Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

physical anthropology ⋆·˚ ༘ * > ˗ˏˋ fossils ´ˎ˗ > Flashcards

˗ˏˋ fossils ´ˎ˗ Flashcards

1
Q

who is mary anning (1799-1847)?

A

studied the excavations of fossilized dinosaurs.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what does it mean to be extant?

A

a species that is still living.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is deep time?

A
  • theory by james hutton’s that said the world was much older than biblical explanations allowed
  • this age could be determined by gradual natural processes like soil erosion
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is continental drift?

A
  • the slow movement of continents over time
  • the appalachian mountains (united states) and caledonian mountains (scotland) fit together
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is uniformitarianism?

A

the theoretical perspective that the geologic processes observed today are the same as the processes operating in the past.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is catastrophism?

A

the theoretical perspective that earth is young and that any changes in the landscape resulted from sudden catastrophic events like volcano eruptions and floods.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what are fossils?

A

mineralized copies of organisms or activity imprints.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

how old is earth?

A
  • roughly over 4.6 billion years old
  • first evidence for a living organism appeared around 3.5 billion years ago (bya)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is a holocene?

A

the geologic epoch from 10 kya to present.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is an anthropocene?

A

the proposed name for our current geologic epoch based on human-driven climate change.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is an eon?

A

the largest subunit of time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is an era?

A

eons are divided into them, units of geologic time that span millions to billions of years and that are subdivided into periods and epochs.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what periods?

A

eras are divided into them, units of geologic time that span millions of years and are subdivided into epochs.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are epochs?

A

periods are divided into them, the smallest unit of geologic time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is pangea?

A
  • supercontinent that existed during the paleozoic era
  • breakup began 200 mya
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is the tectonic plate theory?

A

earth is divided into plates that are capable of movement.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is taphonomy?

A
  • the study of what happens to an organism after death
  • provides insight into culture and evolution
  • deliberate burials often include the body placed in a specific position, such as supine (on the back) with arms crossed over the chest or in a flexed position (think fetal position) facing a particular direction
  • if bones have evidence of a carnivore or rodent gnawing on them, it can be inferred that the remains were exposed to scavengers after death
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are bog bodies?

A
  • bodies preserved in the peaty, waterlogged bogs, typically in northern europe
  • anaerobic (oxygen-free environment)
  • peat bogs are rich in acids and low in oxygen
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what are ice mummies?

A

a specimen of human remains that is naturally mummified by extreme low temperatures (i.e.: otzi).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is fossilization?

A

the process by which an organism becomes a fossil (soft tissues decay while the bones and teeth are preserved).

21
Q

what is sediment accumulation?

A
  • provides the pressure needed for mineralization to take place.
  • includes lithification (pressure of sediments squeeze extra water out of decaying remains and replace the voids that appear with minerals from the surrounding soil and groundwater)
  • also includes permineralization (when minerals from water impregnate or replace organic remains, leaving a fossilized copy of the organism)
22
Q

what are plant fossils?

A

includes fern, petrified wood.

23
Q

what are human/animal fossils?

A

fossils of humans or animals.

24
Q

what are asphalt fossils?

A
  • sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum
  • la brea tar pit
  • can trap megafauna (large animals)
25
Q

what role does igneous rock play in fossils?

A
  • rocks that form when magma (molten rock) cools and crystallizes
  • although most fossils are found in sedimentary rock, it is possible for fossils to be in this type of rock
26
Q

what are trace fossils?

A
  • fossilized remains of activity such as footprints
  • laetoli footprints (found in tanzania, early hominin footprints (3.6 mya), three hominins walked across, australopithecus afarensis (lucy and friends), walked across wet volcanic ash, were probably bipedal, modern gait, short stride, possible family organization.
27
Q

what are pseudofossils?

A

natural rocks or mineral formations that can be mistaken for fossils.

28
Q

what is relative dating?

A

dating methods that do not result in numbers of years but, rather, in relative timelines wherein some organisms or artifacts are older or younger than others.

29
Q

what is stratigraphy?

A
  • relative dating method that is based on ordered layers or (strata) that build up over time
  • biostratigraphy (uses other plant and animal remains occurring in the stratigraphic context to establish time depth)
30
Q

what is the law of superposition?

A

scientific law that states that rock and soil are deposited in layers, with the youngest layers on top and the oldest layers on the bottom.

31
Q

what is cultural dating?

A

relative dating method that arranges human-made artifacts in a time frame from oldest to youngest based on material, production technique, style, and other features.

32
Q

what is fluorine dating?

A

relative dating method that analyzes the absorption of fluorine in bones from the surrounding soils; a type of chemical dating.

33
Q

what is piltdown man?

A
  • in 912, charles dawson of england “discovered” him (eoanthropus dawsoni)
  • claimed to be the “missing link” between humans and apes
  • ckull had a large bulbous cranium like modern humans, but a primitive apelike jaw and teeth
  • accepted as scientifically accurate for 40 years; disproved in 1953
  • created out of: 2-3 medieval humans and the jaw from a modern bornean orangutan, pongo pygmaeus
34
Q

what is chronometric dating?

A

dating methods that give estimated numbers of years for artifacts and sites.

35
Q

what are atoms?

A

smallest building block of matter.

36
Q

what are stable isotopes?

A
  • variants of elements that do not change over time without outside interference
  • can be unstable (variants of elements that spontaneously change into stable isotopes over time)
37
Q

what is radioactive decay?

A

the process of transforming the atom by spontaneously releasing energy.

38
Q

what is radiocarbon dating?

A
  • the chronometric dating method based on the radioactive decay of 14C in organic remains
  • 4N + cosmic rays converts into 14C
  • 14C absorbed by plants during photosynthesis
  • 14C has a half-life of 5,730 years
  • 14C can only be used on remains of biological organisms
39
Q

what is potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating?

A

a chronometric dating method that measures the ratio of argon gas in volcanic rock to estimate time elapsed since the volcanic rock cooled and solidified.

40
Q

what is fission track dating?

A

a chronometric dating technique based on analyses of the damage trails, or tracks, left by fission fragments in certain uranium-bearing minerals and glasses.

41
Q

what is luminescence dating?

A

the chronometric dating method based on the buildup of background radiation in pottery, clay, and soils.

42
Q

what is dendrochronology?

A

a chronometric dating method that uses the annual growth of trees to build a timeline into the past.

43
Q

what is amino acid racemization?

A

a chronometric dating method that measures the ratio of l-form to d-form amino acids in shell, bone, and teeth to establish elapsed time since death.

44
Q

what is paleomagnetic/geomagnetic reversal?

A

periods in earth’s history when magnetic north and south move significantly from their current positions.

45
Q

what are sediment cores?

A

core samples taken from lake beds or other water sources for analysis of their pollen.

46
Q

what is diet environmental reconstruction?

A
  • stable isotope analysis (bones and teeth)
  • plants: carbon analyses
  • ratios of stable nitrogen isotopes
47
Q

what is migration environmental reconstruction?

A
  • isotopic signatures
  • information on where individuals lived
48
Q

who is naia?

A
  • yucatán peninsula, mexico
  • 15-16 yr old female
  • 11,000 years ago, know this from radiocarbon dating of her tooth enamel
  • poor nutrition
  • injury (healed spiral fracture of her left forearm)
  • skeleton is incomplete, it is more complete than any other “new world skeleton” ever found.

physical anthropology ⋆·˚ ༘ * (23 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions