Consideration of What Is Often Called "the Fossil'evidence for Human Evolution"

The following pages are a section of a study unit which I prepared earlier for my biology students, and have occasionally revised since. The entire study unit lists and explains various evidences against biological aiacroevolution. The section no. 12 is an explanation of the so-called fossil evidence for human evolu tion. In this newly revised write-up, I have still retained the page numbers of the original study manual, beginning with p. 81. Page 82 has been recently ex panded into 82A, 82B, etc. The "Taxonomy Supplement" (p. 84) which is attached at the back should be read before reading the main part of this paper. (Taxonomy is the science of classifying animals, plants, and other organisms.) Notice that, biologically speaking, man is classified as being in the genus Homo (abbreviated H.). The fossils of human beings, and of apes and ape-like creatures which are thought to have been ancestors of the human race, are called "hominids." The term 1'anthropoids" is wore general, including both the modern apes and man, and the term "primates" is still more general, including lemurs, monkeys, apes, and man.