Chapter 10 Flashcards
Ainu
The indigenous people of Japan
Australoid
A racial term used to refer to the Aborigines of
Australia.
brachycephalic
Having a high cephalic index, or a short and broad
skull.
breeds
A subspecies, especially when referring to
domesticated animals
Capoid
A racial term that is used to refer to the Khoisan
Bushmen of southern Africa.
Caucasian (Caucasoid)
Denoting or having to do with white- or lightskinned people of European origin.
cephalic (or cranial) index
The maximum width of a skull multiplied by
100 and divided by the maximum length of the
skull
dolichocephalic
Having a low cephalic index, or a long skull.
eugenics
The science of ‘improving’ a population by
controlling breeding to increase the occurrence of
desirable heritable characteristics.
facial angle
The degree of protrusion of the lower face.
Gloger’s rule
The rule stating that darker subspecies occur in
warmer and/or more humid climates, while light coloured subspecies are native to cooler and/or
drier climates.
lactase
An enzyme that breaks down lactose into its
constituent sugars so that they can be absorbed
by the body.
mesocephalic
Having an intermediate cephalic index, or a skull
that is neither very long nor very short.
Mongolian (Mongoloid)
A racial term used to refer to the people of East
Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Arctic areas of North
America.
mutations
A term used by biologists to identify varieties within
a species
Negritos
The indigenous or apparent first peoples of
Southeast Asia, found in the Andaman Islands,
Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and New
Guinea.
non-metric variation
Variation that is not a matter of larger or smaller
but of distinctly different traits, such as hair or eye
colour.
phase
A genetic or seasonal variety of an animals
coloration.
plasticity
The potential of the cranium to change due to
environmental conditions, over time.
racial time
the period of time in which humans have been
described and classified according to race (roughly
the last four to five centuries)
sinodont
The pattern of dental traits said to be characteristic
of East Asians and Native Americans;
characterized by shovel-shaped incisors.
sundadont
The generalized pattern of dental traits said to be
characteristic of Southeast Asians.
Pure races
genetically homogenous
populations, do not exist in the human species today, nor is there any evidence that they have ever existed in the past
subspecies
geographical race, differing genetically and taxonomically from
other subdivisions of the species
5 human subspecies
afer, americanus, asiaticus, europaeus, and monstrosus
colour-coded racializing of humans
Caucasian (white), Mongolian (yellow), Malayan (brown), Negroid
(black), American (red)
races
based on skull measurements
Caucasians, Mongolians, Americans (i.e.
Aboriginal people), and Negroes
Homo sapiens evolved from Homo erectus five separate times
deep in time, producing five basic races:
Caucasoid, Negroid, Capoid,
Mongoloid, Australoid.
epicanthic eye fold
trait found in the San of Africa, Aboriginal groups like the Inuit, and the Andaman Islanders
The race game
more variation within racial categories than there was between racial categories
Individual variations
account for most of
the differences between people. 85 percent of
human variation was individual and occurring within populations
the remaining 15 percent was distributed roughly equally between variation within and between races
What Colour Was Homo sapiens Originally
‘one colour fits all’ adaptation for
different environments is brown so the speculation is that H. sapiens
started off brown
How Quickly Did Colour Variation Begin?
AMH populations changed from darker to lighter soon
after they began moving to different parts of the world. Taken place over 2,000–3,000 years
rickets
condition that affects bone development in children. It causes bone pain, poor growth and soft, weak bones that can lead to bone deformities
what causes rickets?
places with weak or insufficient sunlight, vitamin D deficiency
Advantages to lighter skin
White skin allows more sunlight through, allowing more vitamin D for better bone health in cold/rainy areas
Advantages to darker skin
Dark skin protects against skin cancer and the destruction of folic acid
in those areas near the equator where the sun’s rays hit most directly and
with the greatest heat. Less vitamin D absorbed into the skin. Reflets UV rays
eye colour
brown: generalized, lighter colour: derived in many areas
bey1 gene
(brown eye with one allele) produces brown eyes
bey2
(brown eye with two alleles, brown and blue) brown is dominant, blue is recessive
gey
chromosome 19 (green eye with two alleles, green and blue), green is dominant
Irish have:
Highest rate of cystic fibrosis
Ashkenazi Jews have
higher rate of breast cancer due to increased Mutations of two cancer-suppressing genes
Sickle-cell Anemia
affects 1 out of every 500 African Americans, fatal for homozygous
heterozygotes have an advantage as they are protected against malaria
thalassemia
Mediterranean peoples, South and Southeast Asians. It makes one less susceptible to coronary heart disease and malaria.
Tay–Sachs
brain and nerve disorder associated with Ashkenazi
Jews. Autosomal recessive, strikes in infancy. Marriage and breeding endogamously over a long period of time is a cause.
founder effect
when a small group of migrants—not genetically representative of the population from which they came—establish in a new area. reduction in genetic variation
eugenics
good’ races and
individuals should be encouraged to breed, while ‘bad’ races and individuals
should be sexually sterilized
The Thrifty Gene
Allows the body to hold on to its sugars longer. Individuals who have this gene can store calories in fatty tissues are better able to survive and reproduce in environments where there are frequent famines or chronic food shortage.
Thrifty gene downfall
Type II diabetes from high-calorie 21st century western diet
Lactose intolerance
greater amount of sunlight = less intolerance. Europeans effected at higher rates
