Two new Mio-Pliocene Chadian hominids enlighten Charles Darwin's 1871 prediction
Two new Mio-Pliocene Chadian hominids enlighten Charles Darwin's 1871 prediction
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DOI：
10.1098/rstb.2010.0069
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发表时间：
2010-10-27
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Brunet, Michel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Brunet, Michel
人类进化序列的概念是最近才提出的。在过去的150年里，我们发现了意想不到的祖先，许多近亲和我们在非洲的深刻进化根源。在过去的十年中，三个晚中新世人科动物被描述，两个约6 Ma（Ardipithecus和Orrorin）在东非，第三个约7 Ma（萨赫勒人）在中非。这些标本太少，无法确定它们与其他物种的关系，但显然它们属于一个新的进化等级，与南方古猿和人属不同。此外，他们可能都是习惯性的两足动物，生活在林地中，从而推翻了人类起源的萨凡纳假说。根据所有这些最新的知识，查尔斯达尔文在1871年正确地预测非洲是人类、黑猩猩和我们近亲的诞生地。
The idea of an evolutionary sequence for humans is quite recent. Over the last 150 years, we have discovered unexpected ancestors, numerous close relatives and our deep evolutionary roots in Africa. In the last decade, three Late Miocene hominids have been described, two about 6 Ma (Ardipithecus and Orrorin) in East Africa and the third dated to about 7 Ma (Sahelanthropus) in Central Africa. The specimens are too few to propose definite relationship to other species, but clearly these belong to a new evolutive grade distinct from Australopithecus and Homo. Moreover, all of them were probably habitual bipeds and lived in woodlands, thus falsifying the savannah hypothesis of human origins. In light of all this recent knowledge, Charles Darwin predicted correctly in 1871 that Africa is the birthplace of humans, chimpanzees and our close relatives.