April 25, Chapter 12 response

Chapter 12 focuses on the evolution of humans. Some of their ancestors included the chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas (pg 434). One of the most recent predecessors of the modern human was called Homo erectus. He came from Africa. Since Africa could be very hot and difficult to live in because of the Sahara dessert, the ancestor of humans traveled to Asia. Although many species of humans have existed, many of them died out as evident in fossils discovered around the world. As humans continued to evolve, substances such as fire and tools made it easier for our species to survive. Fire substance allowed us to keep warm as well as improve our social skills while tools such as axes and scrapers contributed to the ability to build shelters as well as hunt (pg 437). Later on, humans made further advancements in times like the Aurignacien period where they showed signs of their artistic ability in cave walls. It was also around this time that the next generation of humans, the Homo sapiens, hunted larger animals like the mammoths and the world population increased very quickly in size. (pg 439) 
Apart from many of their evolutionary features such as the ability to walk on two legs, loss of hair, and the discovery of the use of fire, one major difference that sets their apart from their ancestors is their ability to socialize. The fact that humans have become nicer to one another gives them a greater potential to survive in a world filled with hardships like disease and warfare (pg 433). I think this is the most important feature of all because it gives us a sense of morality that makes life a lot easier to deal with, even on a small scale. Furthermore, it gives me a sense of pride that humans have this sophistication of knowing right from wrong, a quality that isn't very common in other animals.