Human Origins Weeks 4-7
The hominin footprints at Laetoli preserve evidence of which of the following?
A human like foot adapted to bipedalism
The first Australopithecus afarensis fossil found at Hadar was which of the following?
A knee joint correct
Ngaloba, Laetoli area (Tanzania)
A nearly complete skull (LH 18) was found in Upper Ngaloba Beds. Its morphology is largely modern, yet it retains some archaic features such as prominent brow ridges and a receding forehead. Dated at about 120,000 years ago.
Which of the following best describes an evolutionary lineage?
A sequence of species that form a line of descent. Each new species is the direct result of speciation from an immediate ancestral species. correct
Taxonomy
A taxonomy or classification is an arrangement of plants and animals into hierarchical categories. Using a taxonomy, scientists are able to classify living beings according to characteristcs they share in common.
Australopithecus aethiopicus
A. aethiopicus existed between 2.6 and 2.3 million years ago. Species known mainly from one major specimen: the Black Skull (KNM-WT 17000) discovered at Lake Turkana. It may be ancestor of P. robustus and P. boisei, but it has a baffling mixture of primitive and advanced traits: Brain size is very small (410 cc) and parts of the skull (particularly the hind portions) are very primitive, most resembling A. afarensis; Other characteristics, like massiveness of face, jaws and largest sagittal crest in any known hominid, are more reminiscent of P. boisei.
Lee Berger
Berger and his colleagues provide the initial description and context for two fossil specimens recovered from the Malapa site in the Cradle of Humankind, just outside of Krugersdorp, South Africa. The skeletons are securely dated to between 1.95 and 1.78 million years ago, placing them at a critical juncture of human evolution; around the time of the first appearance of the genus Homo. The bones are well preserved and were in a state of semi-articulation at discovery, demonstrating no sign of scavenger activity. -The skeletons are securely dated to between 1.95 and 1.78 million years ago
Did homo Habilis use stone tools?
Homo habilis is thought to have mastered the Lower Paleolithic Olduwan tool set which used stone flakes. H. habilis used these stones to butcher animals and to skin the animals. These stone flakes were more advanced than any tools previously used, and gave H. habilis the edge it needed to prosper in hostile environments previously too formidable for primates. Whether H. habilis was the first hominid to master stone tool technology remains controversial, as Australopithecus garhi, dated to 2.6 million years ago, has been found along with stone tool implements.
Homo Habilis
Homo habilis was not an 'easy sell' to the palaeoanthropological community. Some scientists rejected the taxon because they felt it was unnecessary; there was simply not enough difference between the specimens of H. habilis and those of Au. africanus to warrant a new species -However, Berger and his colleagues have suggested that some of the specimens placed into H. habilis, such as the Sterkfontein skull Stw 53 and the Olduvai post-cranial set OH 62, are more like their discovery and less like Homo. This will certainly open up the whole H. habilis argument once again.
The "Creative Explosion" is attributed to which of the following species?
Homo sapiens.
What did Leakey's discover?
Leakey dug at Olduvai two decades without finding anything especially significant, except animal fossils and flit tools, which on the other hand provided important evidence of human habitation.
Lucy
Lucy is an Australopithecus afarensis. This fossil was discovered by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray in 1974 at Hadar in Ethiopia. It is estimated to be 3.2 million years old.
In posterior view (viewed from behind), the cranium of Homo erectus has which of the following features?
Maximum breadth at a low point (at the temporal bones) correct
In 2012, new Homo rudolfensis fossils were found in Kenya by a research team led by:
Meave Leakey
OH24
OH 24 (Twiggy) is a roughly deformed cranium about 1.8 million years old discovered in October 1968 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. The brain volume is just under 600 cm³; also a reduction in a protruding face is present compared to members of more primitive australopithecines.
OH7
OH 7 dates to 1.75 million years old, and was discovered by Mary and Louis Leakey on November 4, 1960 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. It is a lower jaw complete with teeth; due to the size of the small teeth, researchers estimate this juvenile individual had a brain volume of 363 cm³. Also found were more than 20 fragments of the left hand. Tobias and Napier assisted in classifying OH 7 as the type fossil.
OH62
One set of fossil remains (OH 62), discovered by Donald Johanson and Tim White in Olduvai Gorge in 1986, included the important upper and lower limbs. Their finding stimulated some debate at the time.
Asian Homo erectus
Specimens of H. erectus from Eastern Asia differ morphologically from African specimens: features are more exaggerated; skull is thicker, brow ridges are more pronounced, sides of skull slope more steeply, the sagittal crest is more exaggerated; Asian forms do not show the increase in cranial capacity. As a consequence of these features, they are less like humans than the African forms of H. erectus. Paleoanthropologists who study extinct populations are forced to decide whether there was one species or two based on morphological traits alone. They must ask whether eastern and western forms are as different from each other as typical species. If systematics finally agree that eastern and western populations of H. erectus are distinct species, then the eastern Asian form will keep the name H. erectus. The western forms have been given a new name: Homo ergaster (means "work man") and was first applied to a very old specimen from East Turkana in East Africa.
Homo Habilis
The Homo habilis lived about two million years ago. Like modern humans, they belong to the genus Homo which derives from the Latin word for "man." But they are of the species habilis, not sapiens. Homo habilis translates as handy man. Homo sapiens translates as "wise man."
Hunters or scavengers?
The archaeological evidence indicates that Oldowan hominids ate meat. They processed the carcasses of large animals, and we assume that they ate the meat they cut from the bones. Meat-eating animals can acquire meat in several different ways: • stealing kills made by other animals; • by opportunistically exploiting the carcasses of animals that die naturally; • by hunting or capturing prey themselves.
Why is Oldavai Gorge so important?
The gorge, therefore, is a great source of Palaeolithic remains as well as a key site providing evidence of human evolutionary development. This is one of the main reasons that drew Louis and Mary Leakey back year after year at Olduvai Gorge. -Among the finds are assemblages of stone tools dated to between 2.2 Myrs and 620,000 years ago. These were found little disturbed from when they were left, together with the bones of now-extinct animals that provided food.
OH5
The reading states that OH5 was dated to be 1.75 million years old using Carbon 14 dating. The date was actually determined using potassium-argon dating.
Preconsul Africanus
The reading states that the Proconsul africanus skull found by Mary Leakey in 1948 was 1.6 million years old. The correct age of the skull of this Miocene ape is about 17 million years old.
True or false? Although it has a smaller birth canal and more flaring blades, Lucy's pelvis is more similar to a human pelvis than it is to a chimpanzee pelvis.
True
True or false? All Homo sapiens share a common ancestry in Africa
True!!
True or false? Animals are commonly represented in Upper Paleolithic art.
True!!
True or false? The Regional-Continuity model of modern human origins proposes that Homo erectus in different parts of the world evolved independently into modern Homo sapiens.
True!!
True or false? Neandertals took care of the old and disabled.
True.
The presence of which molar (and the absence of other molars) indicated that the Taung child was not an adult?
adult 1st molar.
Which of the following is a bony ridge running front to back that protrudes out of the top of the skull in some Australopithecus species?
saggiatal crest.
Compared with other Homo erectus specimens, is average brain size larger or smaller in Homo erectus from Georgia (also known as Homo georgicus)?
smaller!
Sterkfontein and which of the following are fossil hominin localities in South Africa?
swartkrans
A prime example of human symbolic expression is the cave at Lascaux, France, which contains cave art dated to how many years ago?
17,000 years ago.
Mary Leakey
1948 she made their first big find, the skull of an ape called Proconsul africanus at Lake Victoria in Kenya. The remains of this 1.6-million-year-old distant human ancestor provided weight to the theory, that humans had originated in Africa, rather than in Asian. -During her excavation at Laetoli, about 30 miles south of Olduvai, Mary Leakey found in 1978 fossilized hominid footprints.
Lineage of species
An evolutionary lineage is a sequence of species, that form a line of descent, each new species the direct result of speciation from an immediate ancestral species. Lineages are subsets of the evolutionary tree of life. Lineages are often determined by the techniques of molecular systematics.
Homo heidelbergensis
Archaic forms of Homo sapiens first appeared in Europe about 500,000 years ago (until about 200,000 years ago) and are called Homo heidelbergensis. Found in various places in Europe, Africa and maybe Asia. This species covers a diverse group of skulls which have features of both Homo erectus and modern humans.
In Africa, Homo erectus/ergaster is typically associated with which type of tool industry?
Archeulean
Louis Leakey
As a conservationist, Louis Leakey was active in promoting game preserves in East Africa. His interests and writings were wide, including all aspects of African natural history, primate behaviour and the origins of man. In the 1960s, Leakey devoted much of his time to the Centre for Prehistory and Paleontology in Nairobi. In 1978 Mary Leakey found a trail of clear ancient hominid footprints of two adults and a child - some 3.5 million years old - impressed and preserved in volcanic ash from a site in Tanzania called Laetoli. They belonged to a new hominid species, best represented by the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton, which was found at Hadar, Ethiopia, by Donald Johanson .
Louis Leakey
As a conservationist, Louis Leakey was active in promoting game preserves in East Africa. His interests and writings were wide, including all aspects of African natural history, primate behaviour and the origins of man. In the 1960s, Leakey devoted much of his time to the Centre for Prehistory and Paleontology in Nairobi. Among Leakey's academic protegees were Dian Fossey, who studied mountain gorillas, and Jane Goodall, who became famous for her studies of the behavior of chimpanzees. Leakey stayed long periods at the London home of Vanne Goodall, Jane Goodall's mother.
The Laetoli footprints are evidence that which of the following species was bipedal?
Australopithecus afarensis
The "First Family" collection from A.L. 333 comprises many hominin individuals who experienced a similar death. These fossils are attributed to which of the following species?
Australopithecus afarensis correct
ustralopithecus afarensis is the likely ancestor of which of the following sets of taxa?
Australopithecus boisei, A. garhi, and Homo
What did Berger discover?
Berger and his colleagues have considered the anatomy of their find and have come to the conclusion that it represents a new species that they have named Australopithecus sediba
A typical Acheulean handaxe is which of the following?
Bifacial (i.e., having a cutting edge on two sides) correct
Who of the following is a famous primatologist that was inspired by LSB Leakey and worked with gorillas?
Dian Fossey.
Which of the following researchers discovered hominin fossils in Indonesia, on the island of Java, in the 19th century, and called them "Pithecanthropus erectus"?
Eugene Dubois
Who was the first person to find Homo erectus fossils?
Eugene Dubois
Australopithecus afarensis
Existed between 3.9 and 3.0 million years ago. A. afarensis had an apelike face with a low forehead, a bony ridge over the eyes, a flat nose, and no chin. They had protruding jaws with large back teeth. Cranial capacity: 375 to 550 cc. Skull is similar to chimpanzee, except for more human-like teeth. Canine teeth are much smaller than modern apes, but larger and more pointed than humans, and shape of the jaw is between rectangular shape of apes and parabolic shape of humans. Pelvis and leg bones far more closely resemble those of modern humans, and leave no doubt that they were bipedal. Bones show that they were physically very strong. Females were substantially smaller than males, a condition known as sexual dimorphism. Height varied between about 107 cm (3'6") and 152 cm (5'0"). Finger and toe bones are curved and proportionally longer than in humans, but hands are similar to humans in most other details.
True or False? Both Acheulean and Oldowan tool industries have been found at Olduvai Gorge.
False!!
Australopithecus afarensis fossils exhibit very little variation in size.
False.
True or false? Paleoanthropologists do not know if Lucy was a short adult or a child when she died.
False.
True or false? Richard Leakey discovered "Zinj" (OH5)
False.
True or false? Upper Paleolithic modern humans were poor hunters.
False.
Homo habilis
H. habilis ("handy man") H. habilis existed between 2.4 and 1.5 million years ago. It is very similar to australopithecines in many ways. The face is still primitive, but it projects less than in A. africanus. The back teeth are smaller, but still considerably larger than in modern humans. The average brain size, at 650 cc, larger than in australopithecines. Brain size varies between 500 and 800 cc, overlapping the australopithecines at the low end and H. erectus at the high end. The brain shape is also more humanlike. H. habilis is thought to have been about 127 cm (5'0") tall, and about 45 kg (100 lb) in weight, although females may have been smaller.
When Professor Johanson and his team were working in Ethiopia in the 1970s, they discovered the remains of Lucy at which of the following fossil sites in the Afar Triangle?
Hadar
Lasting from about 1.9 million years ago to as recently as 50,000 years ago, which of the following species were the longest-lived hominin species?
Homo Erectus.
A very fragmented partial skeleton (OH 62) was discovered by Dr. Johanson at Olduvai Gorge in the 1980s. This specimen was assigned to which of the following species?
Homo Habilis
Jonathan Leakey discovered....
Homo Habilis -The Leakeys claimed that Homo habilis had walked upright and viewed it as a direct ancestor of modern humans. It had a brain almost 50 percent larger than that of theAustralopithicenes. "Until then the idea that two hominids could occupy the same area at the same time had been unacceptable to most scientists," Mary Leakey wrote in Disclosing the Past(1984). Also evidence of human habitation in California, more than 50 000 years, old was found.
When Homo sapiens first moved into Europe they met which of the following species?
Homo Neanderthalensis.
Mobiliary/portable art is associated with which of the following species?
Homo Sapiens
Fossils from the Gran Dolina layer of Atapuerca, Spain belong to which of the following species?
Homo antecessor
Sinanthropus pekinensis was a name once used for fossils currently known as which of the following?
Homo erectus.
Stage of Homo Habilis
Homo habilis is a species of the tribe Hominini, during the Gelasian and early Calabrian stages of the Pleistocene period, between roughly 2.8 and 1.5 million years ago.
Which of the following species is the probable direct ancestor of Neandertals?
Homo heidelbergensis
The Mousterian culture is associated with:
Homo neanderthalensis
The adult male, female, and child skeletons at Cro-Magnon are evidence that which of the following species buried their dead approximately 40,000 years ago?
Homo sapiens.
Which of the following species is associated with the production of Venus figurines?
Homo sapiens.
Hominoid classifications
Humans and apes are both in the Hominid family. As hominids, we share many physical similarities in bones, back teeth and shoulder muscles. Neither the apes nor the humans have tails and we all walk on two feet .
Omo-Kibish
Important note regarding the dating of Omo-Kibish fossils: Current estimates age the Omo-Kibish Homo sapiens fossils at 195,000 years old. These are the oldest Homo sapiens fossils found to date.
Ernst Haeckel
In 1866, German biologist Ernst Haeckel had proposed the generic name "Pithecanthropus" for a hypothetical missing link between apes and humans.
Mary Leakey
In 1978 Mary Leakey found a trail of clear ancient hominid footprints of two adults and a child - some 3.5 million years old - impressed and preserved in volcanic ash from a site in Tanzania called Laetoli. They belonged to a new hominid species, best represented by the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton, which was found at Hadar, Ethiopia, by Donald Johanson . "It is tempting to see them as a man, a woman and a child," Mary Leakey later wrote. The Lucy skeleton on the other hand arose a bitter debate. Mary and Richard Leakey criticized Donald Johanson for proclaiming a new species too hastily - the fossils could be a mix of several different species.
Herto (Middle Awash, Ethiopia)
In June 2003, publication of hominid remains of a new subspecies: Homo sapiens idaltu. Three skulls (two adults, one juvenile) are interpreted as the earliest near-modern humans: 160,000-154,000 BP. They exhibit some modern traits (very large cranium; high, round skull; flat face without browridge), but also retain archaic features (heavy browridge; widely spaced eyes). Their anatomy and antiquity link earlier archaic African forms to later fully modern ones, providing strong evidence that East Africa was the birthplace of Homo sapiens.
Eugene Dubois
In late 19th century, Dutch anatomist Eugene Dubois was on the Indonesian island of Java, searching for human fossils. In the fall of 1891, he encountered the now famous Trinil skull cap. The following year his crew uncovered a femur, a left thigh bone, very similar to that of modern humans. He was convinced he had discovered an erect, apelike transitional form between apes and humans. In 1894, he decided to call his fossil species Pithecanthropus erectus. Dubois found no additional human fossils and he returned to the Netherlands in 1895.
Australopithecus garhi
It has an apelike face in the lower part, with a protruding jaw resembling that of A. afarensis. The large size of the palate and teeth suggests that it is a male, with a small braincase of about 450 cc. It is like no other hominid species and is clearly not a robust form. In a few dental traits, such as the shape of the premolar and the size ratio of the canine teeth to the molars, A. garhi resembles specimens of early Homo. But its molars are huge, even larger than the A. robustus average. Among skeletal finds recovered, femur is relatively long, like that of modern humans. But forearm is long too, a condition found in apes and other australopithecines but not in humans.
KNM ER 1805
KNM ER 1805 is a specimen of an adult H. habilis made of three pieces of cranium dating to 1.74 million years old from Koobi Fora, Kenya. Previous assumptions were that this specimen belongs to H. erectus based on the degree of prognathism and overall cranial shape.
The first fossils of Australopithecus anamensis were discovered in:
Kenya
How old is Lucy?
Lucy is an Australopithecus afarensis. This fossil was discovered by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray in 1974 at Hadar in Ethiopia. It is estimated to be 3.2 million years old.
Homo antecessor
Named in 1997 from fossils (juvenile specimen) found in Atapuerca (Spain). Dated to at least 780,000 years ago, it makes these fossils the oldest confirmed European hominids. Mid-facial area of antecessor seems very modern, but other parts of skull (e.g., teeth, forehead and browridges) are much more primitive. Fossils assigned to new species on grounds that they exhibit unknown combination of traits: they are less derived in the Neanderthal direction than later mid-Quaternary European specimens assigned to Homo heidelbergensis.
Kenyanthropus platyops ("flat-faced man of Kenya")
Named in 2001 from partial skull found in Kenya. Dated to about 3.5 million years ago. Fossils show unusual mixture of features: size of skull is similar to A. afarensis and A. africanus, and has a large, flat face and small teeth.
Australopithecus anamensis
Named in August 1995 from fossils from Kanapoi and Allia Bay in Kenya. Dated between 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago. Fossils show mixture of primitive features in the skull, and advanced features in the body: Teeth and jaws are very similar to those of older fossil apes; Partial tibia is strong evidence of bipedality, and lower humerus (the upper arm bone) is extremely humanlike.
Orrorin tugenensis
Named in July 2001; fossils discovered in western Kenya. Deposits dated to about 6 million years ago. Fossils include fragmentary arm and thigh bones, lower jaws, and teeth: Limb bones are about 1.5 times larger than those of Lucy, and suggest that it was about the size of a female chimpanzee. Its finders claimed that Orrorin was a human ancestor adapted to both bipedality and tree climbing, and that the australopithecines are an extinct offshoot.
Neanderthal Skull
Neanderthal skull has a low forehead, prominent brow ridges and occipital bones. It is long and low, but relatively thin walled. The back of the skull has a characteristic rounded bulge, and does not come to a point at the back.
"OH5"
OH5 was dated to be 1.75 million years old using Carbon 14 dating. The date was actually determined using potassium-argon dating.
Oldavai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge, or Oldupai Gorge, in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world; it has proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. A steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches across East Africa, it is about 48 km (30 mi) long, and is located in the eastern Serengeti Plains in the Arusha Region not far, about 45 km, from Laetoli, another important archaeological site of early human occupation. The British/Kenyan paleoanthropologist-archeologist team Mary and Louis Leakey established and developed the excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge which achieved great advances of human knowledge and world-renown status. -Homo habilis, probably the first early human species, occupied Olduvai Gorge approximately 1.9 million years ago (mya); then came a contemporary australopithecine, Paranthropus boisei, 1.8 mya, and then Homo erectus, 1.2 mya. Homo sapiens is dated to have occupied the site 17,000 years ago.
Paranthropus boisei
P. boisei existed between 2.2 and 1.3 million years ago. Similar to P. robustus, but face and cheek teeth were even more massive, some molars being up to 2 cm across. Brain size is very similar to P. robustus, about 530 cc. A few experts consider P. boisei and P. robustus to be variants of the same species.
Paranthropus robustus
P. robustus had a body similar to that of A. africanus, but a larger and more robust skull and teeth. It existed between 2 and 1.5 million years ago. The massive face is flat, with large brow ridges and no forehead. It has relatively small front teeth, but massive grinding teeth in a large lower jaw. Most specimens have sagittal crests. Its diet would have been mostly coarse, tough food that needed a lot of chewing. The average brain size is about 530 cc. Bones excavated with P. robustus skeletons indicate that they may have been used as digging tools. Australopithecus aethiopicus, Paranthropus robustus and P. boisei are known as robust australopithecines, because their skulls in particular are more heavily built.
Ardipithecus ramidus
Recent discovery announced in Sept. 1994. Dated 4.4 million years ago. Most remains are skull fragments. Indirect evidence suggests that it was possibly bipedal, and that some individuals were about 122 cm (4'0") tall; Teeth are intermediate between those of earlier apes and Austalopithecus afarensis.
One of Louis and Mary Leakey's first discoveries at Olduvai Gorge, Zinjanthropus bosei, was what kind of hominin?
Robust Australopithecus correct
The A.L. 666 maxilla found at Hadar in 1994 resembles Homo in which of the following features?
Rounded dental arch and deep palate.
Homo georgicus
Specimens recovered recently exhibit characteristic H. erectus features: sagittal crest, marked constriction of the skull behind the eyes. But they are also extremely different in several ways, resembling H. habilis: small brain size (600 cc); prominent browridge; projection of the face; rounded contour of the rear of skull; huge canine teeth. Some researchers propose that these fossils might represent a new species of Homo: H. georgicus.
Olduvai Gorge is located on the edge of which of the following?
The Serengeti!
The large nasal apertures of Neandertals may have been used for which of the following purposes?
To warm cold air correct
True or false.Homo erectus/ergaster is the first species in the genus Homo to have a "modern" body plan (human like stature and limb proportions).
True!
True or false? Australopithecus sediba shares features with Australopithecus and with Homo.
True!
True or false? Female figurines of the Upper Paleolithic Gravettian culture are found in widespread distribution across Europe and Russia.
True!
True or false? Homo rudolfensis is characterized by an absence of the brow ridge.
True!
True or false? Louis Leakey excavated at Olduvai Gorge for two decades without recovering anything significant.
True!
True or false? The earliest (oldest) stone tools, found at Lomekwi, Kenya, pre-date the earliest known Homo.
True!
True or false? The encephalization quotient describes brain size relative to body size.
True!
True or false? The genus Homo generally has larger brow ridges than the genus Australopithecus.
True!
True or false? The genus Homo is characterized by a general increase in brain size over time.
True!
True or false? The specimen, known as the Black Skull , or KNM-WT 17000, is 2.5 million years old and was discovered in Kenya.
True!
The first recognized human ancestors were Neandertals.
True!!
True or false? The brain size of some Neandertal specimens exceeds the size of modern human brains.
True.
Meat Eating
Until about 2.5 million years ago, early hominids lived on foods that could be picked or gathered: plants, fruits, invertebrate animals such as ants and termites, and even occasional pieces of meat (perhaps hunted in the same manner as chimpanzees do today). After 2.5 million years ago, meat seems to become more important in early hominids' diet. Evolving hominids' new interest in meat is of major importance in paleoanthropology.
The Upper Paleolithic is characterized by:
blade technology.
As the brain of Homo got bigger, what happened to the gut size and the size of other organs? Were they increased or decreased?
decreased.
Currently, the most ancient Homo sapiens fossils date to 195,000 years ago and are from Omo Kibish in the Omo River valley, which is in which of the following regions of the world?
east africa
An imprint of the braincase, such as the one found along with the Taung child fossil, is called which of the following?
endocast
True or false? Australopithecus boisei was probably a carnivore.
false!
True or false? The earliest (oldest) evidence of the genus Homo in the hominin fossil record is 2.2 million years old.
false!
True or false? Australopithecus robustus has thin enamel.
false.
The SK 54 Australopithecus robustus cranium shows evidence of which of the following?
leopard canine marks.
What type of bones on the faces of early Homo project more than those of Australopithecus?
nasal bones.
The Shungura Formation is largely made up of river sediments. As a result the fossils found at this site are which of the following?
poorly preserved
Cutmarks found on fossilized hominin bones from the middle Pleistocene of Bodo, Ethiopia are often used as evidence of what?
potential cannibalism
Are the incisors of Australopithecus robustus enlarged or reduced in size compared to Australopithecus africanus?
reduced
Hominin
refer to humans and our closest bipedal relatives.
Fossil remains of Australopithecus sediba were discovered in:
south africa
The Laetoli footprints were preserved because they were covered with ___________ followed by light rain.
volcanic ash
Homo antecessor is a 780, 000 year old hominin found at which of the following sites?
Gran Dolina, Spain.
Homo Heidelbergenesis
Homo heidelbergensis - sometimes called Homo rhodesiensis - is an extinct species of the genus Homo which lived in Africa, Europe and western Asia between 600 and 200 thousand years ago. Its brain was nearly as large as that of a modern Homo sapiens. First discovered near Heidelberg in Germany in 1907, it was described and named by Otto Schoetensack.
The trend in brain size during hominin evolution is best described as which of the following?
Steady increase for the first 3 million years with a rapid increase over the last 500, 000 years correct
Middle Paleolithic
The time period between 250,000 and 50,000 years ago is commonly called the Middle Paleolithic.
MH1 & MH2
The two skeletons are not quite complete. The first, designated MH1, a juvenile approximately 12-13 human years at death, is represented by about 40% of the skeleton, which includes much of the cranium and mandible. The second, MH2, is an adult, but has fewer bones preserved and is missing its cranium. The percentage preservation of MH1 is about the same as the partial skeleton 'Lucy' from Hadar in Ethiopia (AL 288-1), but less than the Nariokotome boy (KMN-WT 15000) from Kenya and, the almost complete but still to be excavated, 'Little Foot' skeleton from Sterkfontein (Stw 573)
True or false? At the time of its discovery, many scientists, including Sir Arthur Keith, did not accept that the Taung child was a fossil of a human ancestor.
True
The jaw anatomy of Paranthropus or Australopithecus boisei suggests it relied on a diet of hard foods, such as nuts and seeds.
True!
Which of the following trait was NOT present in the Taung baby?
ape-like brow ridge.
Homoheidelbergenesis features:
brain size is larger than erectus and smaller than most modern humans: averaging about 1200 cc; skull is more rounded than in erectus; still large brow ridges and receding foreheads; skeleton and teeth are usually less robust than erectus, but more robust than modern humans; mandible is human-like, but massive and chinless; shows expansion of molar cavities and very long cheek tooth row, which implies a long, forwardly projecting face. Fossils could represent a population near the common ancestry of Neanderthals and modern humans.
Franz Weidenreich is known for his study of which of the following species?
homo erectus.
Thanks to the work of Franz Weidenreich, paleoanthropologists have descriptions of Chinese fossils lost during WWII -- fossils now attributed to the which of the following species?
homo erectus.
Homo rudolfensis (also Australopithecus rudolfensis)
is an extinct species of the Hominini tribe known only through a handful of representative fossils, the first of which was discovered by Bernard Ngeneo, a member of a team led by anthropologist Richard Leakey and zoologist Meave Leakey in 1972, at Koobi Fora on the east side of Lake Rudolf (now Lake Turkana) in Kenya.
Which of the following is true about Australopithecus robustus?
it had a saggital crest!!
Which of the following is true about Australopithecus africanus?
it had no saggital crest!!
Paranthropus or Australopithecus boisei had much _____________ molar teeth than modern humans.
larger
Homo heidelbergensis is characterized by which of the following when compared to earlier hominins?
larger, more rounded cranium and double-arched brow ridges
A short, broad body shape helps to ______ heat, which is useful in _____ environments.
retain: cold correct
Symbolic expression in the form of cave painting is a modern human behavior that may date as far back as which of the following?
40, 000 years ago correct
Which of the following is the best age estimate for the common ancestor of all modern humans based on genetic evidence,?
200,000 years ago
The human variant of FOXP2, one of the genes implicated in symbolic language, likely arose around
200,000 years ago.
The Australopithecus afarensis fossil known as "Lucy" is which of the following?
3.2 million years old correct
Homo Habilis vs. Homo rudolfensis
-Comparisons between fossil OH 24, recognized as a Homo habilis skull discovered by Peter Nzube, along with the female H. habilis fossil KNM ER 1813, and KNM-ER 1470 (male) have brought much controversy as to whether H. rudolfensis and H. habilis should be classified as two separate species or lumped together into H. habilis. -When compared to other older H. habilis fossils like OH 24, the mandible and jaw of ER 1470 do not fit within the limits of variation of H. habilis. KNM-ER 1470 displays less prognathism and a rounder brain case. After much debate, but no clear settlement, fossil KNM ER 1813 was found in 1973 by Kamoya Kimeu, which helped settle some disputes regarding the H. habilis and H. rudolfensis species. When compared to ER 1813, ER 1470 manifests a larger braincase ranging from 750-800ml. -Even if sexual dimorphism were considered, the size difference in the mandible and teeth would be too great compared to KNM-ER 1813. Fossil KNM-ER 1470, a male H. rudolfensis, has massive teeth in comparison to the female H. habilis fossil KNM-ER 1813 and portrays a much larger brain case than KNM-ER 1813.
Characteristics of Homo Habilis
-However in 1959, Mary Leakey recovered the cranium of a young adult which had: a small brain, large face, tiny canines and massive chewing teeth (which earned it the nickname of "The Nutcracker man"). -H. habilis was short and had disproportionately long arms compared to modern humans; however, it had a less protruding face than the australopithecines from which it is thought to have descended. H. habilis had a cranial capacity slightly less than half of the size of modern humans. Despite the ape-like morphology of the bodies, H. habilis remains are often accompanied by primitive stone tools (e.g. Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and Lake Turkana, Kenya). -Homo habilis has often been thought to be the ancestor of the more gracile and sophisticated Homo ergaster, which in turn gave rise to the more human-appearing species, Homo erectus.
Physical features of neanderthals:
Cranial capacity is relatively large, ranging from 1,245 to 1,740 cc and averaging about 1,520 cc. It overlaps or even exceeds average for Homo sapiens sapiens. The robust face with a broad nasal region projects out from the braincase. By contrast, the face of modern Homo sapiens sapiens is tucked under the brain box, the forehead is high, the occipital region rounded, and the chin prominent. Neanderthals have small back teeth (molars), but incisors are relatively large and show very heavy wear. Neanderthal short legs and arms are characteristic of a body type that conserves heat. They were strong, rugged and built for cold weather. Large elbow, hip, knee joints, and robust bones suggest great muscularity. Pelvis had longer and thinner pubic bone than modern humans. All adult skeletons exhibit some kind of disease or injury. Healed fractures and severe arthritis show that they had a hard life, and individuals rarely lived past 40 years old.
Paranthropus boisei
First discovered by anthropologist Mary Leakey on July 17, 1959, at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, the well-preserved cranium (nicknamed "Nutcracker Man") was dated to 1.75 million years old and had characteristics distinctive of the robust australopithecines. -Paranthropus boisei (as the species was eventually categorized) proved to be a treasure especially when the anthropologists' son Richard Leakey considered it to be the first hominin species to use stone tools. -It had a skull highly specialized for heavy chewing and several traits seen in modern day gorillas. The back molar teeth were relatively large, with an area over twice as great as is found in modern humans. The species is sometimes referred to as "Nutcracker Man" because it has the biggest, flattest cheek teeth and the thickest enamel of any known hominin, Paranthropus boisei had large chewing muscles accompanied by a strong sagittal crest. -some argue that the craniodental morphology of this taxon (e.g., large postcanine dentition, thick enamel, robust mandibles, sagittal cresting, flaring zygomatic region) are indicative of a diet of hard or tough foods such as ground tubers, nuts and seeds. However, research on the molar microwear of P. boisei found a microwear pattern very different from that observed for P. robustus in South Africa which is thought to have fed on hard foods as a fallback resource. This work suggests that hard foods were an infrequent part of its diet. The carbon isotope ratios of P. boisei suggest it had a diet dominated by C4 vegetation unlike P. robustus in South Africa.
Australopithecus africanus
First identified in 1924 by Raymond Dart, an Australian anatomist living in South Africa. A. africanus existed between 3 and 2 million years ago. Similar to A. afarensis, and was also bipedal, but body size was slightly greater. Brain size may also have been slightly larger, ranging between 420 and 500 cc. This is a little larger than chimp brains (despite a similar body size). Back teeth were a little bigger than in A. afarensis. Although the teeth and jaws of A. africanus are much larger than those of humans, they are far more similar to human teeth than to those of apes. The shape of the jaw is now fully parabolic, like that of humans, and the size of the canine teeth is further reduced compared to A. afarensis.
Jonathan Leakey
From 1961 to 1964 the Leakeys and their son Jonathan unearthed fossils of Homo habilis, "handy man", the oldest known primate with human characteristics and discovered in 1967Kenyapithecus africanus. The Leakeys claimed that Homo habilis had walked upright and viewed it as a direct ancestor of modern humans. It had a brain almost 50 percent larger than that of theAustralopithicenes.
The Leakey's found what fossils?
From the 1950s the Leakeys expeditions to Olduvai Gorge produced several important discoveries of early primate fossils, named Zinjanthropus (now called Australopithecus boisei), which Mary Leakey found in 1959 from the lowest and oldest excavation site. It has been said, that it was Mary who gave the team scientific validity. The discovery of "Zinj", also fondly referred to as "Dear Boy", made the Leakeys famous. Louis first believed that it was a "missing link" between humans and apes.
African Homo erectus: Homo ergaster
H. ergaster existed between 1.8 million and 1.3 million years ago. Like H. habilis, the face shows: protruding jaws with large molars; no chin; thick brow ridges; long low skull, with a brain size varying between 750 and 1225 cc
KNM ER 1813
KNM ER 1813 is a relatively complete cranium which dates to 1.9 million years old, discovered at Koobi Fora, Kenya by Kamoya Kimeu in 1973. The brain capacity is 510 cm³, not as impressive as other early specimen and forms of H. habilis discovered.
The famous Australopithecus afarensis footprints are known from which fossil site?
Laetoli, Tanzania
Sahelanthropus tchadensis ("Toumai")
Named in July 2002 from fossils discovered in Chad. Oldest known hominid or near-hominid species (6-7 million years ago). Discovery of nearly complete cranium and number of fragmentary lower jaws and teeth: Skull has very small brain size (ca. 350 cc), considered as primitive apelike feature; Yet, other features are characteristic of later hominids: short and relatively flat face; canines are smaller and shorter; tooth enamel is slightly thicker (suggesting a diet with less fruit). This mixture of features, along with fact that it comes from around the time when hominids are thought to have diverged from chimpanzees, suggests it is close to the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees. Foramen magnum is oval (not rounded as in chimps) suggesting upright walking position.
Neanderthals
Neanderthals lived from about 250,000 to 30,000 years ago in Eurasia. The earlier ones, like at Atapuerca (Sima de Los Huesos), were more generalized. The later ones are the more specialized, "classic" Neanderthals. The last Neanderthals lived in Southwest France, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, and the Caucasus as recently as 27,000 years ago.
What descended from H Bergenesis?
Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans (H. sapiens) are all descended from H. heidelbergensis.
Berger discovered....
The two skeletons are not quite complete. The first, designated MH1, a juvenile approximately 12-13 human years at death, is represented by about 40% of the skeleton, which includes much of the cranium and mandible. The second, MH2, is an adult, but has fewer bones preserved and is missing its cranium. The percentage preservation of MH1 is about the same as the partial skeleton 'Lucy' from Hadar in Ethiopia (AL 288-1), but less than the Nariokotome boy (KMN-WT 15000) from Kenya and, the almost complete but still to be excavated, 'Little Foot' skeleton from Sterkfontein (Stw 573). Although rare, these partial or nearly complete skeletons provide the researchers with information about body proportions and functional anatomy that is much more difficult to glean from isolated bones, so their value cannot be understated.
Which of the following statements are true about Neandertals?
They lived in rock overhangs They took care of the disabled and sick They hunted animals They used fire All of these choices correct
The Great Chain of Being
This evocative phrase was coined by historian of ideas Arthur O. Lovejoy in his study, called, what else, The Great Chain of Being, of the historical idea that all beings constitute a continuous series of forms an unbroken gradation from the Absolute (later, God) down through intermediate spiritual and material stages to formless matter. The premise was developed by Greek philosophers such as Plato (transcendent ideas),Aristotle (scala naturae), and Plotinus.
True or false? The Regional-Continuity model of modern human origins suggests that modern humans evolved independently in different regions of the world.
This is True!!
The "Multi-regional" model
This model proposes that ancestral Homo erectus populations throughout the world gradually and independently evolved first through archaic Homo sapiens, then to fully modern humans. In this case, the Neanderthals are seen as European versions of archaic sapiens.
The "Out-of-Africa"/"Replacement" model
This second hypothesis considers a geographically discrete origin, followed by migration throughout the rest of the Old World. By contrast with the first hypothesis, here we have a single origin and extensive migration.
