The image above illustrates several aspects of the evolution of the human face over 3.5 million years. Perhaps the most obvious trend visible from these three skulls is the emergence of a forehead, a development related to gradually increasing brain size. But along with that feature is a gradual change in the angle of the face from a backward sloping into a nearly perpendicular plane. The human face is rather like a sign board in this regard, and message-sending is one of its most important functions. The chin, which appears only with modern Homo sapiens sapiens, is less easy to account for. It may be a development associated with the emergence of language and speech, which required modification of the throat and mouth. Humans evolved a larger resonating column in the throat above the larynx. The human face, then, while part of our anatomy, our physical make-up, indicates a great deal about our way of life as a species. Our way of life is communal and interactive to a degree rare in other creatures. Complex acts of communication--the sending and interpreting of finely shaded and suble messages--are central to our way of life. While we are the only creature with a fully developed language, humans are also extraordinarily well equipped to send non-verbal messages.
The skulls above thus illustrate, in addition to increases in brain size, the gradual development of a complex social life as we evolved. The face provides additional evidence of our intensely social existence.
| Previous Page | Next Page | Phys. Char. | Long Foreground Home |