Flashcards

Question 1

How old are Homo sapiens as a species?

Answer 1

At least 300,000 years old

Question 2

What are six of the characteristics of a Homo sapiens?

Answer 2

1.) Total bipedalism
2.) Large Brains
3.) Our Bodies
4.) Use of Tools
5.) Use of Fire/Shelters
6.) Use of Symbols

Question 3

How long have humans (hominins) existed?

Answer 3

7 million years

Question 4

According to the savanna hypothesis, why did our ancestors develop the trait of partial bipedalism?

Answer 4

In order to better avoid predators as they crossed the increased amount of grasslands that were now in their environment.

Question 5

What three activities did the earliest hominins (7MYA - 4MYA) probably spend 86% of their day doing?

Answer 5

Eating/foraging, resting, and sleeping

Question 6

What new traits did early hominins develop around 4MYA that turned them into Australopiths?

Answer 6

• Bigger Brains
• Taller Height
• Mostly Bipedal
• Use of Tools

Question 7

According to the Weak Ape Theory, what caused the earliest hominins to evolve into Australopiths?

Answer 7

As the savanna increased - being taller, bigger brained, and more bipedal helped our ancestors better hide and avoid predators as they crossed savanna grasslands.

Question 8

What characteristics of a reliable source did Raymond Dart’s Killer Ape Theory not have?

Answer 8

No bias
Backed by reliable sources

Question 9

What did Australopiths do to get enough food once they were more bipedal and less capable of getting food in trees?

Answer 9

They scavenged meat off of the bones of animals killed by savanna predators.

Question 10

Why did Australopiths evolve to make and use tools (like the stone flake)?

Answer 10

To carve the meat off of the bones of animals they scavenged

Question 11

What four traits must a hominin have to be considered a member of the genus Homo?

Answer 11

• Big Brain
• Totally Bipedal
• Use of Tools
• Most/all of features of H. sapiens bodies

Question 12

Why do historians struggle to create theories about how Australopiths evolved into the first members of the genus Homo?

Answer 12

We have almost no primary sources or bones from that time period.

Question 13

How old is the genus Homo?

Answer 13

2.8 million years old

Question 14

How did our planet change when the Ice Age began?

Answer 14

• The temperature of the planet dropped
• Large glaciers formed around our planet
• Water levels of the planet decreased

Question 15

During Ice Ages, what happens about every 100,000 years?

Answer 15

10,000 year long “Interglacial” periods where the temperature increases, glaciers shrink, and water level increase

Question 16

By 1.8 MYA, what did some Homo habilis in Eastern Africa do in response to the start of the Ice Age?

Answer 16

Migrated out of Africa to Western Asia.

Question 17

How did migrating to Western Asia impact the Homo habilis that moved there?

Answer 17

Caused them to evolve into a new species - Homo ergaster

Question 18

How was Homo ergaster different from Homo habilis?

Answer 18

Larger Brain
More advanced tools
More H. Sapiens-like Body (Taller, Longer Legs, Shorter Arms)

Question 19

Why did Homo ergaster develop these traits?

Answer 19

Made them better able to avoid predators

Question 20

What are the four theories on why Homo habilis migrated out of Africa?

Answer 20

1.) Ice Age decreased food supplies, so they moved to new environments to find food

2.) Land bridges between continents made it easier to travel outside of Africa

3.) Being totally bipedal made it better able to travel long distances.

4.) Larger brains could help them deal with unfamiliar environments

Question 21

What three places did Homo ergaster migrate to by 1.6 million years ago?

Answer 21

1.) China
2.) Indonesia
3.) Eastern Africa

Question 22

Upon arriving in Eastern Africa, Homo ergaster began to get its food through what technique?

Answer 22

Persistence Hunting

Question 23

What evidence supports the theory that Homo ergaster was the first of our ancestors to hunt for food?

Answer 23

• Had arched feet
• Had darker skin tone (because it lost fur in order to run without overheating)
• Used fire (to keep itself warm without fur & cook meats to use less energy)

Question 24

A random DNA mutation can give a child a helpful trait that makes them better fit for their environment.

What three things makes a species better for fit for their environment?

Answer 24

Better able to find food, avoid predators, and resist disease.

Question 25

Why did women specialize in gathering and men specialize in hunting?

Answer 25

Hunting takes a lot of time to learn how to do, would have caused women to have less/no children to complete

Question 26

What is the name for the era of human existence that began when humans began to use stone tools?

Answer 26

The Paleolithic Era / Old Stone Age

Question 27

True or False - When our ancestors started live the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, they stopped foraging for food.

Answer 27

False - Our ancestors still foraged for about 70% of their calories

Question 28

What often changes that kickstarts the evolution of a species?

Answer 28

Their environment changes

Question 29

What is it that increased in quantity in Homo ergaster’s skin that shielded their skin cells from UV light and turned their skin tone darker?

Answer 29

Melanin

Question 30

What was dangerous for our hominin ancestors about savanna grasslands?

Answer 30

Savanna grasslands are home to many predators.