Human Evolution 3.6 Flashcards
What is the Oldowan era of tool culture?
- The first era, used by ‘Homo habilis’
- Used very simple tools with a few flakes removed
- Used to chop and scrap
Explain the Acheulian era of tool culture
- First used by ‘homo erectus’ and ‘archaic homosapiens’
- Bi-faced, and teardrop shaped
- More crafted than Oldowan tools, more chips
- Tools took much longer to make
- Hand axes and cleavers exist
- Made for specific tasks/jobs
Explain the Mousterian era of tool culture
- First used by Neanderthals
- Sophisticated tools that were finely worked (made of stone but used other materials for extra control)
- Required high levels of skills and time to learn and make
Explain the Upper Paleolithic era of tool culture
- First used by ‘Homo Sapiens’ and ‘Neanderthals’
- Tool making techniques further refined
- Most edges sharpened for cutting
- Large variety of tools for many different purposes
- Tools shaped to fit into handles
- Tools also made out of other materials (guts, bone, plant fiber)
- Tools include needles, nets, snares
- Allowed hunters to kill much larger prey and process it quickly and preserve food
- Animals’ hides would be stretched over wood to make tent-type structures + cloths
Why did humans evolve from nomadic hunter-gathers to staying in one place?
They followed herds and eventually learned to domesticate animals and farm
What did the evolution of farming & domestication lead to?
- Gave greater variety of food, better quality, closer by
- goats, sheep then pigs were domesticated
- Subsequently, dwellings became larger and more permanent
What are the adaptive advantages of farming?
- Food supply is easier to obtain and more dependable
- Fewer people die of starvation or work
- Specialised skills outside of food able to be developed, benefitting the whole group
- More skill -> permanent settlements near water -> more food than needed ->trading
- More time to develop creative cultural skills (art, pottery)
-Made technological advancements (wheels, plows, hoes), led to the industrial revolution
What are the disadvantages of farming?
-Their diet is restricted to what could be grown
-Dependent on the weather for crop growth
- Growing crops is time-consuming
- People began to fight over ownership of animals and territory
- Due to a higher population that is closer together (no longer nomadic) diseases spread quickly eg. rats, fleas, viruses
What hominin first discovered fire?
Homo Erectus
What were the adaptive advantages of fire?
- Cooking makes food softer and easier to eat
- Kills many microbes reducing the risk of disease
- Helps keep predators away allowing gathering safety and stability
- Warmth allows cooler areas to be explored
- Source of light -> extended daylength -> more time to hunt & make tools -> hunts are more successful -> more “free time” for social interactions
Explain the Spinal arch shape change and the advantages of this
C shape -> S Shape
This moves the center of gravity above the knees which provides cushioning and improves balance for bipedal walking.
Explain the difference in knee angles and the advantages of this
Femur angled into knee -> knee angled inwards (valgus angle)
This means that the human knee sits closer to the center of gravity, meaning more efficient bipedal walking due to a lack of need to sway from side to side. Apes femurs angle into their knees which means they lose balance when they lift one foot up, needing to swing to balance.
Explain the difference in feet and the advantages of this
Opposable big toe & flat feet -> Forward facing big toe & arched feet
A forward-facing big toe and arched feet act as shock absorbers and allow humans to spring off their feet for more efficient walking. Apes are able to grip things with their opposable big toe but this is not needed for bipedal humans that have hands.
Explain the difference between pelvis shapes and the advantages of this
Longer, narrow pelvis -> Bowl shaped pelvis
This improves balance and support of the upper body in a bipedal skeleton, as the gluteus maximus is positioned behind humans not on the side of apes. This reduces the ebergy of side to side walking that apes use, making it more efficient for humans. Humans are too small for babies head which is why they uniquely engage in assisted birth
Explain the evolution of the sagittal crest and why
Saggital crest -> non existent
This is because the sagittal crest is at the center top of the skull and is where jaw muscles attach. A large jaw requires a large sagittal crest but humans jaws will never be that big so it is nonexistent.
