Final ANT Exam Ch. 8 - Ch. 14

Bifacially flaked tools characterize the _______ stone tool industry.

Acheulian

What is unique and important about the Australopithecus afarensis found at Dikika?

Dikka shows us what young individuals looked like at this time. Their bones are less dense than those of adults and are therefore less likely to fossilize, making them rare in the fossil record.

What is the earliest hominin site outside of Africa? Where is it and how old is it?

First hominin site outside of Africa was Dmanisi, they were in the Republic of Georgia. This was about 1.8 MYA.

What was the first species to expand its range beyond the continent of Africa? What are the unique physical traits of this species?

Homo erectus, they had a pronounced browridge, pronounced occipital torus, no bony chin, and receding forehead.

The earliest evidence of the genus Homo is dated to approximately when? What are the major ways in which Homo differs from Australopithecus?

Homo habilis.

What is the earliest species of Homo?

Homo habilis.

Family planning can slow population growth. One of the best strategies family planning is:

education of girls and women.

The study of changes in phenotype that are not related to changes in the DNA and that may result from the interaction between the genotype and the environment:

epigenetics

Dating to about 850,000 years ago, hominin fossils from Gran Dolina are placed within the species Homo _________.

heidelbergensis

A polytypic species:

is one composed of local populations that differ from one another with regard to the expression of one or more traits.

Adaptations are:

long-term evolutionary changes.

Compared to many modern human diets, especially those in the US, the human preagricultural diet was:

low in saturated fats and sodium

With regards to the consensus among the scientific community:

there is almost complete agreement that we are seeing the effects of global warming.

What is the range for estimated cranial capacities of Homo erectus?

700 to 1,250 cubic centimeters

The Middle Pleistocene is dated to what time period?

780,000 - 125,000 years ago

What kind of environments were Neandertals adapted to? How do we know?

They took shelter in caves as shelter, glacial environments because there was less surface area on their bodies to retain heat.

What is the Replacement/Partial replacement or Out-of-Africa hypothesis? What should we expect to see in the fossil record if it is correct?

This hypothesis states that one species overlaped the other and replaced them, creating the first species extint. Partial replacement allows for more interbreedng.

What is important or most noteworthy about the species Australopithecus garhi?

This is the earliest species thought to have made and used stone tools to cut meat from animal bones.

What is important about the site of Laetoli? How old is the site?

This site is 3.6 MYA, what's important is the footprints that are located there. A volcano erupted, leaving a layer of ash, then it rained, turning the ash into a mud-like substance. Many animals walked through this mud before it hardened into rock, and their footprints survived for millions of years hidden and preserved below layers of sediment

What is Acheulean technology? What traits/tools define it? When did it first appear?

Acheulean Technology is the second known tool technology. It first appeared 1.6 MYA. Traits and tools that define it are bifacial tools, hand axes and cleavers.

What is adaptation? What is acclimatization?

Adaptations: population-level, this can be long term (change in gene frequencies) or short term. Acclimatization: individual level can be short-term, long-term, or permanent (developmental), physical responses to changes in the environment that occur during an individual's lifetime

What period of rapid growth in stature is seen in humans but not other primates?

Adolescent growth spurt

In general, what do Allen's and Bergmann's rules predict about body shape/size?

Allen's Rule (shape, appendages) states in colder climates, bodies tend to be shorter with shorter appendages. This reduces surface area to body mass ratio, and as a result, heat is better retained. In warmer climates, bodies tend to be longer with longer appendages, this increases surface area to body mass (volume) ratio, and as a result, heat is better dissipated. Bergmann's Rule (body mass) states in colder climates, body masses are generally higher. This reduces surface area to body mass (volume) ratio, and as a result, heat is better retained. In warmer climates, body masses are generally lower, this increases surface area to body mass (volume) ratio, and as a result, heat is better dissipated

What causes rickets?

An insufficient amount of vitamin D

Which genus is found in the Fayum and is likely a common ancestor bridging the gap between Eocene fossil primates and Miocene hominoids?

Apidium

How is stone tool technology related to the explanation to how Australopithecus and Paranthropus were both able to survive while overlapping in time and place for nearly one million years?

Approx. 3-2 MYA in east Africa. The major ways in which homo differs from Australopithecus is they have a larger more rounded braincase, increased body and brain size, less sexual dimorphism, smaller face, smaller premolars and molars, and larger incisors.

What are the main physical characteristics of Homo heidelbergensis?

Biggest brow ridges, bipedals, smaller brains than humans now a days, flattened nasal bones.

What are the ways that a forensic anthropologist can identify a body? How do they estimate age/sex?

Bones marked by perimortem injuries, such as unhealed fractures, bullet holes, or cuts, can reveal cause of death. The trained anthropologist is also able to identify skeletal clues of ancestry. Even certain activities, diet, and ways of life are reflected in bones and teeth.

Who was Turkana Boy? What is important about his skeleton - what were we able to learn from it?

Turkana Boy is one of the most famous specimens in Homo erectus. His skeleton is 1.5 MYA and was about 8-12 yrs old before dying. He had modern human limb proportions, 5'3 tall, and 800-900cc brain.

Who were the Denisovans and how do we know about them?

We found the Denisovans in Siberia, found a finger bone and a tooth in a cave inhabited by Neanderthals and Moden humans, but the finger and tooth mtDNA didn't match Neanderthals and Moden humans. They were a unique species - but they do share ancestry with Neandertals.

What is epigenetics? What is the epigenome?

Epigenetics is the study of changes in phenotype that are not related to changes in the DNA and that may result from the. Interaction between the genotype and the environment. Epigenome the instructions that determine how genes are expressed in the cell.

What is the term for the now condemned philosophy of "race improvement" through the forced sterilization of some groups and the encouraged reproduction of others?

Eugenics

Where did Neandertals live?

Europe, Middle East, and Asia

Forensic anthropologists study remains from what types of events?

Forensic anthropology began with scientists dedicated to determining the "big four" of any one set of skeletal remains: age at death, sex, ancestry or ethnicity, and stature. In murder cases

What does the Neandertal hyoid bone and their FOXP2 gene tell us?

From the FOXP2 gene we know this is necessary for proficient human language, and Neandertals had the same gene that humans do. From the Hyoid bone, it anchors the tongue and is connected to the larynx (voice box) so it is essential to speech production

What is unique about Homo naledi and the site at which it was found?

What's unique is that this species survived until very recently with tiny brains and many primitive features, so it's not a direct human ancestor they lived about 236-335kya and had 560cc brains. They are found in a very narrow, remote passage in caves.

The Dmanisi site is most notable for which of the following:

being the earliest known hominin site outside of Africa.

Which of the following epochs is the most recent and began about 10,000 years ago?

Holocene

How far did Homo erectus range outside of Africa (where are they known to have lived)?

Homo erectus expanded into Eurasia.

What is life history theory?

Life history theory helps us to predict the timing of reproduction under favorable circumstances, it also allows to have a basis of knowing how fast an organism will grow and to what size, how many offspring can be produced,, how long gestation will last, and how long an individual will live.

Why/where is lighter skin pigment beneficial? What disease is associated with inadequate UV radiation from the sun and what causes it?

Lighter pigment - more common away from the equator and allows for increased vitamin D synthesis (humans need some UV radiation for our bodies to make Vitamin D). A lack of vitamin D in childhood causes the disease rickets (often results in bowed legs and a deformed pelvis - this is dangerous for females because it could make childbirth difficult or even fatal). There is some evidence for lower risk of diabetes with sufficient Vitamin D in infancy and childhood.

Who was Lucy - what species is she and where was she found? How tall was she? Approximately how big was her brain? How can we make inferences about the mating system of her species?

Lucy's species was Australopithecus afarensis, they are found in Ethiopia and Tanzania (Woody grassland). She was 3.5 ft tall and her brain was small, about (450cc). There is a high degree of sexual dimorphism in this species which could indicate a polygynous mating system

Which of the following contributes most to skin coloration in humans?

Melanin

What is melanin? How does its production affect variation in skin color in humans?

Melanin is the pigment that affects hair, skin, and eye color. Everyone has about the same amount of melanocytes (melanin producing cells in the epidermis), we just vary in the amount of melanin they produce. Darker skin - Greater melanin production. Lighter skin - Lower melanin production

What was the climate and environment like during the Middle Pleistocene?

Middle Pleistocene (780- 125 KYA), Climate cooler and more variable.

Which species of Australopith (Australopithecus and Paranthropus) are found in South Africa and which are found in East Africa?

South Africa: Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus sediba, Paranthropus robustus East Africa: Paranthropus aethiopicus, Paranthropus boisei

Eocene primate fossils have been found on all of the following continents EXCEPT:

South America

What kinds of extreme weather events will likely increase in severity as a result of global climate change?

Storms, Floods, droughts, fires, sea ice melt.

What species did Homo erectus likely evolve into, and what are the dates for this species?

The Homo erectus likely evolved into these 'premodern humans' - Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, and Denisovans. The dates were in between 700-200 KYA

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

The United States has the highest rates of overpopulation.

What features are unique to the Paranthropus genus? Why do they have these features?

The features that were unique were that they had 400-550cc brains, craniodental adaptations to hard object feeding, with a large sagittal crest, their chewing muscles are so big that they grow all the way to the top of their head. Huge premolars and molars. Large flaring zygomatic arches, and a post orbital constriction.

What do we know about Neandertal behavior and intelligence? What does that therefore indicate about their initial interpretation as being savage, hairy, and hunched-over?

The first Neanderthal was 40 years old and had a lot of arthritis and many injuries. When reconstructing he was stooped over.

Why were Neandertals first thought to be savage, hairy, and hunched-over when they walked?

The first Neanderthal was 40 years old and had a lot of arthritis and many injuries. When reconstructing he was stooped over.

What is the microbiome, and how is it related to our health?

The microbiome is our gut health and all of the bacteria living in our gut. When born, our gut is sterile with no bacteria, we get healthy bacteria from the birth canal and breastmilk. Whether we are born vaginally or c section our gut gets bacteria in different ways. This determines our openness to chronic and degenerative diseases.

Types of Upper Paleolithic art include all of the following EXCEPT:

fired ceramics

Shanidar Cave is extraordinary in that one buried individual:

had severe cranial trauma and the loss of the use of one limb yet lived many years after these injuries, presumably cared for by others

What are the Schoningen spears and what do they tell us?

The oldest wood tool every found. Those who used the spears hunted big animals seeing as though there were 50 horses at the sight.

What are the cranial traits that are unique to Neandertals?

These cranial are robust, the cranial projects as if it was pulled forward. The cranial is large, long, low, and bulging at the sides.

The question of whether modern humans and Neandertals interbred at some point:

has been answered based on genetic evidence.

Humans regulate body temperature in all of the following ways except:

increased production of red blood cells.

Relative dating techniques:

indicate that something is older or younger than something else

The fossil evidence indicates that the Eocene primates were:

mostly extinct by the end of the Eocene.

HIV/AIDS and the 1918 'Spanish' flu, like COVID-19 today, are epidemics that spread through so many populations worldwide that they were declared to be _____________.

pandemics

The earliest possible primates date to the Paleocene and belong to a group of mammals called the:

plesiadapiforms

Fossil remains of animals that involve parts of the skeleton other than the skull are called:

postcranial remains

The decline in physiological functioning associated with aging is called:

senescence

Anatomical changes in hominins indicative of habitual bipedal locomotion include:

shortening and broadening/widening of the pelvis.

Individuals who are lactose intolerant have gastrointestinal issues when they eat or drink items containing lactose because their bodies have stopped producing __________________.

the enzyme lactase

At birth the infant gut is sterile, but it is quickly populated by a host of microorganisms that will influence lifelong health. This is referred to as:

the microbiome.

What is eugenics? When did these practices finally end?

the study of how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarded as desirable.

According to the Partial Replacement Model, modern humans first appeared in Africa:

then spread outside of Africa and interbred with premodern populations of Eurasia, partially replacing/displacing them

The skeletal remains of Homo floresiensis are notable for each of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

they came to Flores on rafts, the remains of which were recovered from the island of Flores.

All Australopiths share the following characteristics EXCEPT:

they have divergent big toes

Agents that carry disease from one carrier to another are called:

vectors.

Antibiotic-reistant strains of bacteria have become common because of overuse of antibiotics, such as when they are prescribed or taken for _________ when they are completely ineffective against them.

viral conditions, such as colds or flu

Evidence for animal butchering is:

widespread at Homo erectus sites.

How big were Neandertal brains and bodies?

Neandertals bodies were 5.6 feet for males and 5.3 feet for female. On average the brains were larger than modern humans. 1300 ccs for females and 1600ccs for men. They had wider bodies than homo sapiens now a days.

What is taurodontism?

Taurodontism: expanded pulp cavities and fused roots

How can human bodies acclimatize to increased UV radiation? To temperatures? To high altitudes?

Temperatures: we acclimatize by vasoconstriction, vasodilation, evaporative cooling, shivering, increased BMR (result is an increase in body temperature) High Altitudes: we acclimatize by increase in respiration rate, increase in heart rate and increase in production of red blood cells.

A projection of bone in the back of the cranium where neck muscles attach is called a(n):

nuchal torus.

The earliest stone tools are dated to approximately

2.6 million years old

Australopiths lived approximatey how many years ago?

4.2-1.2 million years

Archaeological sites in Australia have been dated to ___________ years ago.

55,000

What are glacials and interglacials?

A glacial is a cold ice age period. Interglacials is the warmer period of time between the glacial where the sea levels rise.

What is a sagittal crest?

A ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull. The presence of this ridge of bone indicates that there are exceptionally strong jaw muscles.

What are zoonotic diseases? What are some examples of zoonotic diseases?

A zoonotic disease - a disease that is transmitted to humans through contact with nonhuman animals. Examples include SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) and HIV.

The most complete specimen of pre-Australopith is from the genus ___________________ and was found at Aramis in the Middle Awash area of Ethiopia.

Ardipithecus

What is the oldest species of Australopithecus? Approximately when and where did it live?

Australopithecus anamensis, they lived about 4.2-3 MYA in Kenya and Ethiopia (Grassy, wooded environments)

What are the two genera in the Australopith group, and what species are included in each?

Australopithecus and Paranthropus. There are 8 species: A. anamensis, A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. garhi, A. sediba, P. aethiopicus, P. biosei, P. robustus

Which of the following is *NOT* a species of Australopithecus?

Australopitheus robustus

The Upper Paleolithic cultural period is divided into categories based on stone tool technologies. These include all of the following EXCEPT:

Clovettian

What is a present day disorder that is linked to dietary and lifestyle behaviors, such as decreased activity levels and increased consumption of fats and refined carbohydrates?

Diabetes (Type II)

Why/where is darker skin pigment beneficial? What diseases/ailments are associated with too much UV radiation from the sun?

Darker pigment - most often occurs near the equator and high altitudes and importantly shields DNA from radiation from the sun (it basically acts as a natural sunscreen). It also protects from sunburn, infections from sun burns, skin cancer and also shields you from folate degradation.

In addition to their skeletal features, we have additional evidence of bipedalism in Australopiths because of the footprints found at the site of _________ in Tanzania.

Laetoli

Paranthropus species had a number of adaptations for powerful chewing of hard objects including all of the following EXCEPT:

Large incisors and canines

How is infancy/childhood/adolescence/menopause/senesence affected by natural selection?

Infants: Reduced breastfeeding could increase risk for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension later in infant's life. It hasn't been possible for mothers to shorten or avoid breastfeeding. In the past, infants would not have survived, but now can due to infant formulas. Childhood: longer time to learn, it takes a long time to learn how to be a human. This increased investment from the parents in each child benefit the survival of offspring. Adolescence: First menstruation in girls is decreasing, weight and activity affects age of puberty. Overnutrition and obesity can signal the body that it is ready (has enough resources) to support a fetus at an earlier age. Socioeconomic factors also affect the age of menstruation. Menopause: If you can have offspring until the day you die, you may die while your last offspring is too young to survive, meaning the resources you dedicated to it would have been better spent on the offspring you already had. Senescence: Physiological decline in bodily functions that occurs with aging, because we live longer instead of dying from infectious diseases as often, we suffer from diseases of civilization

Did Neandertals and modern humans interbreed? How do we know?

It shows in DNA that they could have interbred with each other. Neandertal contribution of 1-4% in nonafrican modern human DNA

Why are some people lactose tolerant while others are not? Why do some people have more active alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes? How are these traits related to culture?

Most adult humans are lactose intolerant because their bodies stopped producing lactase (enzyme that breaks down lactose). Alcohol dehydrogenase is enzymes that breaks down alcohol, this is expressed at higher rates in males vs. Females. Different alleles found in Europe vs. Asia (European versions are more active).

What is the term for the stone tool technology most often associated with Neandertals that extended across Europe and North Africa, Israel, Iran, central Asia, and possibly China?

Mousterian

Who does and who doesn't carry some Neandertal DNA? Why is there variation?

Non-Africans carry up to 2% of neanderthal DNA.

What is Oldowan technology? How old is the earliest evidence of this technology?

Oldowan technology is the oldest known stone tool technology, dates to at least 2.6 MYA.

What species are included in the Paranthropus genus? Are they direct ancestors of humans or not? If not, what happened to them?

Other species include Paranthropus aethiopicus, paranthropus boisei, and paranthropus robustus. They are not direct ancestors to humans. They went extinct, and the skulls look more like apes.

How is our diet in the US different from what it was during pre-agricultural times? How has this affected our health and disease risk?

Our diet now is not usually fresh caught and cooked right away. We buy food from stores that pump their produce with preservatives.

What are the cranial traits associated with modern humans?

Rounded occipital, round short cranium, high forehead, no prominent brow ridge, bony chin, and smaller teeth.

The oldest possible hominin found so far is in what genus?

Sahelanthropus

What are the three main traits that are common (to varying degrees) to all Australopiths?

The three main traits that are common to all australopiths are that they are bipedals, have small brains, and big molars.

What is the latest occurring (youngest) species of Australopithecus? Approximately when and where did it live?

The youngest is the Australopithecus sediba which were in 2.0-1.8 MYA.

What is the Multiregional Continuity hypothesis? What should we expect to see in the fossil record if it is correct?

With this hypothesis we see one species slowly evolve into another. We would see intermediate fossils with anatomical characteristics of bother earlier and later populations. We would see slightly different anatomical features/ trends in each populated region of the world. And a substantial ancient contributions to modern gene pool.

How do we know that Australopiths were hominins?

Yes because they are bipedals.

Do climate scientists disagree about the cause of global climate change? What is the cause that research and data have identified?

Yes, 97% agree that human activities are causing recent global warming.