Gain an introductory understanding of evolution, including how we evolved from primates and became human.
Overview
Impressively, humans are the only creatures produced by evolution that are capable of understanding evolution. In Becoming Human: Anthropology, you can explore how evolution works and how variation arises. Find out why, of all the orders of life, primates produced us. How did apes start to look like us, walk on two feet and grow big brains that over the past 200,000 years have figured out where we came from? This course will give you some thoughtprovoking answers.
MacQuarie University Prof. Greg Downey 4 weeks 2 4 hours per week 02Jun to 29Jun2014
What will I learn? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Basic evolutionary concepts The traces of human evolution in our bodies Darwin’s contributions to evolutionary theory The genetic dimensions of human evolution The processes of cooperation and symbiosis Niche creation, learning, and other types of inheritance The differences between men and women Why sex is so important to evolution The role of our needy babies 'Natural’ human sexuality What brains are good for The cost of having a big brain Tools, technology and new evolutionary tricks Whether or not human evolution is over