从化石记录看古人类起源和演化

古人类的起源及演化是一个极其复杂而远未解决的问题，目前掌握的重要化石材料包括：距今约5600万年的灵长类，约1700万年的人猿超科代表，620万年(?)-440万年的人科动物，以及约350万年(?)-200万年的古人类和人造石器等。中国是世界上古人类及与之演化相关的化石发现最多的国家之一，先后找到已知最早的高级灵长类——约4500万年前的曙猿化石，人猿超科的早期代表——l400万年和800万年前的古猿化石，240万年-200万年前的人造石器，200万年前的能人(?)化石，170万年前的直立人及28万年-20万年前的智人化石等。拟从迄今的化石记录人手勾勒出古人类起源及演化的大致轮廓。

The Fossil Records on Origin and Evolution of Human

Since 19 th century, anthropologists and paleontologists have been enthusiastically studying the origin and evolution of human. The fossil records include Carpolestes, closely related to Euprimates occurred 56 million years ago; Proconsul, anthropoid primate in 17 million years ago; Orrorin? or Ardipithropus, of Hominidae in 62(?)-4.4 million years ago, and Kenyanthropus? Australopithecus, Paranthropus? and Homo in 3.5(?)-2 million years ago etc. There are numerous fossil records in China, including Eosimias, an original anthropoid primate(occurred 45 million years ago) from Jiangsu and Shaanxi, Lufengopithecus, a primeval ape(14-8 million years ago) in Yunnan, man-made tools(2.4-2 million years ago) from Anhui, Wushan Homo habilis(?), an Asian human pioneer(2 million years ago) from Sichuan, Homo erectus, a early human(1.7-0.5 million years ago) in Yunnan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Beijing and Jiangsu etc., and Homo sapiens, the forebear of existent human(0.28-0.01 million years ago) in Liaoning, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Hubei etc. There are a number of clear trends, which were neither continuous nor uniform, from early pithecanthropus to recent humans; increasing brain size, body size, use of and sophistication in tool; decreasing tooth size, skeletal robustness. There are no clear dividing lines between some of the later gracile pithecanthropus and some of the early Homo. between erectus and archaic sapiens, or archaic sapiens and modern sapiens.