Human Evoloution Flashcards
The name for the hole in the base of the Skull through which the Spinal Cord passes through
Foramen Magnum
The gap in the Dental arcade between the Upper Canine and Premolar found in Great Apes
Diastema
The first Hominin to use fire and spread out of Africa
Homo Erectus
The earliest stone tool culture
Oldowan
The angle between the Femur and the vertical when Femur is in normal position
Valgus Angle
The bipedal Apes and their ancestors
Hominin
The tool consisting of a core with a flattened stone with two faces made by Homo erectus
Acheulian
The first Hominin to use tools, also known as Handyman
Homo habilis
The word to describe the great apes, humans and their ancestors
Hominoids
The type of evolution were things are taught/ learned and not passed on in the DNA
Cultural
evolution
The brain centre responsible for interpreting speech
Wernicke’s area
The Group of Hominin that were initially called archaic Homo sapiens and was the first with firm evidence for systematic hunting
Homo heidelbergensis
The part of the brain that articulates with the first vertebra
Occipital condyle
The name for the fine stone tools which include flakes, scrapers and spears with attached handles
Mousterian
The group of Hominin that first buried the dead and cared for the old
Homo neanderthalensis
the type of evolution that is passed on through our DNA
Biological Evolution
The area of the brain that is most enlarged in apes, most of all in humans
Cerebrum
The shape of the pelvis in bipedal organisms
Bowl shaped
The crest along the top of the skull
Sagittal
The first animal to be domesticated
Dog
The scientific name for “Lucy” the first to probable walk upright
Australopithecus afarensis
The name for the culture that included the Oldowan and Acheulian together. Also called ‘Old Stone Age’
Lower Palaeolithic
The name for the Neanderthal tool culture
Mousterian
The later phase of the Old Stone Age
Upper Palaeolithic
A tool made of more than one kind of material
Composite
The theory that modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated to Europe and Asia, displacing other earlier species
‘Out of Africa’
The first species to make and use needles
Homo sapiens
The view that modern humans evolved independently in Africa, Europe and Asia
Multiregional
Heavy bone over the eye which reduces the stresses in the skull and lower jaw involved with chewing
Brow Ridge
This means ‘having a
snout/muzzle’
Prognathism
Another name for the Out of Africa hypothesis
Replacement hypothesis or Eve hypothesis
Gap through which large jaw muscles pass
Zygomatic arch
What do ice ages do to the seas water levels?
Lowers water level creating land bridges between islands
Why can Y chromosomes be used to show patterns of evolution?
Because it is passed on only to sons and isn’t affected by recombination
How can mtDNA and Y chromosome DNA be altered?
Through mutations
What is mtDN?
Mitochondrial DNA which is only passed
on to daughters
recombination
the exchange of genetic material between different organisms
How did Australopithecus obtain food?
Scavenging what they found
How did tools help Hominin survive?
Allowed more diverse animals to be killed and processed
What does cooking he food do to it?
Softens it, kill microbes
What where the Advantages of Fire
Cooks food, hardens tools, lengthens day,kept warm, keeps predators away
How did the position of the foramen magnum change when Hominin became bipedal?
Moved from the lower back of skull towards the centre
What is the name for the differences observed between male and female skeletons?
Sexual Dimorphism
Over time how did the prognathic muzzle change?
It reduced
Over time how did the brain size of the Hominin change?
Brain size increased
What is the difference in the shape of the spine in modern apes and human?
c-shaped apes s-shaped humans
Why is the Out of Africa hypothesis also called replacement hypothesis?
When they moved out of Africa, they out competed any Hominin they came into contact with, making them extinct
How did the feet change when we became bipedal?
Forward facing big toe, arched, big toe attached
What are the advantages of being bipedal?
Taller so can see predators / food, hands free to carry food/ young / tools, more efficient cooling
What do Lower Palaeolithic – Oldowan tools look like?
Pebbles with flakes knocked off one edge
What do Lower Palaeolithic – Acheulian tools look like?
Tear drop shaped pebbles
How has cultural evolution changed over time?
Tools better, use of shelter, abstract thought, imagination, domestication of animals / plants
What are the Middle Palaeolithic tools?
Mousterian and scrapers axe heads
What does the evidence of Cave drawings, burial of dead, planned hunting groups indicate?
The ability for abstract thought
How did the tools change over time?
They became more refined and more worked
What are the Upper Palaeolithic tools?
Needles, fish hocks made from bone and wood
Living in trees is called….
Arboreal
All primates can grip objects with a ______ grip
Power grip
only humans have a ______ grip.
Precision grip
What are the advantages of a shorter pelvis?
It is stronger & able to tilt and rotate during walking
What shape/ dental arcade is the jaw in apes?
rectangular or U-shape.
What shape/ dental arcade is the jaw in humans?
Parabola
Using the Multiregional Hypothesis when did our ancestors leave Africa?
About 1 million years ago
What is the name of the process where one change reinforces another?
Positive Feedback
Using the Replacement Hypothesis when do they think our ancestors left Africa?
About 200,000 years ago
Advantages of Bipedilism
Free hands,for carring things,Thermoregulation,Energy efficiency,See further.
Disadvantages of Bipedilism
Smaller pelvis made giving birth difficult,Back ache.
Assimilation theory
Modern humans evolved in Africa and interbred with other hominins who left Africa earlier as they migrated
