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FromPurgatorius ceratops toHomo sapiens

2. Human evolution

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Abstract

The second part of this article on the evolution of the primate order, deals with the final part of the tale, that of the evolution of the human lineage. Before we launch into the origin and evolution of the human species, it is a useful exercise to take a brief look at what distinguishes humans from other primates. Most of the anatomical differences between humans and other primates are simply an extension of the morphological differences between primates and other mammals (see Part I). For example, the trends towards increased brain size, delayed maturational periods and specialization of the hand for object manipulation, already present in non-human primates, reach the apex of development in modern humans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute ot Advanced Studies, IISc Campus, 560 012, Bangalore, India

    Sindhu Radhakrishna

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  1. Sindhu Radhakrishna
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Correspondence to Sindhu Radhakrishna.

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Radhakrishna, S. FromPurgatorius ceratops toHomo sapiens . Reson 11, 69–80 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02855782

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02855782

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