Pick one of the following prompts for your required essay. Pick a different prompt for each subsequent
Your Choice assignment, if you choose to do them. Pick no more than two prompts total from each unit
of the class.
Unit 3: Human evolution
3a Homo erectus had a number of anatomical and behavioral features that differed from those of
earlier hominin species. Describe at least 3, including the evidence for them. How did each one allow H.
erectus to migrate out of Africa and spread to large parts of the globe?
3b What are at least three unique, mysterious, or surprising things about Homo naledi and its
discovery? These might include its morphology, the details of the cave site where it was found, or its
place in the hominin lineage. How has it changed our understanding of hominin evolution?
3c Describe the three lines of evidence for hybridization (interbreeding) between modern Homo
sapiens and Neanderthals/Denisovans. What influence did this hybridization have on human evolution?
3d Bipedalism, changes to the dentition, and increased brain size are all derived traits in the
hominin lineage. Describe the difference between ancestral and derived traits. Then, describe how these
three derived traits emerged in hominins, by giving at least one possible evolutionary reason for each.
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