 2 million years ago to 1.75 million years ago, the homo habilis (Oduwei gorge valley in Tanzania) had a brain volume of 637 mL, walked upright, and his thumb and other four fingers could be clasped, but he did not move. Gravel can be made into a chopper, and this stone culture is called Oduwe culture. Capable people depend entirely on nature to live.
Late ape-man
Yuanmou man (Shangnabang Village, Yuanmou, Yunan Province, China) from p>175 million years ago to 2, to 3, years ago
Peking ape-man (Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, Beijing, China)
Javanese (West Java, Indonesia) has a brain of 1,59 ml, and can walk upright on both feet like modern people, with flexible hands, and can build a variety of stone tools. It can make various types of stone tools, with exquisite processing, and great progress in stone tool culture. It can use fire to live in groups of dozens of people and has certain ability to cope with natural changes.
Early Homo sapiens
Maba people (Maba Township, Qujiang County, Guangdong Province, China) from 2, to 5, years ago
Neanderthal people (Neanderthal Valley, Germany) had a brain volume of 1 35 mL, which was close to that of modern people, and some original features (protruding mouth, developed eyebrow ridge, etc.) were preserved in physique. Can produce tools, can hunt large beasts, master the technology of artificial fire, and further improve the ability to conquer nature.
Late Homo sapiens
From 5, years ago to 1, years ago, the caveman (Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, China)
The brain volume of Kroma farmer (rural area of Kroma, France) was basically the same as that of modern people, reaching 1 4 mL, and his posture was similar to that of modern people. Can make complex tools such as stone tools, bone tools and horns, can make refined and unique works of art and decorations, can sew clothes, build tents and can carry out large-scale hunting activities. May start a matriarchal social life.
From the process of human evolution and development, it is not difficult to see that walking upright has changed human morphological structure; Labor has improved the living space of human beings; With the gradual improvement of labor level, the differentiation of brain structure and function is becoming more and more perfect; The emergence of language has brought essential changes to human development. These changes have continuously improved the level of human civilization. In the above process, human society has gradually developed.