Anth 026 FINAL exam blackboard questions

australopithecus robustus skull vs. australopithecus boisei

-Boisei- has larger zygomatic arches, wider face (is even more robust). -Robustus- has slightly smaller zygomatic arches, narrower face (is slightly less robust).

tool forms associated with the oldowan tool industry

-Chopper: stone with flakes removed, used for heavy tasks like chopping -Flake: small pieces of stone removed from larger stone, used for fine cutting, etc.

Why have we been able to recover ancient DNA from a few Neanderthals but not from our other extinct relatives?

-Some Neanderthals died recently enough that their skeletons are not fully fossilized -The remains of our other extinct relatives are fully fossilized, so they lack DNA.

Features that decreases in size between the australopithecines and early members of the Homo genus.

-Teeth (especially premolars and molars) decrease in size -mandible and zygomatic arches decrease in size and robusticity -sagittal crest is lost.

Describe the bipedal adaptations that can be found in the femur.

-The femur angles medially to the knee -the femur overall is long. -Orrorin- the neck of the femur is long, and there is a groove on the femoral neck for the obturator externus muscle.

why do the pre-australopithecines force us to rethink the savanna hypothesis in particular.

-The pre-australopithecines were habitual bipeds (frequently bipedal with adaptations to support this), but they lived in forested environments (not savannas). -This contradicts the savanna hypothesis argument that bipedalism evolved as an adaptation for life in open grasslands.

Anatomically modern H. sapiens differ from the archaic form in having

1) A high, vertical forehead 2) a mental eminence 3) no occipital bun

australopithecus afarensis vs. homo erectus body structure

1) Australopithecus afarensis has shorter stature, longer arms for body size, wider rib cage, more flared pelvis, shorter femur and legs.(HABITUAL BIPEDIAL) 2) Homo erectus has taller stature, shorter arms for body size, narrow rib cage, bowl-shaped pelvis, longer femur and legs (MORE BIPEDAL)

homo neanderthalensis vs. homo sapien skull?

1) Neanderthalensis is more robust and has larger brows, larger nasal opening, larger cranial capacity, low cranium, and occipital bun 2) Sapien- is more gracile and has smaller brows, smaller nasal opening, vertical cranium with forehead, chin, and lack of occipital bun.

sexual dimorphism vs. adaptations

1) sexual dimorphism- minor differences in robusticity (like differences in male and female chimpanzees or gorillas) 2) Adaptations- differences are more substantial and may relate to different ecologies or diets.

When they were first found, Neandertals were depicted as stupid, hairy, knuckle-dragging brutes. Evidence that refutes this depiction includes

1) the limb positioning of the La-Chapelle-aux-Saints neadertal 2) the hyoid bone of the kebara neadertal 3) the 1740cc brain of the amud neadertal

Modern humans migrated into North America around

15,000 yBP.

As a group, the australopithecines lives around....

4-1 mya

the pre-australopithecines lived around...

7mya-4.4mya

South African Australopithecines

Au. africanus Au. robustus Au. sediba

East African Australoithecines

Au. anamensis Au. aethiopicus Au. afarensis Au. garhi Au. boisei

I lived around 2.5 mya in eastern Africa. I had a small cranial capacity (around 410 cc), large molars, large zygomatic arches, and a sagittal crest. What species am I?

Australopithecus (paranthropus) aethiopicus

Based on evidence from Gona, Ethiopia, who may be the first stone tool user?

Australopithecus garhi

what fossil species may have made the chopper?

Australopithecus garhi; Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo ergaster

what is the savanna hypothesis?

Bipedalism was selectively favored in our ancestors when savanna grasslands expanded and forests receded.

Tool use is unique to members of our own human lineage. (T/F)

False (also seen in numerous other apes and monkeys)

Mousterian tools are made from stone flakes that have an elongated, blade-like shape.

False (blades were part of the upper paleolithic technology developed later)

We know a lot about the brains of our extinct relatives because their brain tissue is regularly preserved through fossilization. (T/F)

False (brain made up of soft tissue that does not fossalize well)

Homo habilis vs. homo erectus skulls?

Habilis- has a smaller cranial capacity, shorter cranium, and it lacks an occipital torus. Erectus- has a larger cranial capacity, long cranium, larger brows, thicker bones, and an occipital torus.

which was the first species to live outside of Africa?

Homo erectus

I lived on a small Indonesian island around 18 kya. I used stone tools to hunt animals, but I had a very small cranial capacity (around 400 cc) and a very small body. What fossil species am I?

Homo floresiensis

I lived in Europe around 200 kya. I had a long and low cranium, a large cranial capacity (around 1300 cc), and a very small occipital torus. What fossil species am I?

Homo heidelbergensis

Species that made mousterian tools

Homo heidelbergensis Homo neanderthalensis

australopithecine vs. homo genus skulls?

Homo- has smaller face, smaller zygomatic arches, and smaller teeth; lacks sagittal crest. Australopithecine- has wider face, larger zygomatic arches, larger teeth; has sagittal crest.

How is the human pelvis different from the pelvis of a nonbipedal primate?

Humans have short, broad ilia and a bowl-shaped pelvis. Other primates have tall, narrow ilia and a flatter pelvis.

The human S-shaped vertebral column is formed by two curves. Describe where these two curves are located.

In humans, the locations of the two vertebral curves are as follows: (1) the dorsal, convex curve in the thoracic region and (2) the ventral, convex curve in the lumbar region.

Evidence that ancient hominins practiced cannibalism comes from

Krapina, Croatia Gran dolina, Spain Moula-Guercy, France

Which of the following adaptations for bipedalism is not known to be present in the available pre-australopithecine fossils?

S-shaped vertebral column

why does s-shaped vertebral indicate bipedalism?

The S-shaped vertebral column helps to balance the upper body over the lower body (particularly the hip joint). The larger lumbar vertebrae help bear the weight of the upper body.

why does an angled and long femur indicate bipedalism?

The angled femur centers the knee under the body. This provides better stability and balance while walking bipedally (especially when balancing on one leg during each step). The elongated femur reflects the emphasis on the legs and changes in the leg function and musculature.

what does smaller pelvis indicate bipedalism?

The shortening, broadening, and lateral position of the ilia provide attachment areas for the biped's gluteal muscles. These muscles function differently in bipeds, so they have a different shape and different attachment needs.

Some researchers argue the robust australopithecines should be classified in a separate genus called Paranthropus. (T/F)

True

in a biped, the foramen magnum is positioned more anteriorly at the base of the skull (T/F)

True

The fossil individual nicknamed Lucy was...

a habitual biped

The "Hobbit" skeleton found on the Indonesian island of Flores has been interpreted as

a new species based on the morphology of the wrist bones

compared to neanderthals, early humans had...

a taller cranium and more vertical forehead (not a more limited diet emphasizing large game animals, more physical adaptations for living in a cold climate, or a more pronounced occipital bun).

which tool technology does a handaxe belong to?

archeulean (homo erectus or homo hedelbergensis)

I lived about 4.4 mya in eastern Africa. I had long arms and fingers and a relatively short, broad pelvis.

ardipithecus ramidus

the oldest australopithecine is....

australopithecus anamensis

Fossils found in a cave at Gran Dolina, Spain, show evidence of

cannibalism

Neandertal remains from Shanidar cave in northern Iraq provide the first evidence of

cannibalism

one of the tools of modern humans in the americas was

folsom fluted point

The Multiregional Continuity model of the origin of modern humans states that

gene flow is the key to evolution, turning archaic H. sapiens into modern humans in various parts of the world.

which tool indicates that h. sapiens began eating a new type of food?

harpoon

Which Homo species has the largest average cranial capacity?

homo neanderthalensis

The earliest modern humans in Australia, dating to 50 - 40,000 yBP, were found at

lake mungo

physical adaptations neanderthals had for life in a cold climate

large nasal opening; short and stocky body; robusticity.

The Assimilation model of the origin of modern humans states that

modern humans evolved in Africa and spread to Europe and Asia, where they interbred with Neandertals.

A valid critique of the Multiregional Continuity model of the origin of modern humans can be found in the fossil record, which shows that

modern variation originated in Africa based on the herto skeleton

the kind of bipedalism practiced by a living chimpanzee is called....

occasional bipedalism

what tool technology does the chopper belong to?

oldawan

older vs. newer fossil of skull

older- large zygomatic arches, flared face; has sagittal crest.

I lived about 6 mya in eastern Africa. My femurs had long necks with grooves for my obturator externus muscles

orrorin tugenesis

According to Larsen, early modern humans moved into North and South America because of

population increase competition for food climate change

I lived about 7-6 mya in central Africa. I had a small cranial capacity, large brow ridge, and anteriorly positioned foramen magnum.

sahelanthropus tchadensis

bipedal foot look like?

short toes and a large, nondivergent hallux- provide better push-off and support during bipedal locomotion.

what is a heritable trait often found in East Asians and their descendants

shovel-shaped incisors

The Out of Africa model of modern human origins states that modern humans

spread from Africa and replaced all other populations with no gene flow.

A valid critique of the Out of Africa model of human evolution based on recent research is that

there was gene flow between neadertals and anatomically modern homo sapiens

Some researchers consider the African members of Homo erectus to be a separate species called Homo ergaster (T/F)

true

which tool technology does a blade belong to?

upper paleolithic (ex/ homo sapiencs)

Modern humans likely migrated to the Americas via

walking across the Bering land bridge.