final exam

Question 1

primate sociality and culture

Answer 1

sociality: groups are held together by kin selection (if you help you kin, your evolutionary fitness improves)
–>if you are not bound by kin ties, they tend not to live in same groups
culture: some use tools, teach offspring, games, grooming, hand clasping, food acquisition

Question 2

domestication theories

Answer 2

could humans be self domesticated? this may be the reason why humans live in social groups (this was a selective pressure to be social) this would have benefits such as food sharing, division of labor, protection, healing and caretaking.

Question 3

aspects of culture

Answer 3

ways of life passed down through a population
(art, language, values, religion, societal roles)

Question 4

cultural evolution

Answer 4

idea that cultures evolve (become better and more complex)

Question 5

language definition

Answer 5

language in symbolic speech that is taught, learned, and culturally mediated (spoken, written, or signed)

Question 6

biology of language

Answer 6

wernicke’s area: helps understand language as it is heard
broca’s area: helps brain produce language; controls mouth movement to form words
hyoid bone: must be in correct position and correct form to produce the variety of sounds needed for speech
–>foxP2 gene: precise control of the larynx

Question 7

language cognition

Answer 7

voluntary control of sensory motor systems: (mouthing; FoxP2 gene)
imitation of copying a motor action: (imitate sounds as babies which then becomes paired with a meaning and impacts how information is perceived/conveyed)
theory of mind: attributing mental states to ourselves and others (reflects the thoughts and actions of ourselves and others)

Question 8

primate language

Answer 8

neanderthals argued to have some sort of symbolic thought (art, jewelry, etc)
–>they have a human looking hyoid bone but foxP2 gene was not evolved yet
primates can communicate through olfactory, visually, auditory/vocally, tactile (not necessarily language)

Question 9

dna functions

Answer 9

dna contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive, and reproduce

Question 10

protein synthesis

Answer 10

proteins are synthesized through transcription (makes rna copy of a gene), rna processing (removes introns from RNA, splicing), and translation (rna is read and amino acids are chained together to form proteins/ribosomes)

Question 11

epigenetics

Answer 11

how genes are regulated without changing the underlying sequence

Question 12

genomics

Answer 12

focuses on how the genome works, large parts of the genome like haplogroups
–> a genome: all the genetic material for an organism

Question 13

dtc genetic testing

Answer 13

(direct to consumer) performed without guidance of medical professionals
–>compares consumers DNA to others who use the service
–>often not conclusive

Question 14

anthropologys history of racism

Answer 14

ties to scientific racism (races are based on cranial form variation and skin color, graded based on civilization, biological determinism (behavior determined by genes) eugenics (used to produce a population with desirable, heritable characteristics)

Question 15

early race concepts

Answer 15

races could be decided based on cranial form variation and skin color

Question 16

types of adjustments

Answer 16

race shifted to population because it refers to a group in which individuals are part of the same gene pool

Question 17

adaptations

Answer 17

trait that has become common as a result of natural selection over many generations (inherited and on the population level)
–>in cold weather compact body shape and limbs are shorter, in hot weather narrower body and longer limbs
–>bergmann’s rule: stocky bodies are better in cold climates
–>allen’s rule: shorter appendages are better in cold climates
–>nasal cavity shape varies with humidity and temperature
–>genetic adaptations vary by region
–>skin tone depends on melanin production
–>lactase persistence

Question 18

ancient dna

Answer 18

study of DNA extracted from specimens that died hundreds of years ago, aDNA determine the sex of an indiviudal

Question 19

bioarcheology and forensic anthropology

Answer 19

bioarcheology: Study of human remains from
archaeological context
Forensic anthropology: Application of anthropological
principles to legal and criminal investigations (identify individuals from skeletal remains)

Question 20

steps of skeletal analysis

Answer 20

1.Is it bone?
2.Is it human?
3.Is it modern or archeological?
4.How many individuals are present
(minimum number)?
5.Who is it?
6.Is there evidence of trauma before or
around the time of death?
7.What happened to the remains after
death?

Question 21

biological profile

Answer 21

Sex, Age, Stature, Ancestry, Skeletal variation, Trauma, Pathology

Question 22

skeletal trauma

Answer 22

trauma associated with the death event (antemortem, perimortem, postmortem)
–> can be blunt force, projective, thermal, or sharp force

Question 23

taphonomy

Answer 23

The study of what happens to remains after death

Question 24

NAGPRA

Answer 24

Native American Grave Protection and
Repatriation Act 1990
–>Provides protection and repatriation protocol
for Native American and Native Hawaiian
remains, cultural items, sacred objects (protection for graves on federal/private lands, recognition of tribal authority on the lands, requirement that remains/artifacts be inventoried and groups be notified

Question 25

forensic genetics

Answer 25

genetic tools and scientific methodology to solve criminal and civil litigations (ex. use of genetic testing websites like 23 and me to find ancestors)

Question 26

human decomposition

Answer 26

Informs forensic anthropologists of how long ago an individual may have died or been moved to a different location and traumas (very climate specific which means temp. humidity, oxygen availability, sun wind, and scavenging can affect it)

Question 27

body farms

Answer 27

research facilities where decomposition of humans and animals can be studied

Question 28

archealogical dating methods

Answer 28

stratigraphy grading: Relative dating method, Can be combined with other types of dating, Main dating method (cheapest)
radiocarbon dating:
Absolute dating method, Radioactive carbon 14 breaks down to carbon 13 at a predictable rate, Accuracy depends on preservation, Done on organic material (not fossils→mineralized)
dendrochronology: Absolute dating method, Seasonal effects of growth, 1 ring per year, Mainly used in historical contexts

Question 29

stable isotope analysis

Answer 29

Bones (Where did they grow up),
hair/nail/skin (Where did they live more recently)