Late Australopiths and the Emergence of Homo

Posted: 26 Oct 2017

See all articles by Darryl J. de Ruiter

Darryl J. de Ruiter

Texas A&M University

S.E. Churchill

University of the Witwatersrand; Duke University

John Hawks

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Department of Anthropology

L.R. Berger

University of the Witwatersrand

Date Written: October 2017

Abstract

New fossil discoveries and new analyses increasingly blur the lines between Australopithecus and Homo, changing scientific ideas about the transition between the two genera. The concept of the genus itself remains an unsettled issue, though recent fossil discoveries and theoretical advances, alongside developments in phylogenetic reconstruction and hypothesis testing, are helping us approach a resolution. A review of the latest discoveries and research reveals that (a) despite the recent recovery of key fossil specimens, the antiquity of the genus Homo remains uncertain; (b) although there exist several australopith candidate ancestors for the genus Homo, there is little consensus about which of these, if any, represents the actual ancestor; and (c) potential convergent evolution (homoplasy) in adaptively significant features in late australopiths and basal members of the Homo clade, combined with probable reticulate evolution, makes it currently impossible to identify the direct ancestor of Homo erectus.

Suggested Citation

de Ruiter, Darryl J. and Churchill, S.E. and Hawks, John and Berger, L.R., Late Australopiths and the Emergence of Homo (October 2017). Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 46, pp. 99-115, 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3058762 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102116-041734

Darryl J. De Ruiter (Contact Author)

Texas A&M University ( email )

Langford Building A
798 Ross St.
College Station, TX 77843-3137
United States

S.E. Churchill

University of the Witwatersrand ( email )

1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg, GA Gauteng 2000
South Africa

Duke University ( email )

100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0204
United States

John Hawks

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Department of Anthropology ( email )

5240 Sewell Social Science Hall
1180 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
United States

L.R. Berger

University of the Witwatersrand ( email )

1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg, GA Gauteng 2000
South Africa

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
306
PlumX Metrics