In this week’s material, paleontology was the main topic of discussion and lead me down a trial of nostalgia. As a kid it was always my dream to become a paleontologist, mostly because off my love for dinosaurs, so learning the nitty gritty of the field this week was incredibly interesting and informative. Unfortunately tastes and aspirations change over the years, so I am no longer pursuing this dream, but the information was interesting all the same. This is an incredibly valuable field as it connects our past ancestors and the various species of early humans to us today. Evolution is clear and present throughout the field and I can’t say enough good things about this week’s material.

               First id like to define hominin prior to describing the traits that can be helpful to inform us on human biology. Google’s definition of hominin is “a primate of a taxonomic tribe, which comprises those species regraded as human, directly ancestral to humans or very closely related to humans.” The first and probably most discussed trait that hominins possess is bipedalism which means to walk upright on two hind legs. Throughout my life an education the image of humans becoming upright throughout evolution is etched in my brain, so I knew that this was an important step in evolution. In our lecture it states that chimps who do not move around on two hind legs naturally but are able to stand on them from time to time, exert more energy trying to stand like this. Therefore, moving on two hind legs is an inefficient from of locomotion for these chimps. This was compared to humans being able to walk on their hands. Some of us can do it but it will never be a natural from of getting around. The lecture also provides three “snapshots” in time that all posses bipedalism. The three forms are Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, and Ardipithecus. They are all primitive hominin and show ape like features, but all still walk on two feet. They were all also discovered in East Africa and these three forms have many similarities and differences, but the important fact is that they all move from place to place in the same way.              

               The second trait that hominins posses that can allow scientists to infer a lot about our current human biology is the teeth, specifically the canines of these fossils. The canines can tell a lot about a species, most obviously their diet. Canines can also tell some things about behavior as well. Larger canines can be used for fighting, potentially other members of their own species in order to win over, for lack of a better term, their mate. Overall the study of teeth is crucial to determining behavior, and the environment in which these species lived, specifically what they ate to get by.

               In conclusion, fossilized skeletal remains of our early ancestors are key to understanding where we stand today. Using chronometric dating and other forms of determining the specifics of our discoveries, are key to making groundbreaking advancements like the discovery of the legendary Lucy. Lucy’s exact measurements alone allow for a wealth of knowledge into our past and can’t be undervalued.