The Human Face

Abstract

Where does the human face come from and how did it evolve? More than 300 million years ago, the features of eyes, nostrils, and a hinged jaw have combined to create a face. Starting with prehistoric tetrapod creatures such as the (late Devonian) fish Panderichthys and the amphibian Acanthostega, the head/face complex has continued to be present and change ever since. “When the human fetus is five and a half weeks old and shaped like a bean, there appear from the underside three outgrowths. These bronchial arches develop, in fish, into gills. In mammals, these buds of tissue merge and mix to form our forehead, face, and throat, with the second arch moving upward to form the face” (Cole, I998). As recounted by Cole, additional evolutionary changes that are responsible for the human face as we know it today include warm bloodedness that requires insulation and makes the skin softer, and a sense of vision that dominates over smell and touch and makes the eyes the center for the face. The facial hair went away and the jaws can now display face expressions. The new ways the food is ingested further shape and mold the facial bones, muscles, and the skull that harbors the human face.