Anthropology 2200 Exam 3

Neandertals

A distinct group within the genus Homo inhabiting Europe and Southwest Asia from approximately 30,000 to 125,000 years ago.

Homo floresiensis

A distinct species closely related to Homo erectus and only found on the Indonesian island of Flores. They are tiny, with cranial capacities of about 380cc.

Australopithecus africanus

A gracile australopithecine from South Africa that was contemporaneous with Au. aethiopicus, Au. garhi, and Au. boisei and was likely ancestral to Au. robustus

Treponematoses

A group of related diseases (venereal syphilis, yaws, endemic syphilis) caused by the bacteria Treponema, which causes pathological changes most often to the cranium and tibiae.

Australopithecine

A hominin genus that lived in Africa between 4 million and 2.5 million years ago.

Obsteric Dilemma

A hypothesis to explain why humans often require assistance from other humans during childbirth to avoid complications, whereas most non-human primates give birth alone with relatively little difficulty.

Australopithecus garhi

A late australopithecine from East Africa that was contemporaneous with Au. africanus and Au. aethiopicus and was the likely ancestor to the Homo lineage.

Ardipithecus ramidus

A later pre-australopithecine species from the late Miocene to early Pliocene; shows evidence of both bipedalism and arboreal activity but no indication of the primitive perihoning complex.

Why is it difficult to diagnose specific diseases in the human skeleton?

A lot of diseases effect one specific area and effect regions of the body that decay when the body dies.

Denisovans

A newly discovered group of archaic Homo sapiens from southern Siberia dated to between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Symbolic Behavior

A person's capacity to respond to or use a system of significant symbols.

Prognathic

A physical feature that is sticking out or pushed forward, such as the faces in apes and some hominid species.

Orrorin tugenensis

A pre-australopithecine species found in East Africa that displayed some of the earliest evidence of bipedalism

Australopithecus robustus

A robust australopithecine from South Africa that may have descended from Au. afarensis, was contemporaneous with Au. boisei, and had the robust cranial traits of large teeth, large face, and heavy muscle attachments.

Proprimates

A separate order of early primate ancestors from the Paleocene, such as the plesiadapiforms.

Sagittal Keel

A slight ridge of bone found along the midline sagittal suture of the cranium, which is typically found on H. erectus skulls.

sagittal keel

A slight ridge of bone found along the midline sagittal suture of the cranium, which is typically found on H. erectus skulls.

Which of the following tool types were the first bifacial tools?

Acheulian

Where was Aegyptopithecus found?

Africa

What evidence suggests that Neandertals had care taking?

After analyzing their bones/anatomy, evidence showed that they had partaken in care taking.

Mary Leakey

An archaeologist who found bones in East Africa that were more than 1.5 million years old and believed that the bones belonged to a hominid.

Australopithecus (or Kenyanthropus) platyops

An australopithecine from East Africa that had a unique flat face and was contemporaneous with Au. afarensis.

Australopithecus afarensis

An early australopithecine from East Africa that had a brain size equivalent to a modern chimpanzee's and is thought to be a direct human ancestor

Ardipithecus kadabba

An early pre-australopiothecine species from the late Miocene to the early Pliocene; shows evidence of a perihoning complex, a primitive trait intermediate between apes and modern humans.

Australopithecus aethiopicus

An early robust australopithecine from East Africa, with the hallmark physical traits of large teeth, large face, and massive muscle attachments on the cranium

Homo erectus

An early species of Homo and the likely descendant of H. habilis; the first hominin species to move out of Africa into Asia and Europe.

What are the components of a biological profile? What are some of the methods by which forensic anthropologists construct these profiles?

An inventory of the bones that are present Age assessment Sex assessment Metrics (i.e. measurements) Ancestry assessment (in some cases) Stature (i.e. height) Pathology/Trauma assessment Taphonomy notes - Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) - Identify sex in skull and pelvis - Estimate age through skeletal development and joints

Understand the difference between ante-, peri-, and post-mortem fractures, and how we can identify when different injuries occurred on the skeleton

Antemortem: before death Perimortem: during death Postmortem: after death

What are the three hypotheses for why primates evolved?

Arboreal hypothesis Visual predation hypothesis Angiosperm radiation hypothesis

Which of the following fossils is the oldest and therefore would be expected to share some anatomical similarities with the Miocene apes?

Ardipithecus ramidus

In what regions of the world were the sivapithecines located?

Asia

Which of the following is not a proto-hominin genus?

Australopithecus

Sagittal crest

Bony projection on top of the cranium for attachment of chewing muscles.

artificial selection

Breeding organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with identical traits.

Fossile Fule

Combustible material, such as oil, coal, or natural gas, composed of organisms' remains preserved in rocks

Which of the following traits would you NOT expect to find in the proconsulids?

Dental formula of 2-1-3-3

Out of Africa Model (population replacement model)

Describes that modern humans evolved in Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago, migrated out to colonize the world and replaced earlier hominid species

Which of the following groups was found in Europe?

Dryopithecus

Omomyids

Eocene euprimates that may be ancestral to tarsiers

Basal Anthropoids

Eocene primates that are the earliest anthropoids

Adapids

Euprimates of the Eocene that were likely ancestral to modern lemurs and possibly ancestral to anthropoids

Intentional Burial

Evidence found with the Neandertal skeletons suggests that the Neandertals intentionally buried their dead and possibly performed some type of burial ceremony.

Gracile australopithecines evolved several traits that may assist in hard-object feeding.

False

In ballistic trauma, the entry hole and exit hole are the same size, so the direction of the gunshot cannot be determined.

False

Modern humans have an opposable hallux.

False

What are the physical/anatomical markers that distinguish bipeds from quadrupeds?

Foramen magnum on the bottom of the skull S-shaped spine Short pelvis from front to back Long legs Knees angled toward midline of the body Double-arched foot, including a well-developed longitudinal arch Nonopposable big toe Blunt, nonprojecting canine Small canine relative to size of other teeth No diastema Wear on tips of canines and of third premolars Cusps on lower third premolar equal size

Migration

Form of relocation diffusion involving permanent move to a new location.

Australopithecus boisei

Formerly known as Zinjanthropus boisei; a later robust australopithecine from East Africa that was contemporaneous with Au. robustus and Au. africanus and had robust cranial traits, including large teeth, large face, and heavy muscle attachments.

Acheulean tools

Hand axe tools, sharper and more specific for hunting.

Which hominin developed Acheulian stone tool technology?

Homo erectus

Which hominin was the first to leave Africa?

Homo erectus

Which hominin is most commonly associated with Oldowan stone tool technology?

Homo habilis

Who was the first member of the genus Homo?

Homo habilis

Which hominin is associated with the Levallois, or "prepared-core" technique?

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

What are the four hypotheses for why bipedalism developed in hominins?

Hunting Hypothesis Patchy Forest Hypothesis Thermoregulation Hypothesis Male Provisioning Hypothesis

What are the four hypotheses for how primates got to South America? Which two hypotheses are best supported by current evidence?

Hunting hypothesis *Patching forest hypothesis* *Thermoregulation hypothesis* Male provisioning hypothesis

Obstetric Dilemma

Hypothesis pertaining to hominin mothers giving birth to a large-brained, large-bodied infant: Owing to the large brain, the birth process requires a wide pelvis, but efficient bipedalism requires a narrow pelvis

nutritional transition

Implies that countries frequently move from poorly balanced diets often deficient in nutrients, proteins, and calories to a diet of highly processed food, including fats, sugars, and salt

Non-honing chewing complex

In humans - short, flat, dull canines Canine diastema - gap between the incisors and canines in non-human primates, they are also sharp on both sides of the canine

sharp force trauma

Injury to soft tissue or bone caused by a sharp-edged or pointed weapon or instrument

Were the earliest hominins fully bipedal or did they practice a different form of locomotion?

Knuckle-walking quadrupedalism and suspensory climbing before bipedalism

What features suggest that Neandertals may be adapted to cold climates?

Larger noses provide more surface area to better warm and moisten the air, an important adaptation in cold, dry climates. Infraorbital foramina, also reflects cold adaptation. Neandertals are short and stocky; their body was short, wide and deep, while their limbs were short. These features promoted heat retention due to less surface area.

Chin (Mental Eminence)

Lower jaw or the symphysis of the external surface of the mandible divides below and encloses a triangular eminence, the mental protuberance, the base of which is depressed in the center but raised on either side to form the mental tubercle.

What does it mean to call an anthropologist either a "lumper" or a "splitter"?

Lumper = combine morphologically similar variants into single species Splitters = new species when there is anatomical variation

Parabolic dentition

Molars father apart than canines

What is NAGPRA?

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

rodeo hypothesis

Neandertal injuries, Berger and Trinkaus hypothesize, derived from contacts with enraged animals during hunts. Just like rodeo riding and other physically challenging pursuits, life for these Pleistocene hunters was tough!

What do we know about Neandertal culture, behavior and interaction with Anatomically Modern Humans? How does this evidence challenge old assumptions about Neandertals?

Neanderthals and modern humans may have had little direct interaction for tens of thousands of years until during one very cold period, modern humans spread across Europe. Old evidence shows they used similar hunting methods and tools but more research shows that they most likely didn't interact at all.

Which of the following are hypothesized to have been the first stone tools of hominins?

Oldowan

Lucy

One of the most significant fossils: the 40% complete skeleton of an adult female Au. afarensis, found in East Africa

What are the three different models/hypotheses for how modern Homo sapiens came to replace archaic H. sapiens in Africa, Asia, and Europe? What evidence, if any, supports each model? What evidence, if any, contradicts each model?

Out-of-Africa Model (modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated around the world) Multi-regional Continuity Model (modern humans evolved in different location) Assimilation Model If the Out-of-Africa Model is accurate, we should expect to find: 1. Oldest AMH only in Africa 2. Sudden arrival in Europe and Asia of: a. Anatomical differences b. Genetic differences c. African artifacts 3. No evidence of interbreeding between AMH and local Archaic Homo populations If the Multi-regional Continuity Model is accurate, we should find: 1.Early AMH in all regions 2.Gradual transitions in all regions of: a.Anatomy b.Genetics c.Artifacts Assimilation model does not nearly have enough evidence and is usually not chosen if compared to the other two hypotheses.

Plesiadapiforms

Paleocene organisms that may have been the first primates, originating from an adaptive radiation of mammals.

What are the three main anatomical differences between pre-Australopithecines and Australopithecines?

Pre-Aus. = canine with modified honing/nonhoning, vestiges of ape-like arboreal traits, and small bones Aus. = nonhoning, loss of arboreal traits, slight increase in size

Pathology

Processes, causes, and effects of a disease; abnormality

Anthropocene

Proposed new geologic epoch characterized by the profound role of humans in changing the land surface and the composition of the atmosphere in significant ways.

Anthropogenic

Refers to any effect caused by humans

Calculus

Refers to hardened plaque on teeth; the condition is caused by the minerals from saliva being continually deposited on tooth surfaces.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

Restore and repair the damage done to Native American graves and land

What are the major anatomical differences between "gracile" and "robust" australopithecines? What is our current hypothesis for why one group survived while the others went extinct?

Robust = muscles of mastication are larger which allows them to eat hard foods, they have larger premolars and molars, and deep jaws with large cheek teeth Gracile = larger anterior teeth and are omnivorous

Au. aethiopicus

Robust australopithecine species

The earliest hominin to appear in the fossil record is __________.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Biological Profile: Sex

Several bones indicate male and female difference, particularly among adults --> pelvis and skull

How does diet influence cranial and dental morphology?

Sharper and bigger teeth are meant for harder foods while the grounded not so sharp molars are for softer foods. Bigger heads for bipeds and start developing bigger brains which can lead to more advanced things like speech.

Paleospecies

Species defined from fossil evidence, often covering a long time span.

What evidence do we have about Neandertal culture, behavior, and gene flow with other hominins?

Substantial gene flow occurred on the borders of each of the regions, accounting for the physical similarities of anatomically modern humans in each area. Similar behaviors in hunting and tool making showed their interaction with other hominins.

Biological Profile: Age

Teeth and mandibles are durable (possible to calculate age though eruption pattern of teeth)

Forensic Anthropology

The branch of physical anthropology in which anthropological data, criteria, and techniques are used to determine the sex, age, genetic population, or parentage of skeletal or biological materials in questions of civil or criminal law

Acheulian Complex

The culture associated with H. erectus, including handaxes and other types of stone tools; more refined than the earlier Oldowan tools.

Holocene

The current interglaciation period, extending from 10,000 years ago to the present on the geologic time scale.

Homo habilis

The earliest Homo species, a possible descendant of Au. garhi and an ancestor to H. erectus; showed the first substantial increase in brain size and was the first species definitively associated with the production and used of stone tools

Paleoindians

The earliest hominid inhabitants of the Americas; they likely migrated from Asia and are associated with the Clovis and Folsom stone tool cultures in North America and comparable tools in South America.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

The earliest pre-australopithecine species found in central Africa with possible evidence of bipedalism

Mitochondrial "Eve"

The first female ancestor shared by all living humans, who was identified by analysis of mitochondrial DNA.

Y-chromosome "Adam"

The first male ancestor shared by all living humans.

Euprimates

The first true primates from the Eocene: the tarsierlike omomyids and the lemurlike adapids

Global Warming

The increase in average temperature of Earth's atomsphere in response to the greenhouse effect; cause of climate change

Handaxe

The most dominant tool in the Acheulian complex, characterized by a sharp edge for both cutting and scraping.

Pithecanthropus Erectus

The name first proposed by Ernst Haeckel for the oldest hominin; Dubois later used this name for his first fossil discovery, which later became known as Homo erectus.

Oldowan tools

The oldest known tools, made by chipping stones to produce a sharper edge. Made by Homo Habilis.

Lower Paleolithic

The oldest part of the period during which the first stone tools were created and used, beginning with the Oldowan Complex

Australopithecus anamensis

The oldest species of australopithecine from East Africa and a likely ancestor to Au. afarensis

Diffusion

The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time

Hygiene Hypothesis

The proposition that increasing allergies among children are the result of decreased exposure to microbes, such as those in dirt

Nutrition Transition

The shift in diet to one that is high in saturated fat and sugar; a cause of the global obesity epidemic

Eoanthropus dawsoni

The species name given to the cranium and mandible in the Piltdown hoax

Oldowan Complex

The stone tool culture associated with H. habilis and, possibly, Au. Garhi, including primitive chopper tools

Taphonomy

The study of how bones and other materials come to be buried in the earth and preserved as fossils.

What distinguishes anatomically modern humans (AMH) from archaic Homo sapiens?

The term anatomically modern humans (AMH) is used to distinguish H. sapiens having an anatomy consistent with the range of phenotypes seen in contemporary humans from varieties of extinct archaic humans. Modern humans have small faces, jaws, and teeth; a vertical and high forehead; narrow nasal aperture and body trunks, and long legs.

Agricultural Revolution

The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

Forehead

The upper part of the face, between the eyes and the hair.

Mousterian tool complex

This culture's stone tool technology, lasting from about 300,000-30,000 yBP, includes a complex and distinctive type of flaking called the Levallois technique. This technique involves preparing a stone core and then flaking the raw materials for tools from this core.

Endotoxins

Toxins released by bacteria when they breakdown or die

Although they share many of the same methods, forensic anthropologists often analyze the skeletal remains of only a single individual at a time, while bioarchaeologists usually analyze skeletal samples of many individuals.

True

Bioarchaeologists often use stature as a measure of health in past populations because stature is influenced by environmental stressors encountered during growth and development.

True

Some splitters believe certain fossil skulls within Homo habilis are different enough to necessitate an additional species, Homo rudolfensis.

True

Given our advanced technologies, are humans still evolving today?

Yes, but the pace has increased because of increased population

Hyoid

a U-shaped bone in the neck that supports the tongue.

Fracture

a broken bone

persistance hunting

a combination of running, walking, and tracking to chase prey until it collapses from exhaustion

iron deficiency anemia

a condition in which the blood has insufficient iron; may be caused by diet, poor iron absorption, parasitic infection, and severe blood loss

Homo floresiensis has NOT been proposed to be

a descendant of modern humans

dental carries

a disease process that creates demineralized areas in dental tissues, leading to cavities; demineralization is caused by acids produced by bacteria that metabolize carbohydrates in dental plaque

Each of the following traits is found in a bipedal hominin EXCEPT:

a foramen magnum far back (posterior) on the skull

What is a "dental ape?"

a fossil species with a post-crania that is monkey-like and teeth that are ape-like

The rapid increases in H. erectus body and brain size are most likely linked to which diet?

a high-protein diet of cooked meat

Hunting Hypothesis

a hypothesis first formed by Charles Darwin and later Raymond Dart that suggested bipedalism evolved as a way to hunt more efficiently

Archaic Homo sapiens

a loosely defined group within the genus homo that "lumpers" use for fossils with the combination of large brain size and ancestral features on the skull

Forensic anthropology is the scientific application of physical anthropology in:

a medico-legal context

Levallois technique

a middle paleolithic technique that made use of prepared cores to produce uniform flakes

Mosaic Evolution

a pattern of evolution in which the rate of evolution in one functional system varies from that in other systems

Survey

a search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organization of past human cultures across a large area

Which skeletal characteristic is not associated with the hominin evolution of bipedalism?

a varus knee

In developed countries, technology has worsened

activity levels

Which fossilized primate group is likely ancestral to modern-day lemurs?

adapids

Valgus knee

adducted femur, or a permanent knock-kneed-ness

Postmortem

after death

Study of morphological changes due to growth and development of body parts is called _______________.

allometry

Microcephaly

an abnormally small head

Based on anthroposcopic examination of an individual's skeletal remains, sex can be determined if that individual is

an adult

Where does Homo naledi most likely fit into the human lineage?

an early taxon of genus Homo

Pre-australopithecines are distinguished from apes by both bipedalism and by

an intermediate or complete loss of the honing complex

Habituation

an organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

A lesion with rounded edges and additional bone growth occurred

antemortem

Higher Primates

anthropoids

Malocclusion

any deviation from the normal positioning of the upper teeth against the lower teeth

Perimortem

at or around the time of death

Antemortem

before death

The human foot is best described as

big toe is adducted, and there is a longitudinal arch

Sex, age, ancestry, and stature estimation comprise the __________ profile.

biological

Which characteristics were present in the earliest hominins?

bipedal locomotion

Which of the following features is used to distinguish hominins from other apes?

bipedalism lack of CP3 honing complex increased encephalization

Supraorbital torus (brow ridge)

bony ridge over the eye sockets

Flared zygomatic bones

bridge of bone extending from the temporal bone at the side of the head

ameloblasts

cells that make tooth enamel

superfoods

cereal grains, such as rice, corn, and wheat, that make up a substantial portion of the human population's diet today

Apidium is a likely ancestor to modern platyrrhines because it has:

complete post-orbital closure narrow and short snout dental formula of 2-1-3-3

Multiregional Continuity Model

contends that after Homo erectus left Africa and dispersed into other portions of the Old World, regional populations slowly evolved into modern humans.

The masticatory-functional hypothesis states that with a diet of cooked, soft-textured foods, face and jaw size

decreases, so teeth become crowded

osteoarthritis

degenerative changes of the joints caused by a variety of factors, especially physical activity and mechanical stress

Dental caries (cavities)

demineralization of enamel and dentin from bacterial action

Rudolph Virchow (1855)

determined that cells come only from other cells

How did the australopithecine lineage leading to Homo adapt its diet to prevent extinction?

developing a flexible and generalized diet

Epidemiological Transition

distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition

Laetoli footprints

earliest direct evidence of hominin bipedalism; 3.6 million years old; trail of footprints that extends over 70 feet, preserved in a layer hardened volcanic ash laid down during the middle Pliocene in Tanzania

Which of the following features allow us to infer diet?

enamel thickness

During the agricultural revolution, the overuse of scant resources led to

environmental degradation and organized warfare

Biological Profile (skeletal inventory, age-at-death, biological sex, stature, ancestry, pathology/trauma, taphonomic condition)

estimation of the deceased's sex, age, stature, and ancestry, along with diseases and injuries, as derived from analysis of skeletal remains

Ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

Patchy Forest Hypothesis

evolved to move between trees, picking up food with hands

porotic hyperostosis

expansion and porosity of cranial bones due to anemia caused by an iron-deficient diet, parasitic infection, or genetic disease

Recovery

finding or "recovering" a body

Which of the following is a derived trait among robust australopithecines?

flared zygomatics

FOXP2 gene

gene that impedes learning of the mouth and jaw movements involved in speech production

Bioarchaeology can provide information about the __________ of past populations.

health activity nutrition

How does the shape of the vertebral column differ between human adults and fetuses?

human fetal vertebral column is C-shaped, while the human adult vertebral column is S-shaped

The Anthropocene is defined by

humanity's role in changing the land and air of the planet

Hominin

humans and humanlike ancestors

The hygiene hypothesis states that allergies are rapidly increasing worldwide because of

hyper-sanitation preventing early exposure to allergens

Male Provisioning Hypothesis

hypothesis from Owen Lovejoy stating that bipedalism developed to allow males to gather and bring back food more easily to their group; also suggested that males assisted with child-rearing and provided defense

Modern H. sapiens most likely evolved

in Africa and assimilated archaic H. sapiens in Asia and Europe

Which of the following is NOT a hominin trait?

increased prognathism

What general trends characterized the evolution of Homo cranial morphology?

increasing cranial capacity and more rounded crania though time

Osteoarthritis

inflammation of the bone and joint

periosteal reaction

inflammatory response of a bone's outer overing due to bacterial infection or to trauma

Adaptive trade-off

inherited characteristic that improves performance in one area but reduces it in another

Blunt force trauma

injury caused by a blow that does not penetrate the skin or other body tissues

nonheme iron

iron--found in lentils and beans--that is less efficiently absorbed by the body than is heme iron

heme iron

iron--found in red meat, fish, and poultry--that the body absorbs efficiently

Insular dwarfism

is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals - typically mammals but also dinosaurs - when their population's gene pool is limited to a very small environment, primarily islands

Australopithecus sediba

late species of australopithecine from South Africa that may have descended from Au. africanus, was a contemporary of Au. robustus, and expresses anatomical features found in Australopithecus and in Homo.

Au. boisei

late, hyperrobust Australopithecus species (2.6?-1.2 m.y.a.), East Africa

brain laterality

left side more associated with positive emotionality and approach, right side more negative emotionality and avoidance, important that we have negative emotions

What angle does the femur form in relation to the knee in hominins?

less than 90 degrees

What trait remained constant throughout the evolution of Homo cranial morphology?

location of the foramen magnum

What limb proportions would you expect to see on a hominin?

long legs relative to arms

Which skeletal adaptation of Homo erectus contributed to its fully modern walking?

longer legs and shorter arms

Which effect of global warming will impact coastal regions the most?

melting of polar and glacial ice masses

______________ is when different anatomical traits evolve at different times in a lineage

mosaic evolution

The fossil record is incomplete because:

most organisms do not fossilize it is difficult to find fossilized individuals complete species variation is not always represented

Plant domestication began in _________ and spread through _________.

multiple locations; diffusion and migration

Modern humans are considered

obligate bipeds

Which group represents an Eocene euprimate?

omomyids

Wild progenitors

plant/animal ancestors of domesticated species

cribra orbitalia

porosity in the eye orbits due to anemia caused by an iron-deficient diet, parasitic infection, or genetic disease

Iron deficiency appears in the skeleton as

porotic hyperostosis

Which of the following is not a H. erectus behavioral innovation?

production of symbolic material culture

Which fossilized primate group is likely ancestral to all extant catarrhines but not primitive enough to also be ancestral to platyrrhines?

propliopithecids

Documentation and mapping

recording data and locations of where certain artifacts were found in an area while also figuring out where other discoveries could be

What distinguishes early archaic Homo sapiens from H. erectus?

reduction in skeletal robusticity

A forensic anthropologist is called to a crime scene where skeletal remains of an adult have been discovered. Most of the remains are highly fragmentary and poorly preserved; however, the pelvis is largely intact. Which of the following might be determined from these remains?

sex and age

What anatomical feature did Homo habilis share with earlier australopithecine species?

short legs relative to arms

What anatomical feature is NOT present in omomyids and modern-day tarsiers?

small eye orbits

Paleopathology

study of disease and injury in skeletons from archaeological sites

What aspect of Neandertal culture supports their intelligence?

symbolic burial rituals

Bioarchaeology

the archaeological study of human remains, emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton

ballistic trauma

the degree of tissue disruption caused by a projectile is related to the size of the cavity it creates as it passes through the body

masticatory-functional hypothesis

the hypothesis that craniofacial shape change during the holocene was related to the consumption of softer foods

Assimilation Model (partial replacement model)

the hypothesis that modern human anatomy arose first in Africa as a change within a species and then spread through gene flow to populations outside of Africa. The gene pool of the non-African populations was thus assimilated into an expanding population of modern humans out of Africa

neolithic

the late pleistocene/early holocene culture, during which humans domesticated plants and animals

domestication

the process of converting wild animals or wild plants into forms that humans can care for and cultivate

Excavation

the process of digging up the remains of the past

Angiosperm Radiation Hypothesis

the proposition that certain primate traits, such as visual acuity, occurred in response to the availability of fruit and flowers following the spread of angiosperms

Arboreal Hypothesis

the proposition that primates' unique suite of traits is an adaptation to living in trees

Visual Predation Hypothesis

the proposition that unique primate traits arose as adaptations to preying on insects and on small animals

Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)

the smallest number of individuals necessary to account for all identified bones

Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH)

the species to which modern humans belong and also referred to by that term; first emerged in Africa between 300,000 and 160,000 years ago and then spread throughout the Old and New Worlds

Domestication

the taming of animals for human use, such as work or as food

Postmortem Interval (PMI)

the time elapsed since a person has died

Why did domestication of plants and animals occur in the Holocene?

the warmer, wetter environment supported agriculture

How did modern H. sapiens reach North and South America?

they migrated from northeastern Asia along the Bering land bridge

Which dental characteristic is not a hominin adaptation?

thin tooth enamel

Methods used to estimate an age range for subadult skeletal remains are based on patterns of

tooth development and eruption

Hominins have a _________ knee

valgus

Microcephaly

"A condition in which the cranium is abnormally small and the brain is underdeveloped."

Occipital bun

"A cranial feature of Neandertals in which the occipital bone projects substantially from the skull's posterior."

Levallois

"A distinctive method of stone tool production used during the Middle Paleolithic, in which the core was prepared and flakes removed from the surface before the final tool was detached from the core."

Shovel-shaped incisors

"Dental trait, commonly found among Native Americans and Asians, in which the incisors' posterior aspect has varying degrees of concavity."

Clovis

"Earliest Native American (''Paleoindian'') culture of North America; technology known for large, fluted, bifacial stone projectile points used as spear points for big game hunting."

Folsom

"Early Native American (immediately following Clovis) culture of North America; technology known for large, fluted, bifacial projectile points used as spear points for big game hunting."

Megafauna

"General term for the large game animals hunted by pre-Holocene and early Holocene humans"

Homo floresiensis

"Nicknamed ''Hobbit'' for its diminutive size, a possible new species of Homo found in Liang Bua Cave, on the Indonesian island of Flores."

Upper Paleolithic

"Refers to the most recent part of the Old Stone Age, associated with early modern Homo sapiens and characterized by finely crafted stone and other types of tools with various functions."

Paleoindians

"The earliest hominid inhabitants of the Americas; they likely migrated from Asia and are associated with the Clovis and Folsom stone tool cultures in North America and comparable tools in South America."

Middle Paleolithic

"The middle part of the Old Stone Age, associated with Mousterian tools, which Neandertals produced using the Levallois technique."

Mousterian

"The stone tool culture in which Neandertals produced tools using the Levallois technique."

Homo erectus

"Upright man" these hominids became skillful hunters and invented more sophisticated tools for digging, scraping and cutting. They also became the first hominids to migrate from Africa. Also were the first to use fire.

Homo habilis

(man of skill) first to make stone tools

Homo naledi

(~250,000 years ago). South Africa. Has traits of both Homo and Australopithecus. Had tools and buried dead

What are the 5 defining hominin traits and when does each one first appear?

- Bipedal locomotion (evolved in 6 mya) - Nonhoning chewing (evolved in 5.5 mya) - Dependence on material culture (evolved in 2.5 mya) - Speech (evolved in 2.5 mya) - Hunting and cooperation (evolved in 1 mya)

How can we identify plant and animal domestication in the archaeological record?

- Domestication syndrome: less aggressive and more juvenile traits - Reduced brain size - Plants have charred remains and phytoliths - Changes in seed and fruit size

Pre-Australopithecines

- Earliest hominins - Multiple species - Small brain size - Fragmentary - Ape-like

How are forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology different? How are they similar?

- Forensic Anthropology: recovering and identifying modern individuals - Bioarchaeology: reconstructing the past using human skeletal remains - They have different questions but have similar methods

What do forensic anthropologists and bioarchaeologists do in the field? And in the lab? Why is proper documentation of the excavation process important?

- Forensic anthropologists work with individual cases, mass disasters, and human rights cases while also creating a biological profile and MNI. - Bioarchs locate and document an archaeological site.

In what type of environment did the earliest hominins most likely evolve?

- Forests - Lakes

Which hominin species was the first to leave Africa? Which continents did they migrate to and in what order?

- H. erectus was the first to leave Africa - Moved to Asia and Europe while some stayed in Africa

When did AMH first begin migrating beyond Africa, Asia, and Europe? When and by what route did AMH first migrate to the Americas?

- Happened the last 500,000 years of the Pleistocene - Migrated from Asia in 12,000yBP and went through Russia and through Alaska and Canada

Understand how to differentiate between heat treatment, sharp force, blunt force, and ballistic trauma

- Heat Treatment: a burned bone - Sharp Force: created by a tool with a pointed edge over small surface area - Blunt Force: slow load application to bone over large surface area - Ballistic Trauma: high speed, small point of contact

What is the difference between a hominid and a hominin?

- Hominids are all modern and extinct great apes. - Hominins are any species of early human that is more closely related to humans than chimps, including modern humans themselves. - Features that set hominins apart from hominids are obligate bipedal locomotion, non-honing chewing complex, large complex brain, complex material culture, and spoken language.

What anatomical and non-anatomical features set the genus Homo apart from earlier hominins?

- Increased brain size relative to body size - Teeth are smaller, thicker enamel, and complete loss of diastema and canine honing complex - Increased body size - Longer legs and shorter arms - Increased reliance on material culture

What is persistence hunting, why is it significant, and which hominin species was the first to use it?

- Persistence hunting: biped can chase until quadruped prey collapses - Loss of body hair allowed more sweating - Bipeds have more endurance - They have longer legs - Homo erectus was first to use this

What is the significance of recent fossil hominin discoveries like Homo floresiensis and Homo naledi? What assumptions about the genus Homo do these new species (or subspecies) force us to re-examine?

- Redefines the genus Homo - May reveal that they weren't needed in an island environment - Shows they may have been able to make tools, fie, and hunt - They had island dwarfism

What evolutionary tradeoffs are involved in the transition to bipedalism? What are the pros and cons of becoming bipedal?

- Require a small amount of energy - High positional flexibility - Vulnerability to age related chronic degenerative disease - Slipped disks - Lower back pain - Weak, exposed abdomen - Obstetric difficulties - Weak knees - Varicose veins - Fallen arches

Cross-sectional geometry

- bone placed farther from central axis = stronger - more bone = more strength

What types of contemporary issues facing humans today are of particular interest to anthropologists?

- deadly viruses that may resurface again - climate change/global warming - human population growth - the nutrition transition and body changes - new technology advances and their effect on the world

Thermoregulation Hypothesis

- humans have SWEAT GLANDS over entire body - hairlessness facilitates COOLING - hair-head faces sun, continues UV protection

What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of agricultural lifestyles?

- more food to support more people - more people in contact can lead to more disease - less diverse and healthy diet if they focus on only a few main crops - increase competition for resources - poor sanitation

What three pieces of evidence suggest that Neandertals had spoken language?

- the anatomy of their throat - drop in their hyoid bones - their development of advanced tools, burial rituals, and making of art shows their range in intelligence that could indicate that they may have had spoken language

What are some ethical considerations that forensic anthropologists, primatologists, and human biologists must take into consideration when conducting research?

- there are certain boundaries - need consent to work on human bodies - have to inform people - the law can interrupt research

Neolithic Demographic Transition

- upswing in population growth - modern population boom starting with Industrial Revolution

Fossil evidence of bipedalism first appeared in the hominin lineage about ___ million years ago.

7

Domestication Syndrome

A collection of common domesticated phenotypes absent or less extreme in wild ancestors

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee at each institution where research is conducted to review every experiment for ethics and methodology.

Occipital Bun

A cranial feature of Neandertals in which the occipital bone projects substantially from the skull's posterior.