This course introduces the field of palaeoanthropology. It examines evidence for our early ape ancestors, the emergence of the human lineage, earliest hominins, australopithecine diversity, and genus Homo up to the emergence of modern humans (a topic covered in detail in ANAT3601). It draws heavily on evidence from anatomy, especially from the human fossil record, in considering major adaptations of the human lineage and evidence for anatomical change. The multidisciplinary nature of modern palaeoanthropology is examined in recognition of the complex nature of the evidence for our biological origins.

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