Evolution

How does Evolution work in Chordates?

• In chordates, especially vertebrates, evolution is a primary factor in aiding the movement and defense systems of such organisms.For this example, we will zoom into the evolution of humans, and how their evolution over time has helped their ability to move, as well as defending themselves. In human ancestors, it was about 6 million years ago when they first started to become bipedal. Becoming bipedal helped to make human ancestors more mobile. 2 million years later, a majority of human ancestors began to be both bipedal and were able to walk upright, allowing them to take advantage of more open areas. Today, humans of course are fully upright and are able to move by walking or running using two legs. As mentioned before, evolution also has an effect on defense. In humans, the increase in brain size throughout millions of years has helped make us smarter. Just for reference, the average braincase capacity for homo erectus, a human ancestor, was 1029, while homo sapiens of today have an average brain capacity of 1350. Increased brain size has helped us to defend ourselves through the development of advanced weapons and tools, militaries, and societies in general that function to protect and serve us; we have come quite a long way from stone tools. In all, our ability to protect ourselves not only coincides with our anatomy, but likewise in how our evolution has helped us to create numerous ways in which we defend ourselves.