Cela-Conde, Camilo J. “The Hominid Evolutionary Journey: A Summary.”
It is Camilo Cela-Conde’s
central claim that “no straight line can be drawn from our ancestors to the
modern human species.” Instead evolution depicts a much more complex picture of
human evolution. A basic question is that of taxonomy: how are we to define a
hominid? One way is by discovering an exclusive trait that might serve to
distinguish hominids from other primates. Cela-Conde discusses but rejects such
candidates as bipedalism, a large brain, an articulated language, a large
coefficient of encephalization, the ability to create tools and thus culture,
etc. He then takes a different approach, describing in some detail the variety
of species that are considered as belonging to the hominid family. He begins
with the appearance of early hominids some 4.4 million years ago and points out
the many subtleties involved in attempting to classify them. He describes the
complex issues surrounding the evolution of Homo
erectus, Homo neanderthalensis,
and finally Homo sapiens, citing
arguments against a direct link between Neanderthals and morphologically modern
humans. He concludes his essay with a careful discussion of morphological and
genetic studies of the origin of human beings, including two opposite models:
multiregional transition and mitochondrial Eve. Although he disagrees with the
widespread idea that all humankind shares one ancestral grandmother, he does support
the theory of the “out-of-Africa” spread of modern humans.
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