1) We define living taxonomic groups based on suites of shared derived features. But all creatures, living or extinct, have to fit into our…

1) We define living taxonomic groups based on suites of shared derived features. But all creatures, living or extinct, have to fit into our phylogenetic classification systems.

• What genus would you say is the earliest identifiable hominin and why?

2) The derived traits that separate use from our ape relatives presumably have an adaptive basis; different selection pressures were at work in shaping us. Anthropologists think that some key differences have to do with our ancestor’s ecology – the way they made their living.

• What are the key ecological differences between chimps and human foragers?