Sergio Almécija: "Fossil apes and human evolution"

Talk link: https://youtu.be/Sn8IRxJU-NI

Talk abstract: The most widespread textbook evolutionary scenario about the origins of the human lineage (the "hominins") relies on one form or another of the "East Side Story." This scenario, first presented in the 1990s, postulates that hominins originated from a chimpanzee-like creature as our ancestors ventured into the savannahs of eastern and southern Africa. However, the fossils uncovered over the last four decades inform us about essential aspects of ape and human evolution, including the nature of our last common ancestor, incompatible with the above narrative.