230,000 years ago.Finally, our own species is encountered. Scientists have dated the earliest Homo sapiens fossils back 120,000 years. Our species showed an increase in skull capacity up to an average of 1350 cm3. The supra-orbital ridge is all but gone with modern humans, and other features seen in earlier Homos, such as the "keel" and the craneal ridges on the back are also gone. The cranium is more rounded, as opposed to the general "pentagon" shape seen in earlier hominids. Teeth size for modern humans shows a decrease in size from archaic Homo sapiens. Also, bone size shows a trend towards reduced robustness, with thinner bones and smaller jaws. From all the fossil evidence, a rough line can be drawn for human evolution, starting from A. afarensis and ending in H. sapiens. A clear progression of features, especially in the cranial region, can be seen. Features such as brain size are seen to have developed and increased from our earliest ancestors up until now, while other "non-essential" features, like a furry skin, a supra-orbital ridge, and large teeth, have diminished. This shows evolution of our species, from a more primitive creature, to our modern shape, which is highly adaptive, intelligent, and suited to any environment. In any meaningful sense evolution is a fact, but there are various theories concerning the mechanism of evolution. Is this how Life Really began? Did God created the perfect creature, a creature that evolves to suit its needs? ...
