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H. erectus
Des:According to Smithsonia, "...Homo erectus fossils are the oldest known humans to have possessed modern human-like body proportions with relatively elongated legs and shorter arms compared to the size of the torso."
Import: This finding is extremely important. H. Erectus lived 9x longer than we have to this day and if we can learn more about their way of life, maybe we too could live just as long. Their extinction and our discovery could be used to our great benefit if it's used correctly. -
Finding Homo Habilis
Des: According to The Smithsonian National Musium of Natural History, "[Homo Habilis is] one of the earliest members of the genus Homo, has a slightly larger braincase and smaller face and teeth than in Australopithecus or older hominin species."
Import: Homo Habilis' nickname is "Handy-Man" becuase some findings lead us to believe that he was the first to use stone tools, but some also say stone tools we have found prove to be older than the Homo Habilis bodies that we have discovered. -
Oldest Human Fossil Identified
Des: In 1967, two skulls and some bones were uncovered around Ethiopia's Omo River.
Import: According to National Geographic's article "Oldest Human Fossils Identified," "New dating techniques indicate that the fossils are 195,000 years old." This is important because this is great evidence of when we first showed up on the Earth and helps us understand the life timeline more thoroughly. -
Finding Australopithecus Sediba
Des: The last fossil before "Homo" was discovered.
Import: According to the Smithsonian, "The fossil skeletons of Au. sediba from Malapa cave are so complete that scientists can see what entire skeletons looked like near the time when Homo evolved." This is important becuase it helps us see how we are all connected and what we still possess and what we lost from our ancestors. -
The Discovery of H. Naledi
Des: According to Nation Geographic, "Homo Naledi was found in the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star cave system in October of 2013."
Import: These bones were discovered by a group of scientists within a short expedition in the Rising Star cave system. Because of their findings we are now understanding more of the biology and makeup of past "humans." This is connecting many links between past species and present ones, like us.
