In order to see the evolution of evolution, and with it the position of man in the system of the animal world, it is not necessary to plunge into the past, because evolution is a process that happens always and everywhere around us. For example, bacteria that were easily destroyed by penicillin earlier took on a new, antibiotic-resistant form.
Natural selection
Nature decreed as follows: the better the animal is adapted to the conditions of the range in which it lives, the greater its chances of survival and having offspring. His children can inherit the abnormalities that made his father's animal so successful in his local environment. Animal species change over time, better adapting to environmental conditions. New species arise, live for thousands or millions of years, and then disappear. Evolution needs time and happy occasions for change to happen.
Traits that can help the species survive, for example, better teeth or a larger brain, may appear in newborns as occasional abnormalities. If new traits really help to survive, and animals can live longer, or survive under conditions in which the ordinary representative of the species dies, then these traits will be passed on from generation to generation. When these abilities are truly useful, animals that have them will gradually supersede those that do not.
Darwin Theory
According to Darwin's theory, any living creature does not produce an identical copy of itself in the course of its life. The child does not look like a mother, the kitten does not look like a mother cat, even the grains of wheat are different from each other. If you examine them under a microscope or conduct a chemical analysis, you can notice their dissimilarity. Variability is a material for natural selection. If these properties are necessary for the life of a new creature, then it will live and lead offspring, if not, then ruthless natural selection will remove it from the biological sphere, and it will die like hundreds and thousands of unsuitable individuals. What is the position of man in the system of the animal world? The most mysterious selection of nature, as well as its crown, of course, is man.
Human position in the animal kingdom system
People are considered primates, of which there are more than 100 species, including anthropoid apes, gorillas and chimpanzees. If you indicate the position of a person in the system of the animal world, primates, namely chimpanzees, have the closest family ties with humans, 98.4% of the genes in them coincide. It is proved that 2.6 million years ago there was a division of primates into 2 branches. 1 - in Australopithecus, which later became extinct, and 2 the position of a person in the system of the animal world - in a skilled person. It is known that the first anthropoids existed on Earth as far back as 3-5 million years ago.
A lot of research, measurements, excavations and, based on them, scientific evidence, indicates that the position of man in the system of the animal world is considered to be primates. All primates have common symptoms.
- Everyone has arms and legs with five fingers on each.
- There are teeth that are adapted to chew a lot of different foods.
- All give birth mainly to one baby, less often - to several children.
Signs of human position in the animal system
But there are significant differences between them.
- Only a person is upright on two legs and, accordingly, the special structure of the ridge, pelvis, legs, arms, muscles and other organs.
- The human hand can perform many different and precise movements. The human skull is taller and round;
- The brain part of the skull dominates the facial, has a high forehead, weak jaws with small fangs, and the chin is clearly defined.
- The human brain occupies a volume of 1800 cm3, which is 3 times more than the brain of primates. A person has well developed parts of the brain where the most important mental and speech centers are located.
The first man among primates
The very first human ancestor - Australopithecus, could already move in an upright position. Thanks to this, he could hold implements and primitive weapons in his hands.
According to scientific theory, the appearance of a rational person did not happen suddenly, it was the result of a long evolutionary development, which took tens of millions of years. Scientists appropriated the name "homo sapiens" to a person who knows how to make elementary tools, as well as bury his fellow tribesmen. The most primitive tools were turned stones. 500 thousand years ago, people were already processing wooden sticks, making spears of them. And only 250 thousand years ago a stone ax appeared .
50 thousand years ago, they learned to make lamps carved from stone, in which instead of fuel there was animal fat, after another 20 thousand years the first bow and arrows appeared. From the original species of ancestors to the species “homo sapiens,” development leaps occurred over 14–20 million years. Further evolution led to the emergence of Australopithecus, able to use the surrounding objects as tools, and even subject them to elementary processing.
Human development
When primates were divided into two branches: the first subspecies in the course of evolution turned into a skilled man, and the second into an Australopithecus of Africa, which later became extinct. Evolution made a leap when the appearance of “skilled man” arose. He possessed elementary thinking and speech, the main carriers of information, which was then transmitted to subsequent generations. The species “erect man” arose 100 thousand years ago. With its appearance, the amount of information has significantly increased, which contributed to the creation of a new type of heritage - not genetically, but through material and spiritual experience. Such a person had a brain volume of 1250 cm3, but his evolution did not stop there. At this stage of development, accelerated progress in biological changes has been noted.
Considering the position of man in the system of the animal world, it can be briefly described as follows.
The most ancient people were engaged in gathering and hunting. They led a nomadic life, ate plants and meat of animals that came in their way. They used caves for housing, but ancient finds confirm that during this period the first dwellings were constructed from branches. At some point, the tribes realized that permanent housing has a number of advantages. In a safe place you can hide food reserves for hunger periods, protect yourself from the weather and predators. In such villages it is more convenient to get along with each other, and it is also easier to fight off the enemy. During evolution, the human brain has increased disproportionately to the body. But the most important achievement: people have become a collective active entity, the main components of which are labor, mind and speech, and this is the main difference between people and animals.
Man and fauna
The position of man in the system of the animal world has a powerful effect on this world. A man from the Paleolithic was already hunting, destroying extinct creatures today. Animals, birds and fish gave people food, hides served as the first clothes, shoes and household items. Since people began to eat meat, they have learned to make fire and tame animals. With the improvement of hunting tools and the taming of animals, the impact of people on the animal kingdom increased.
Biological evolution nowadays no longer matters to humans; rather, on the contrary, it has a global impact on the environment. The position of man in the modern system of the animal world carries a danger to the biological diversity of species. It is based on human activity, and is associated with a change in the habitat of animals, global climate change, breeding of exotic species and the spread of diseases. Regardless of skin color, shape and size, all of humanity belongs to one species - "intelligent man." Human behavior reflects how evolution programmed to act, for example, to search for a couple, fill the stomach or run away from danger.
Evolution or external interference?
Everything seems to be simple and clear in the evolutionary theory of the origin of man. Nevertheless, scientists have not yet come to a unified and indisputable statement of what exactly was the impetus for the transition from primates to Homo sapiens.
According to various theories, there could be external interference, such as crossing representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations with the ancestors of humans or controlling evolution by the forces of an extraterrestrial superintelligence.
Thanks to intelligence, a person has made a huge breakthrough: he can take care of himself, make a choice or take risks. Able to write, compose music, paint. And also to build airplanes and ships to explore the entire planet, as well as spaceships to explore space.