Pithecanthropus is ... Hypotheses of the origin of man

For more than one millennium, scientists and thinkers have been arguing over the riddle about the origin of man. Guess guesses, assumptions, theories. But there are all the new proofs of the insolvency of this or that thought, so none of the theories at the moment is not proven.

The most common theories of human origin

1. Religious theory. It is the most ancient. Supporters of this theory tend to believe in the supernatural, divine appearance of man on Earth.
2. Cosmogony. Cosmogonists assert that the origin of mankind is of a cosmic nature, so, highly developed beings with the fall of cosmic bodies spread throughout the planet. In this sense, it is believed that life on Earth is someone's experiment.
3. Natural, terrestrial origin. The founder of this theory is the natural scientist Charles Darwin, who suggested that a man descended from a monkey in the process of evolution. That is, all living things on the planet sooner or later evolve (adapts to external conditions) as a result of natural selection, which presupposes the screening out of weak organisms and the survival of the strongest. Their descendants are genetically transmitted information regarding adaptability, as a result of which species evolve.

Development of the theory of evolution

The followers of this theory, called "classical Darwinism," tend to see monkeys gradually evolving to a higher stage of development as a result of natural selection.

The German scientist Ernst Haeckel continued to develop the theory of Darwin in the 19th century , who suggested that there was once an intermediate stage of development between the monkey and man, and gave the name to this creature - Pithecanthropus, this is translated from Latin - "ape-man". Interestingly, the scientist only theoretically described this species. After all, there were no fossil finds at his disposal. Haeckel also suggested where the Pithecanthropus could inhabit - this is the southeast part of Asia.

Evidence of Darwin's theory

In the late 19th century, the hypothesis was confirmed by the Dutch explorer Eugene Dubois, who found the remains of the described creature on the island of Java. Later, the researchers found new confirmation of the theory - in the 20th century excavations were successfully carried out in Africa, and in addition to the remains of the monkey-man, his tools, made of stone, were also discovered.

In 1927, near Peking (China), paleontologists succeeded in discovering an impressive material for study - the remains of 40 individuals (men, women and children). Morphologically, they did not differ from Pithecanthropus, respectively, belonged to this subspecies, but culturally (a variety of tools), this kind of ape-man has progressed somewhat on the way to modern people. Pithecanthropus - akin to these individuals, who lived in an earlier era. According to the found remains, scientists gave the name of the creature - Sinanthropus (Chinese man-eaters).

Modern research

Currently, researchers believe that the immediate ancestors of man are the very first creatures - monkey-like mammals, which initiated the development of parapithecines.

Parapithecines are ape-like individuals that appeared 35 million years ago. They were animals that lived on trees, which initiated the development of man on the one hand, and on the other - modern species of monkeys: gibbons, orangutans.

Driopithecus appeared 18 million years ago. These mammals lived on trees and on land. They became the progenitors of modern chimpanzees, gorillas and ancient Australopithecus.

The Origin of the Man of the Skilful

Australopithecus is a subspecies of monkeys that lived 5 million years ago, their remains were found in Africa in treeless areas. They had four limbs, moved in a half-bent state on two hind legs. Their growth could reach 150 centimeters, weight - 50 kg. The free forelimbs of the australopithecus were able to use means of hunting (protection) - sticks, stones. Australopithecus is a carnivore and herbivore, grouped in flocks with their own kind. According to some assumptions, the next stage of the evolutionary chain took place from them - A skilled man.

A man of skill appeared about 2-3 million years ago. The structure of the body was almost identical to its immediate ancestor - Australopithecus, but at the same time he had learned to equip with primitive objects. A man of skill initiated the Pithecanthropus.

Homo erectus and Homo sapiens

Pithecanthropus, Sinanthropus - two subspecies belonging to the same species, Homo erectus. Judging by the found remains, the scientists came to the conclusion that they had more similarity with Australopithecus than with man. Their growth reached 160 cm, the brain volume - from 700 to 1200 cubic meters. Cm, they had large superciliary ridges, not protruding chin, wide cheekbones. Lived 2 million - 200,000 years ago, grouped with their own kind in dwellings - caves. They were able to build more advanced models of tools, rather than a skillful man. It is believed that Pithecanthropus is a man-creature who already possessed good articulatory skills. This creature, who knew how to cook food through fire, learned to defend, hide from bad weather, expand the range of his habitat, fear for life.

Neanderthals - the next stage of development, existed in the glacial period (250,000 - 35,000 years ago). Herbs and carnivores, able to breed and save fire, diversified tools (knives, chippers, scrapers), learned how to distribute duties for the most effective results (male individuals were engaged in hunting, women were engaged in carcass cutting, picking edible rootlets, plants).

Cro-Magnon changed in the evolutionary chain of Neanderthals, they became the first representatives of the species Homo sapiens. Lived 50 000 - 40 000 years ago. It is anthropologically close to modern man beings. Their growth could reach 180 cm, the volume of the brain - 1400 cm3, the face had a high forehead, there were no large brow ridges (like those of its predecessors). Cro-Magnon men were able to speak articulately, as evidenced by the protruding chin, built shelters, sewed skins, manufactured the most sophisticated tools (bone, stone, silicium), and were able to decorate them. They showed interest in religion and art.

Now the evolutionary theory about the origin of man is the most common and has a special name - anthropogenesis.