The Cro-Magnon Man The earliest and the first true form of human beings were the Cro-magnons. It was in South Western France that excavations first revealed the remains of the Cro-magnon man. The scientific name given to this species was Homo Sapiens, Sapiens which meant ‘the very wise man’. Like the Neanderthals the Cro-magnons also lived in caves. In Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France, various cave paintings created by...

The Neanderthal Man Excavations have revealed remains of the Neanderthal man in Middle East and Africa. Around 70,000 years ago during the Ice age Europe was inhabited by the Neanderthal man. This is evidenced by the fact that the first remains of the Neanderthal man were found in the Neander valley in Germany in the year 1856. Subsequent to this remains were also found in various parts of Italy, Britain and...

Prehistoric Revolution Most of the other life forms and different types of animals developed much before the humans and some of them even became extinct before the humans came into being. Evolution of human beings began around 7,000,000 B.C. and continued till 1,50,000 B.C. when the first species of humans called Homo Erectus evolved. It is believed that this evolution took place probably in Africa. The first forms of humans were...

Savannahs Tropical grasslands in hot areas with scanty rainfall, are called Savannahs. The best example of these are the grasslands of Africa. Savannahs are mostly covered with oat-grass and a small number of Baobab and Acacia trees since this type of vegetation can survive in hot areas with seasonal rainfall. Trees are less in number because grazing animals cat the small shoots and as such too many trees do not develop....

Coniferous Forests The last Ice Age left behind it vast tracts of land below the Tundra in the Northern hemisphere where the soil became poor. This belt of land is today covered with coniferous forests because coniferous trees are capable of surviving in poor soil conditions. On the North American side the coniferous forests are called the ‘Boreal’ and the ‘Taiga’ on the European and Asian side. The American forests have...

The Oldest Trees In times like today when deforestation is continuing across the world it would be difficult to believe they we still have trees which are thousands of years old. However it is true that the Bristlecone pines found in the mountains of California are over 4000 years old. Till the end of the nineteenth century, scientists believed that the Giant Sequoias were the oldest trees till they discovered the...

Deciduous Forests Most of the broad leaved trees found in the northern hemisphere are called deciduous trees. Since winter is harsh in the northern hemisphere, these trees shed their leaves in the autumn months and conserve their food reserves and prevent loss of excessive water. Trees of this type are mostly found in the forests of North America, Europe and North Asia. This family of trees comprises of over 100 different...

Formation of Wood Probably the first use that man found for wood included burning it for heat or for shaping crude weapons. Today the uses of wood are unlimited and we would not be able to make many things including this book if it were not for wood. Wood comes from trees and trees grow from plants. The stem of a young plant contains vascular bundles in the shape of rings....