Learning with granny Science for Cyberkids

Learning with Granny!
Human fossils tell their story

This month. after a birthday celebration at an ostrich farm
and an interesting time at the Earth Summit on Sustainability,
Granny, Vinny and the rest continue their trip in Time.

Introduction to Early Humankind

We pick up where we left off in the Pliocene (7MYA - 2MYA) - which is the second half of the Cenozoic era.
A very recent find of a complete skull from Chad in central Africa, described in the journal 'Nature' as "The most important hominid discovery in living memory', is believed to be between six and seven million years old (the oldest ever found). More information on Toumai. This fits into the era we are covering at the moment... Coincidentally, Dr. Francis Thackeray of the Transvaal Museum wrote of another find that could also add to our understanding of 'The Origins of Humankind' - 'The Skeleton of Mrs Ples'

These finds represent living, breathing creatures who roamed Africa long before the arrival of modern humankind. They played their part in a developing lifestyle and were 'players' on a stage in Time, just as you and I.

Join us now as we play our part in learning more about early humankind.

The story unfolds...

The weather continues to get cooler and dryer in the Pliocene Era and the continents came to be in the positions they are in today. North and South America joined and most of the mammals we know today were around.

Tall trees with thick branches covered warm regions of the Earth early on, and a great variety of monkeys, all physically adapted to their surroundings and their availability of food, moved among these branches.

Many of their descendants can still be seen today across the world.
In Africa and Asia, close relative of the monkeys - the apes - were also living in this changing environment. Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are all different species of apes.

" We saw chimpanzees in the zoo and they are very like people." said Ann.

"Yes", said Granny, " scientists have shown that we share a common ancestor with apes. Fossil remains have been found by paleontologists that are neither chimp-like nor human-like, and many of these ancestors must have existed before the arrival finally of thoroughly modern humankind".

"Where have these remains been found Granny?" asked Vinny. "The earliest ones have been right here in Africa - on the same continent where the great apes still live in their natural habitat, although sadly are fast becoming few in numbers. Fossil remains have been found at Sterkfontein Caves, Makapansgat and Swartkrans - near Johannesburg in South Africa and also at a place called Taung in the Northern Cape, at several places in Kenya and at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania as well as in Ethiopia and Chad.

These finds, although still very ape-like, show definite signs of early human characteristics - such as evidence of upright walking, a slightly bigger brain, or smaller teeth (molars and canines). Everything found is carefully documented and the records kept for future reference. There are large numbers of interested special scientists called palaeanthropologists out digging all over Africa in the hopes of learning more and adding to the collection of fossil evidence of human origins.

Many studies are being made of the great apes, whose distant ancestors were, at some time, on the same 'branch' as human ancestors. Scientists are trying to find out when modern humankind took a 'different route'", concluded Granny as she showed them the very interesting picture on the cover of the First Circular of the 'Dual Congress '98 '.

"This was a great meeting of people from all round the world, who study Human Biology and Human Palaeontology to discuss their finds and their ideas. It was an opportunity for them to go on excursions and visit the many wonderful sites where fossil evidence of Early humankind have been found in South Africa.

Although a chimpanzee and a human are very different, we share 98.5% of our DNA. We humans share a common ancestor with chimpanzees sometime between 8 and 5 Million years ago. At that point there was a split and two separate lines continued. One led to early humankind, or 'hominids', and the other to chimpanzees.

There must have been many, many types of human-like hominids in our species and their remains are being found to help us get a clearer picture of the past, but many are still unknown. This is why it is very exciting when we hear of a new fossil find.

To the right is an artist's impression of what some of the hominids might have looked like.

To give you an idea of the route we will be following as we track evidence of Early Humankind's progress in Time click on the picture to the right.

This month's Poem

Related to Life

Some sixty five million years ago, a tiny shrew
Survived a castrophic event and managed to come safely through.
When the dust had settled and the Earth calmed down
This little mammal surfaced and looked around.
Now he was free to frolic and survive
With the dinosaurs gone he could stay alive
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When twenty million more years had gone by
The monkeys and the trees began to die
To survive they had to search for food on the ground
And adapt to a new way of life that was sound.
Some stood upright and used their hands
And grouped together into family bands.
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Man has much in common with his ancestors of old
But the difference is enormous if the story be told.
A tree knows in which direction it wants to grow
A busy ant views Humankind as a creature very slow
Humankind learnt from the birds how to sing and build a nest
He honored all the creatures who gave him food and rest.
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We share with all life forms the air we breathe and exhale
Without whose help on Earth as a species we would fail
We can link to our 'animal ancestors' in many different ways
And wonder at their instinct and read their speechless gaze
Their gentle eyes can tell us so much they see and know
Most creatures are born knowing - we have to learn as we grow.
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Man looks now for scientific direction
And answers to many a complex question
He's the only species who can ensure a place
For all the life forms on Earth and in space
Possibly part of a future plan
Will be found if we study Early Humankind.
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Jenny Marais Jan. 2002

Next month we will learn more about Human Palaeontology, the people who study this vast and fascinating science and where you can find more information on the subject. We will focus on some of the well- known fossil finds that are helping to piece together the story of Early Humankind.