The Phylogeny of Hominids from the Australopithecus up to the Homo - Research Paper Example

Phylogenetic Rate Shifts in Feeding Time during the Evolution of HomoIntroductionThe study of the phylogeny of hominids from the Australopithecus up to the Homo sapiens has been made for a long time and is still continuing to be made with new discoveries being made and especially concerning the anatomy of these hominids. Explanations of the anatomical changes that have taken place on the hominids and how these changes have contributed to the present man are the subject of discussion.The article “Phylogenetic rate shifts in feeding time during the evolution of Homo” is based on research carried out by researchers from Harvard University which discovers that the hominids starting from the Homo erectus till Homo sapiens have their molar teeth size declining and they are not as large as those by their earlier predecessors Australopithecus (Organ, Nunn, Machanda and Wrangham 14556).

These reductions in molar size have led to the present man having small molars. According to the researchers, they make the conclusion that the changes are in line with the starting of fire use and eating cooked food instead of raw food (Organ, Nunn, Machanda and Wrangham 14559).The article findings and explanations are in line with the discussions made by Stanford in his book Exploring biological anthropology: the essentials where the discussion on hominids is based mainly on their anatomical changes and their significance during that time in the phylogeny of the hominids from Australopithecus to Homo sapiens.

Stanford specifically discusses the anatomical changes and how the body bipedal plans of the earlier hominids are how they were adapted to the environment (Stanford, Allen and Anton 239). The same discussion is made later on in the book but this time the focus is on the genus Homo (Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens) and how they were more evolved towards becoming more like the present humans (Stanford, Allen and Anton 277). Even though both chapters discuss different hominids, the anatomical changes according to the period in history and the environment all add up and present a detailed and flowing phylogeny of these hominids.

The same discussion about anatomical structures of the various hominids and how each structure of the body acted to facilitate the survival of the different hominids are made in the book by Bailey and Hublin. The book has detailed explanations of the different body structures which give more details and more structures compared to the article discussion and the book by Stanford. However, they all finally discuss the same issue and give the same enlightening discussion. There are also explanations of the effects of the different changes that took place in the body structures of the hominids and the effects of that to not only the hominids but also to the present human being.

These include dental changes (like those discussed in the article), changes in the skeleton and the skeletal tissues and muscles and even changes in bone chemistry including that of calcium. The information provided above is also supported in the book Essentials of Physical Anthropology whose discussion centers on the physical appearance and body structures of the different hominids (Jurmain, Kilgore and Trevathan 164).ConclusionAll in all, the information from the three scholarly sources add up together to give explanation about hominids and even present evidence about their anatomical changes.

The collected data also explain how these changes are useful in the present day human being and are adapted according to the surroundings and also the developments made by the human being which were not there for the other hominids.Works CitedBailey, Shara, and Jean-Jacques Hublin. Dental Perspectives on Human Evolution: State of the Art Research in Dental Paleoanthropology. New York: Springer, 2007. Print.Jurmain, Robert, Lynn, Kilgore, and Wenda Trevathan. Essentials of Physical Anthropology.

New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.Organ, Chris, Charles, Nunn, Zarin, Machanda, and Richard Wrangham. “Phylogenetic rate shifts in feeding time during the evolution of Homo.” PNAS 108.35 (30/8/2011): 14555-14559. Print.Stanford, Craig, John, Allen, and Susan Anton. Exploring biological anthropology: the essentials. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.