Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Shared Traits of Hominini

A

-bipedality
-increased brain-to-body size (encephalization)
-anterior foramen magnum
-no honing premolar
-reduced canines
-reduced sexual dimorphism
-intermembral index 70-90

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2
Q

Sahelanthropus tchadensis “Toumai”
-Date and location

A

-earliest known human ancestor, 7.6-8 mya
-Found in Chad

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3
Q

Sahelanthropus tchadensis “Toumai”
-Traits

A

-massive brow ridge***
-small brain (320-380 cc)
-less prognathic
-large nuchal crest
-anterior foramen magnum
-habitat: gallery forest along a river surrounded by grassland

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4
Q

Orrorin tugenesis
dates and location(s)

A

-5.9-5.7 mya (dated by argon-argon)
-found in the Tugen hills in Kenya

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5
Q

Orrorin tugenesis
traits

A

-thick enamel (implies eating nuts, seeds)
-angle of femoral head indicates bipedality
-arms = arboreal
-legs = terrestrial

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6
Q

The Pliocene climate

A

5.3-2.6 mya
global cooling after miocene
this cooling and drying is why grasslands and Savanas became more common

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7
Q

Ardipithecus
two species

A

Ardipithecus kadabba
Ardipithecus ramidus

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8
Q

Ardipithecus kadabba

A

5.8-5.2 mya
large, ape like canines

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9
Q

Ardipithecus ramidus
dates and location

A

4.5-4.3 mya
Eastern Africa

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10
Q

Ardipithecus ramidus
Important traits

A

-has “hand-foot”**
-small brain (300-350 cc)
-anterior foramen magnum
-arboreal arms and hands
-bipedal pelvis and femur
-abducted hallux, unique morphology to bring hallux inwards
-thin enamel (eats c4 plants such as grass and wheat)
-monomorphic canines (pair bonding)

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11
Q

A brief history of “Australopithecine” discoveries

A

-originally found in 1924– anterior foramen magnum with enbocast revealing human like brain
-originally not believed to be real due to Darwin’s “Piltdown” man scandal (1912)
-proved that it was legit and bipedal, very strong evidence that it is human ancestor

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12
Q

Australopithecine shared features

A

-small, ape like brain and face structure
-clearly bipedal
-ape arms
-mix of modern ape and human features

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13
Q

Australopithecus africanus
dates and location

A

3.3-2.1 mya
South Africa

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14
Q

Australopithecus africanus
Important Traits

A

primitive arms, but more advanced than A. afarensis
larger brain, human like pelvis
-bipedal

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15
Q

Difference between gracile (Australopithecus) and robust (Paranthropus) “Australopithecines

A

-A. africanus and A. afarensis had much more gracile skulls than Paranthropus
-post-cranially the same but cranially very different

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16
Q

Paranthropus shared features

A

huge ass teeth and face

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17
Q

Paranthropus aethiopicus
Dates and Location

A

2.7-2.3 mya (same as homo)
-Kenya/Ethiopia, evolving in response to climate change

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18
Q

Paranthropus aethiopicus
Important traits

A

HUGE crest
very prognathic

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19
Q

Paranthropus boisei
Dates and Location

A

2.5-1.4 mya
East Africa– Ethiopia to Malawi

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20
Q

Paranthropus boisei
Important traits

A

-flexed cranium (face is “flexed” inwards like a dish)
-anterior crest
-500-540 cc (bigger brain

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21
Q

Paranthropus robustus
Dates and Location

A

1.8-1.0 mya
South Africa

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22
Q

Paranthropus robustus
Important traits

A

-Least robust out of three
-reduction of teeth size due to warming climate and different foods
-very similar to P. boisei but less robust

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23
Q

Australopith Chronology & Biogeography

A

homo Paran.
\ /
|
Au.
Au. > early Homo > Paran. > Au. die out > Homo erectus > Paran. die out

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24
Q

Adaptive radiation

A

rapid diversification in a lineage
- 2.6 mya = start of Pleistocene
-Savanah hypothesis not = bipedality

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25
Q

Modified Savanah Hypothesis

A

-origin of HYPERmetadontia (big ass teeth)
-expansion of tool use
-big teeth for Paran., big brains for Homo

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26
Q

Reconstructing diet: Dental anatomy and morphology (teeth)

A

types of teeth, how many, what size, etc

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27
Q

Reconstructing diet: Mastication system (levers)

A

bones (maxillae and mandible), teeth, joints, neurovascular elements, and the muscles responsible for moving the mandible

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28
Q

Reconstructing Diet: Wear patterns (enamel microwear)

A

-more scratches= folivore
-more pits=frugivore
-lots of pits= brittle diet
-Limitation: “last supper phenomenon” (short term abrasions from weeks-months b4 death)

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29
Q

Reconstructing Diet: Isotopes (C3 versus C4 vegetation)

A

-Ratio of stable carbon isotopes 13C/12C
-C4 plants (open habitat grasses) have more 13C than C3 plants (forests)

30
Q

What are the main differences between Australopithecus and Paranthropus diets?

A

Megadont vs Hypermegadont
Strong mastication vs Powerful mastication
More scratches (folivore) vs More pits (brittle diet)
30% C4 vs 30% C4, P. boisei = mainly C4

31
Q

Fallback foods and adaptation

A

resources of poor nutritional quality that become important when preferred foods are scarce

32
Q

Earliest evidence of stone tools & cut marks

A

Stone tools:
-Lomekwi, Kenya
-3.3 mya
-preparing meat and/or cracking nuts

Cut marks:
-Dikika, Ethiopia
-3.4 mya
-flesh removal of animals to access marrow

33
Q

Climate Change

A

-MODIFIED Savanna Hypothesis ≠ origin of bipedality
=origin of hypermetadontia =expansion of tool use

34
Q

Earliest specimen of Homo

A

-2.8 mya
-Homo habilines

35
Q

The Habilines (general characteristics)

A

-610-750 cc
-reduced dentition
-precision grip (large flat tips of fingers)
-small body size
-Generally similar to Australopiths
-Obligate biped
-Still some arboreality -Larger brained
-Tool making

36
Q

How much variation is there within a single species?

A

Lots!
12.4 coefficient of variation for cranial capacity for Habilines

37
Q

How do we access species variation?

A

Coefficient of Variation:
Measure of dispersion =Standard deviation/Mean

Qualitative characteristics (do they follow a normal mammalian pattern of sexual dimorphism?)
Supra-orbital torus
Supra-orbital sulcus
Temporalis origin
Nuchal origin
Canine size
Prognathism

38
Q

Homo habilis
Dates
Location(s)

A

-2.3 – 1.6 mya
-All of eastern African and South Africa

39
Q

homo habilis
important derived traits

A

-human like thumb
-human-like wrist bones (SOME)
-phalanges curved
-long arms
-widely dispersed
-robust cranium
-precision grip (tools)

40
Q

Homo rudolfensis
Dates
Location

A

-1.9 mya (possibly 2.4)
-Eastern Africa

41
Q

Homo rudolfensis
important derived traits

A

-less robust
-slightly bigger body size
-larger teeth and palate

42
Q

The Erectines
dates & locations?

A

-2.0 mya - 117 ka
-old world distribution

43
Q

One or two species?

A

I think yes

Quantitative
-different cranial robustness
-different measurements of cranium

44
Q

Homo erectus sensu lato (shared traits)

A
  • Much encephalization
  • Long, low cranium
  • Full facial prognathism
  • External nose!
    -intermembral index: 75
    -long femur
    -human like pelvis
45
Q

Endurance running hypothesis

A

he endurance running hypothesis is a series of conjectures which presume humans evolved anatomical and physiological adaptations to run long-distances

used for hunting, avoiding other predators

46
Q

Persistence hunting hypothesis

A

our bipedal hominin ancestors evolved to be exceptional distance runners as a result of selection to run prey animals to exhaustion in the heat of the da

47
Q

Expensive Tissue Hypothesis

A

the metabolic requirement of relatively large brains is offset by a corresponding reduction of the other tissues, such as gut size.

goes hand-in-hand with endurance running and hunting because we needed more meat to sustain such a large brain

48
Q

Stone tool (lithic) technologies

A

lithic technology includes a broad array of techniques used to produce usable tools from various types of stone.

49
Q

Hypotheses for pan-African and Eurasian dispersal of Homo erectus

A

Intrinsic
- Relating to essential features of the organism itself

Extrinsic
- Relating to factors external to the organism

50
Q

Intrinsic hypothesis

A

Intrinsic
* Large body size X
* Large brain X
* Tooluse X
* Human-like
intermembral index
* Flexible behavior
* Increased meat
consumption

51
Q

Extrinsic hypothesis

A
  • Escape from disease X
  • Normal mammalian
    dispersal X
  • Following predators X
  • Following prey X
  • Demographic pressure
  • Environmental
    influence
52
Q

Homo heidelbergensis
Dates
Location(s)

A

-600 Ka – 200 Ka
-old world dispersal

53
Q

Dispersal hypotheses

A

-Multiregional hypothesis
Multiregional Evolution
-Recent African Origins

54
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
Dates
Location(s)

A

-230 ka - 30 ka
- Southern Europe and Asia

55
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
Important derived traits

A

-large face
-occipital bun
-HUGE nasal aperture
-swept back cheek bones
-no chin
-retromolar gap
-heavy wear on front teeth
-large body mass
-intermembral index of around 70

56
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
life history

A

-matured faster than humans

57
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
Lithic technologies

A

Mousterian and Levallois technique

58
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
Diet

A

nitrogen isotopes (putrified meat)

59
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
hunting

A

distribution of injuries similar to rodeo riders or agricultural workers

60
Q

Homo neanderthalensis
art and culture

A

-symbolic art
-burial of the dead
-probably could speak to some degree

61
Q

The hobbit: Homo floresiensis
Dates
Location(s)

A

-100-60 Ka
-Liang Bua, Flores Island

62
Q

The hobbit: Homo floresiensis
important traits

A
  • small brain
    -no chin
    -slightly prognathic
    -scapula positioned more on the side
    -humerus with little torsion
    -long arms
    -flaring iliac blade
    -short femur
    -Australopith body proportions, except with larger feet
63
Q

Which hypothesis regarding H. floresiensis is best supported?

A
  1. It is pathological (Homo sapiens)
    -asymmetry
    -probably not because they don’t have any modern syndrome that would cause this
  2. It is an island dwarf form of Homo erectus
    -most likely because of island rules (large animals get smaller and small animals get larger)
  3. It evolved from a species before Homo erectus
    -no real evidence. what did it evolve from?
64
Q

The human: Homo sapiens
Dates
Location(s)

A
  • 315(195) Ka – present
  • all over!!
65
Q

The human: Homo sapiens
important traits

A

Cranial capacity: 1200-1500cm3
Skull short (front to back)
Skull tall (top to bottom)
Rounded cranium
Orthognathic
Short face
Flexed cranium
Vertical forehead
Canine fossa
Chin!

66
Q

Dispersals- timing of the earliest occurrences in different regions:

A

Africa
Middle East
Australia
Asia
Europe
The Americas

67
Q

What is forensics?

A

The use of scientific methods in solving crimes and in legal settings

68
Q

Why are statistics so important for forensics?

A

allows for classifications, even for unknowns

69
Q

Identification of the four main biological identifiers

A

Ancestry
Sex
Age
Stature

70
Q

Idiosyncratic variation

A

those factors that produce variations in human/system response to the problem situatio

71
Q

Behavioral indicators

A

osteopathlogical signs of certain behaviors (diet, abuse, etc)

72
Q

Pathology & disease

A

way to identify what happened to an individual during their life