A long family history, by Tomás Unger

When the Argentinean Florentino Ameghino, a pioneer of Latin American paleontology, found human-looking fossils in the pampas at the end of the 19th century, he theorized that it could be a human ancestor.

At that time, Darwin had already defined the evolution principle in the animal kingdom, based largely on fossil records. He then tried to apply his theory to possible human evolution.

This prompted a global search for fossils to explain the human evolution. While Ameghino was exploring in South America, fossils of what were later called Neanderthals (from the German Neander Valley) were found in Germany. Before long, fossils were found in China, which

—Fossil puzzle—

Darwin was not wrong. In the early 1900s, fossils of a skull with similarities to human and ape skulls were found in South Africa. Then he was called ‘Australopitecus africanus’ (‘austral‘,’ southern ‘, and’pithecus‘,’ ape ‘). Similar fossils were later found in other areas of Africa, notably the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, which turned out to be the world’s richest site of ancient fossils.

Besides of ‘Australopitecus‘, which existed about 2 to 3.5 million years ago, remains of other hominid species (of the family’Hominidae‘), a classification that covers the human species (‘Homo sapiens‘) and the various extinct species preceded it, including’Man handy‘(skillful man) and’ Homo erectus’ (upright man).

—Fossils and genetics—

In the second half of the 20th century, the dating of fossils was perfected by content of traces of carbon 14. A couple of decades later a tool was developed that has revolutionized anthropology:

Today we have resources that allow us to analyze the last generations of our genetic material and determine the origin of our families. Some of these procedures are dubious, basing their conclusions more on kinship than on genetic analysis. However, including the origin and evolution Of our ancestors.

“Some species of hominids appear to have been displaced and even eliminated by others, competing for territory and food.”

The fossil records found to date indicate that the common ancestors of the first hominins lived in Africa. About 6 to 9 million years ago, they ventured to the savannah and began to walk upright. Genetic analysis shows that almost 95% of human genetic material is identical to that of chimpanzees, and that of gorillas only 1% less. This is why gorillas and chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

Genetic analysis has helped estimate the point where our human family separated from the common ancestor. Our second chromosome is twice as long and contains the nearly complete genetic code for two chromosomes found only in those apes. That is, it is the result of the fusion of these two chromosomes. This would have limited the reproduction of those who carried the fused chromosome, creating a separate branch. This fusion is also found in Neanderthals and Denisovans, indicating that the separation of hominids and apes occurred between 1 and 4.5 million years ago.

“Tree or bush?”

In the last century they have found each other, putting together a puzzle that is still missing many pieces. The resulting figure, more than a genealogical tree of humanity, seems to show a bush with many branches.

The dispersal of groups of hominids through different geographical environments and their eventual adaptation to circumstances, separate reproduction from other groups and continuity of genetic mutations in the descendants. An example is the ‘Homo floresiensis‘, barely one meter high, which inhabited the Flores island of Indonesia until about 50,000 years ago.

Eventually, many disappeared, it is speculated that due to climatic changes, cataclysms and diseases.

Some species of hominids appear to have been displaced and even eliminated by others, in competition for territory and food. Others seem to have mixed, to the point of having converged. This would have been the case of the Neanderthals, who some 40,000 years ago achieved a development that included clothing, tools, cooking techniques and the use of medicinal plants. , which indicates that some Neanderthals mixed with ‘Homo sapiens’.

—Future evolution—

In America, our history is more recent, but always fascinating and full of mysteries not yet solved. Until the middle of the 20th century, the theory of an ice age migration through the Bering Strait prevailed. In the 1980s, evidence of 14,500-year-old human settlements was found in Monte Verde, Chile. This year the discovery of human footprints between 21,000 and 23,000 years old in the American southeast was announced. Unfortunately, we do not have genetic material to tell us who they are related to. Current genetic analyzes of Native Americans show that they differed from the Asian population between 15,000 and 16,000 years. Then,

At this time, the hominids left on Earth saw each other as if we were different species in competition. But we are just one species with variations in size, hair and skin colors, and other outward features, almost 100% genetically identical. We are first cousins. With today’s mobility

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