CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER

Of the characteristics listed below, which evolved first in the evolutionary history of humans, as evidenced by the fossil “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis)?

Question

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER

Of the characteristics listed below, which evolved first in the evolutionary history of humans, as evidenced by the fossil “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis)?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In examining the traits associated with Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) and the broader fossil record, we assess which features appeared earliest in human evolution.
Option 1: 'Use of fire' — Fire use is linked to later hominins and archaeological contexts, not to Lucy’s time. There is no fossil or contextual evidence from Australopithecus afarensis that demonstrates controlled fire use, making this option unlikely to reflect the earliest evolved trait.
Option 2: 'A large brain' — Lucy’s brain size was relatively small compared to modern humans, more in the range of ape-like brains. The substantial brain enlargement seen in later Homo species is well after Lucy’s era, so this option does not represent the earliest evolutionary development.
Option 3: 'Bipedalism' — The skeleton attributed to Lucy shows clear adaptations for walking on two legs, including pelvic and leg bone structure consistent with bipedal locomotion. This trait is widely recognized as one of the earliest defining hominin adaptations, preceding large brain growth and other later features. The fossil evidence supports bipedality as an early characteristic in human evolution.
Option 4: 'Hairlessness' — Hair loss to the extent seen in later humans is inferred from a combination of indirect evidence and comparative biology, but Lucy’s anatomy does not provide a direct or sole indicator that hairlessness evolved before or earlier than bipedalism. This trait is not the best-supported earliest development when considering the Lucy fossil and its context.
Option 5: 'Well-developed culture' — Cultural complexity emerges much later in the hominin lineage, with advanced tool use, symbolic behavior, and social structures appearing far after Lucy’s time. Therefore, this option reflects a much more recent development than what Lucy demonstrates.
Overall, evaluating the fossil evidence and the order of trait emergence, the feature most consistently associated with Lucy is the establishment of bipedal locomotion, a foundational adaptation preceding larger-brained development and other later characteristics.

BIOL 1001 (001-013) Exam 3: Unit 3

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER Of the characteristics listed below, which evolved first in the evolutionary history of humans, as evidenced by the fossil “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis)?

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