05 Mar '12 05:45>
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/becoming-human-part-1.html
Watched this episode on TV last night. It described two fossils, called "Lucy" and "Selam", and clearly explained the evolutionary process, tracing them from earlier fossils which still exhibited many similarities to ape fossils of the same period. They also showed the fundamental differences between the normal skeletal structure of apes and the evolved skeletal structure of the early bipeds, along with a suggestion that the change in stance could have been caused both by environmental changes (less vegetation, requiring more upward reaching for food) and energy conservation (walking is apparently more efficient energy-wise than the original ape posture). Allowing for the normal selective process to make the whole exercise interesting and entertaining, it seemed to explain many things quite well. Looking forward to Episode 2...
Watched this episode on TV last night. It described two fossils, called "Lucy" and "Selam", and clearly explained the evolutionary process, tracing them from earlier fossils which still exhibited many similarities to ape fossils of the same period. They also showed the fundamental differences between the normal skeletal structure of apes and the evolved skeletal structure of the early bipeds, along with a suggestion that the change in stance could have been caused both by environmental changes (less vegetation, requiring more upward reaching for food) and energy conservation (walking is apparently more efficient energy-wise than the original ape posture). Allowing for the normal selective process to make the whole exercise interesting and entertaining, it seemed to explain many things quite well. Looking forward to Episode 2...