Human Evolution - Ch 57 - Origins of Cultural Evolution

Question 1

Do non-human apes use tools too?

Answer 1

yes, including orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees

—though complex tool use may be considered a unique synapomorphic character state for Hominina

Question 2

What are the three types of tools used by Hominina?

Answer 2

1. Olduwan (2.6-1.7 mya)
2. Acheulian (1.6-0.3 mya)
3. Mousterian (0.3-0.04 mya)

Question 3

Olduwan tools are characterized with…

Answer 3

Australopithecus garhi, maybe Homo habilis

-flakes and cores used for sharpening and pounding, and digging for tubers + roots

Question 4

Acheulian tools are characterized with…

Answer 4

Homo ergaster

-hand axes for butchering — for skinning, severing joints, etc. of large prey

Question 5

Mousterian tools are characterized with…

Answer 5

H. neanderthalensis

-for full-scale hunting large animals

Question 6

Homo sapiens made weapons and refined tools when?

Answer 6

40-10 kya

Question 7

What was cooking and controlling fire good for?

Answer 7

• softening tough plant and meat materials
• destroyed potential pathogens
• protection against predators at night

Question 8

As a result of cooking, what happened to jaw musculature in Homo?

Answer 8

jaw musculature reduced

-evidence: MYH16 gene, involved in myosin proteins (we have a mutant version with a deletion)

Question 9

In non-human apes, the hardening of the skull (ossification) finishes by childhood. When does it finish in humans, comparatively?

Answer 9

later, by age 20.

Question 10

With increased brain size, what happens to the metabolic costs?

Answer 10

they also increase

Question 11

Brain case ossification may be delayed in humans since

Answer 11

humans don’t have large jaws, selection toward ossification would have been eliminated

Question 12

What body part constrained newborn baby size in humans?

Answer 12

pelvic girdle size and shape

Question 13

Human fur loss may be linked to…?

Answer 13

clothing