Grossmont College Board Hominin Features Discussion

One of the main characteristics that defines the hominin tribe are their bipedal tendencies.  However, as you have noted in reading for this week’s assigments, not all hominins had the same bipedal capabilities.  Early hominins can be defined as being at various stages of transitioning into bipedalism while later forms are obligate bipeds.  At the same time there are many other things that we can explore that relate to hominins.  Often times there are new discoveries that are made and those discoveries make the news.

Make sure you do the following for points.

Note: Make sure that the news that you read only deals with one of the following genera – Sahelanthropus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus.

1. Give a brief summary of what you read.  In one short paragraph tell the class what the news was about. Include the following items as part of your post.
   1. Name the species in question (genus and species designations).
   2. What is the approximate age of the fossil and where it was found.
   3. Tell us why it the fossil made the news. Why is it important.
2. Make sure you cite your information.
3. Respond to at least one other student posts. 
   1. In your posts briefly explain to the other student why that post is important to the understanding of human evolution.