Intro to Physical Anthropology Chapter 12
The map below depicts various later Middle Pleistocene hominin locations. What can you conclude from this map?
Neanderthals were found in Europe
Homo heidelbergensis had ________________.
an increased cranial capacity relative to Homo erectus
During the Pleistocene, the climate was _____, and selection favored hominins with ______ survival strategies.
rapidly fluctuating; flexible
Which of the following behaviors are not associated with Neanderthals?
settlement in permanent villages
It is difficult to know how to classify the different specimens of Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils or how they are related to each other. Several different possibilities have been proposed. Use what you know about the timing and location of different fossils to drag each species' name to the correct place on the charts below.
Chart on left: Homo heidelbergensis Chart on right: Homo ergaster
Homo heidelbergensis appeared during the first half of the Middle Pleistocene. Identify the behaviors that archaeologists can infer from the archaeological record that these hominins likely exhibited. -had a diverse diet -created cave paintings -hunted big game -used Mousterian tools
Behavior of Homo heidelbergensis: -had a diverse diet -hunted big game NOT a Behavior of Homo heidelbergensis: -created cave paintings -used Mousterian tools
The image below shows one possible phylogeny of hominin evolution. Which of the following is a correct interpretation of this phylogeny?
Homo erectus gave rise to all later hominin species
Drag each behavior below to the hominin species that exhibited it. -cared for the sick -used painted sea shells as personal ornaments -used Acheulean tools -used Mousterian tools -buried the dead
Homo erectus: -used Acheulean tools Neanderthal: -cared for the sick -used painted sea shells as personal ornaments -used Mousterian tools -buried the dead Homo ergaster: none
Drag each label to the appropriate map, according to whether it describes glacial or interglacial conditions. -habitat facilitates migration between Africa and Eurasia -cold and dry -large areas of forest and grassland -large areas of desert -warm and wet -habit restricts migration between Africa and Eurasia
Map a (interglacial): -habitat facilitates migration between Africa and Eurasia -warm and wet -large areas of forest and grassland Map b (glacial): -cold and dry -large areas of desert -habitat restricts migration between Africa and Eurasia
Which of the following were Neanderthal adaptations to cold climates, and which were not Neanderthal adaptations to cold climates? -built shelters -stored food for winter -migration to warmer habitats -body proportions -fire use
Neanderthal Adaptation: -body proportions -fire use NOT a Neanderthal Adaptation: -built shelters -stored food for winter -migration to warmer habitats
Based on your knowledge of Neanderthal anatomy, what can you infer regarding their ability to talk?
The vocal tract of Neanderthals contains features that suggest Neanderthals may have possessed the ability to talk
The hominin lineage may have diversified during the Middle Pleistocene because the fluctuating climate ______ accessible geographic ranges. Populations experienced _______ selective pressures and may have become isolated from other populations, conditions that ________ the likelihood of speciation.
broadened; novel; increase
Click on the ancestral features of the Homo heidelbergensis skull that makes it similar to Homo erectus.
eye sockets and back of skull
Speciation is a process of _______ and typically occurs gradually over long periods of time. Therefore, when we study fossil species that lived _______, we can observe ______ of a speciation event, making it _____ to classify the divergent species that result. But when we study fossil species that lived _______, many specimens will be individuals that lived during _______ of speciation, making it _______ to identify the precise characteristics that would eventually distinguish between them.
macroevolution; a very long time ago; the completion; easier; more recently; the process; harder
Homo heidelbergensis shows up in the fossil record beginning 900 Kay, with features such as a larger brain, ________ browridges, long/low skull, ________ cranial bones, and a ______ face.
massive; thick; prognathic
Climate change alters environments in ways that impact opportunities for animals to move across the landscape. Match each hominin species with whether its geographic range was expanded or not by changes in climate. -Homo heidelbergensis -Homo floresiensis -Neanderthals
not expanded: -Homo floresiensis -Neanderthals expanded: -Homo heidelbergensis
What was the cranial capacity of Homo heidelbergensis?
1,200-1,300 cc.
Place the hominin species in order from the smallest to the largest average cranial capacity.
1. homo floresiensis 2. Homo erectus 3. Homo heidelbergensis 4. Neanderthals
What does the archaeological evidence suggest about the hominins that lived on the island of Flores in Indonesia? -Hominins were present on Flores 1 million years ago -They used advanced Mode 2 tools -The Flores hominins are an example of evolutionary dwarfism -The Flores hominins were likely modern humans with a pathology
Correct Answer(s): -Hominins were present on Flores 1 million years ago -The Flores hominins are an example of evolutionary dwarfism Incorrect Answer(s): -They used advanced Mode 2 tools -The Flores hominins were likely modern humans with a pathology
The fact that there is always variation within a species can make it difficult to classify fossils. How similar do two specimens have to be to classify them in the same species? There are two different hominin discoveries discussed in this chapter where a newly discovered species was mistaken for modern humans with skeleton-altering diseases. Do you remember which ones? -Homo erectus -Homo floresiensis -Neanderthals -Homo heidelbergensis
Correct Answer(s): -Homo floresiensis -Neanderthals Incorrect Answer(s): -Homo erectus -Homo heidelbergensis
Recently, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have been able to extract and sequence fossil DNA. What does this tree tell us about the genetic relationship between modern humans, fossils from Denisova Cave, and Neanderthals. -Neanderthals and Denisovans share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with humans -Modern humans descended from Denisovans -Modern humans and Neanderthals share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with Denisovans -Denisovans are genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans
Correct Answer(s): -Neanderthals and Denisovans share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with humans -Denisovans are genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans Incorrect Answer(s): -Modern humans descended from Denisovans -Modern humans and Neanderthals share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with Denisovans
The image below shoes the face of a Neanderthal. What can paleoanthropologist infer about the behavior and life histories of Neanderthals from their skeletal remains? -Neanderthals did not live very long -It is possible that Neanderthals were compassionate and took care of the sick and inform members of their group -They were a peaceful group, likely killed off by the warlike Homo sapiens -Neanderthal diets mostly consisted of domesticated grain
Correct Answer(s): -Neanderthals did not live very long -It is possible that Neanderthals were compassionate and took care of the sick and inform members of their group Incorrect Answer(s): -They were a peaceful group, likely killed off by the warlike Homo sapiens -Neanderthal diets mostly consisted of domesticated grain
Looking at the maps below, select all of the potential explanations for the platters of technological change observed over space and time. -Individuals in different locations invented tools as they needed them, without prior knowledge of toolmaking techniques or traditions -Technological change occurred as migrants from other areas introduced more advanced tools and techniques -In different geographic locations, the makers of simpler tools gradually modified their tool production, eventually evolving into makers of more sophisticated tools
Correct Answer(s): -Technological change occurred as migrants from other areas introduced more advanced tools and techniques -In different geographic locations, the makers of simpler tools gradually modified their tool production, eventually evolving into makers of more sophisticated tools Incorrect Answer(s): -Individuals in different locations invented tools as they needed them, without prior knowledge of toolmaking techniques or traditions
Which of the following statements regarding the human lineage are true? -There is a lot of disagreement regarding the classification of Neanderthals -Researchers debate whether modern humans evolved in Africa -There is a question as to whether Homo ergaster and Homo erectus represent two species or a single species -There is debate about whether several new species of hominins evolved as they migrated out of Africa
Correct Answer(s): -There is a lot of disagreement regarding the classification of Neanderthals -There is a question as to whether Homo ergaster and Homo erectus represent two species or a single species -There is debate about whether several new species of hominins evolved as they migrated out of Africa Incorrect Answer(s): -Researchers debate whether modern humans evolved in Africa
You are an artist, and a museum has hired you to reconstruct a Middle Pleistocene hominin in a sculpture for the museum's new human evolution exhibit. Select all of the features that you would include to make the sculpture as accurate as possible. -a robust body -large browridges -a prominent chin -curved finger bones -a low and long skill -a sagittal crest
Correct Answer(s): -a robust body -large browridges -a low and long skill Incorrect Answer(s): -a prominent chin -curved finger bones -a sagittal crest
Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis are two hominin species that lived during the Pleistocene. Identify the features that these two hominins shared. -rounded browridge -gracile bone structure -long and low skill shape -large brain
Correct Answer(s): -rounded browridge -long and low skill shape -large brain Incorrect Answer(s): -gracile bone structure
There is substantial evidence that Neanderthals hunted big game. Identify the evidence that supports big game hunting by Neanderthals. -the fossils assemblages of animal bones at Neanderthal sites are not random -only bones of sick and young animals are found in assemblages associated with Neanderthals -Neanderthals created settlements to more efficiently process big game -the nitrogen ratios in Neanderthal fossils suggest that Neanderthals ate meat
Correct Answer(s): -the fossils assemblages of animal bones at Neanderthal sites are not random -the nitrogen ratios in Neanderthal fossils suggest that Neanderthals ate meat Incorrect Answer(s): -only bones of sick and young animals are found in assemblages associated with Neanderthals -Neanderthals created settlements to more efficiently process big game
The new DNA results on the so-called Denisovan skeletal remains, dated to 41,000 years ago, shows that these hominins were genetically different from both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans but were more similar to Neanderthals than to humans. What is the implication of these differences?
Denisovans share a more recent common ancestor with Neanderthals than they do with modern humans
During the Middle Pleistocene, several different types of hominins were living across multiple continents. It can be difficult to decide if fossils from different sites are distinct enough to be considered different species or if their differences represent variation within a single species. Can you name the site in Spain where fossils displaying a mixture of traits from both Homo heidelbergensis and Neanderthals were found?
Sima de los Huesos
There is substantial debate regarding the species designation of Neanderthals. true or false
true