Chapter 1

Big events of human evolution in chronological order

1. Bipedalism came first—6 mya. 2. The loss of a diastema and projecting canines (referred to as a nonhoning chewing complex) came second—5.5 mya. 3. Speech came third—2.5 mya. Material culture and tool use also first appeared around this time. 4. Hunting became a more prominent skill— around 1 mya. 5. The domestication of foods came last—11,000 years ago.

Approximately how many genes does the human genome include?

20,000 - 25,000

honing

A honing canine is used by apes to shred plant material and it is important for animals that depend on a tough, leafy diet. This anatomical pattern is typical of most Old World anthropoids

Why did our ancestors' honing canine disappear.

Evidence for very early tool use coincides with the gradual loss of the honing canine. Tools would have made it easier to process tough leaves and hard nuts.

Why did our ancestors' honing canine disappear?

Evidence for very early tool use coincides with the gradual loss of the honing canine. Tools would have made it much easier to process tough leaves and hard nuts.

Motion

Newton's laws of motion are well known and have held true at certain scales for hundreds of years. However, they do not address larger questions about why a natural action takes place. For example, we are not sure exactly why objects stay in motion once they are put there.

Scientific Method Steps

Observations, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Collection, Conclusion

Social learning

Social learning has led to a human dependency on culture for survival. Social learning allows humans to pass on information over generations. Anthropologist Robert Boyd argues that humans are much smarter as a group than individually. Through social learning, humans accumulate and pass down massive amounts of information that allow us to survive and thrive as a species.

Gravity

The law of gravity is well known and universally demonstrable at most scales. It does not address larger questions about why a natural action takes place. We are not exactly certain why gravity exists. For example, Einstein developed the theory of general relativity to account for more gravitational phenomena than had Newton's law of gravity, but it also opened up a variety of new questions. We still can't answer why mass affects time and space to result in gravity.

Thermodynamics

The laws of thermodynamics are universally demonstrable. They do not address larger questions about why a natural action takes place. For example, we are not sure exactly why energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Honing complex

Upper canine rubs against lower first premolar--sharpening function

Whats the taxonomic group that includes humans and humanlike ancestors, excluding living nonhuman primates?

hominins

Which of the following are subjects of scientific laws?

motion, gravity, thermodynamics

The major developments that occurred during human evolution that separated our taxa from other primates and most mammals.

~complex material culture and tool use speech ~dependence on domesticated foods for most ~populations ~nonhoning chewing ~habitual and intensive hunting ~bipedalism

Your biological makeup is strongly influenced by your environment. What does environment refer to in this context?

~the diseases you are exposed to ~the climate you live in ~the type of food that is grown where you live ~the day-to-day physical activities you engage in ~how much money your family has for purchasing resources