Human fossil record

Question 1

what are the hominin genus we need to know

Answer 1

ardipithecus, australopithecus and homo

Question 2

ardipithecus

Answer 2

very early hominin, lived 4.4 mya, exihibits both ape and non-ape like features

Question 3

features of ardipithecus

Answer 3

ape-like teeth, narrower molar teeth capped with thin enamel, size of modern chimps, sexual dimorphism

Question 4

environment of ardipithecus

Answer 4

lived in shady forests rather than the savannah

Question 5

austtalopitthecus

Answer 5

primitive hominin, lived 4-2mya

Question 6

what fossil provides evidence of australopithecus

Answer 6

lucy (australopithecus afarensis), dated as 3.2 mya

Question 7

what are the two australopithecus

Answer 7

australopithecus afarensis and australopithecus africanus

Question 8

australopithecus afarensis

Answer 8

3.9-2.9 mya, found in africa

Question 9

features of australopithecus afarensis

Answer 9

slender build, reduced canines and molars but larger teeth than humans, small brain, projecting face, human femur and pelvis

Question 10

where australopithecus afarensis exclusively bipedal

Answer 10

the anatomy of the hnds feet and shoulder joints favour tree climbing, toe bones and finger allow to efficientluy grasp branches

Question 11

australopithecus africanus

Answer 11

2-3mya, thought to have been a direct ancestor of modern huumans

Question 12

how does australopithecus africanus compare to australopithecus afarensis

Answer 12

more human like cranium, permitting a larger brain and human like facial features

Question 13

what are the different homos

Answer 13

homo habillis, homo erectus, homo heidelbergensis, homo neandethalensis, homo spaiens, homo denisovans, homo floresiensis

Question 14

homo habilis

Answer 14

2.4 mya, found in africa, first to use tools

Question 15

homo erectus

Answer 15

2mya - 300,000ya, fossils in and out of africa

Question 16

behavioural features of homo erectus

Answer 16

controlled use of fire, elaborate stone tools, make noise, buried their dead

Question 17

structural featurees of homo erectus

Answer 17

protruding jaw, marked brow ridge

Question 18

homo heidelbergensis

Answer 18

400,000-40,000 ya, intermediate between homo erectus and homo sapiens, fossils ffound in and out of africa

Question 19

homo neanderthallensis

Answer 19

120,000-35,000 ya, existed and interbreed with homospaiens

Question 20

behavioural features ooof neanderthals

Answer 20

crafted fine tools and jewellery, wore clothes, music, carnivorous

Question 21

structural features of neanderthals

Answer 21

large brains, strongly built, wide skull, sloping forehead and heavy brow ridge

Question 22

theories on why neanderthals became extinct

Answer 22

unable to compete with homo spaiens or wiped out by disease

Question 23

how long have homo sapiens existed

Answer 23

in africa since 175,000 ya

Question 24

homo florensis

Answer 24

18,000 ya, overlaps with homo spaiens and evolved from homo erectus

Question 25

homo denisovans

Answer 25

40,000 ya, closely related to neanderthals

Question 26

what was the fossil that provided evidence of denisovans

Answer 26

bone fragments and associated artefacts discovered in siberia in 2010, mitochondrial dna was extracted from a single bone and sequenced

Question 27

how is africa the cradle of humanity

Answer 27

no prehuman hominins or australopithecine fossils have been found outside africa

Question 28

what do all the fossils that have been found of hominins share in common

Answer 28

are very few and are incomplete

Question 29

why does the fossilisation of hominins rarely occur

Answer 29

fossilisation iis a rare event, hominins dont live in places where fossilisation occurs, hominins have behaviours that make dossilisation unlikely and homins have not been around for long, species only live for a short period of time

Question 30

what are the two reasons for an incomplete fossil record

Answer 30

complete fossil of an incomplete specimen and incomplete fossil of a complete specimen

Question 31

complete fossil of an incomplete specimen

Answer 31

specimen may have been subject to movement/washed away before fossilisation has occured

Question 32

incomplete fossil of a complete specimen

Answer 32

the whole individual may have been fossilised but then subjected to earth movements or erosion

Question 33

how is the fossil record incomplete

Answer 33

because we lack the fossils to complete the story of hominin evolution, fossils are still out there but havent been discovered yet

Question 34

why is the evolution of humans still unknown

Answer 34

different palentologists may interpret the same evidence in different ways. the hominin evolutionary tree is highly branched and subject to change when new hominin fossils are discovered

Question 35

what evidence shows that homo spaiens and neanderthals interbreed

Answer 35

nuclear DNA studies show that 1-4% of the human genome is identical to DNA found in neanderthals. neanderthal fossil contained a sigificant amount of human DNA not found in other naeanderthal populations

Question 36

what is the fossil that established homo denisova

Answer 36

bone fragments found in siberia 2010, dated as 40,000 yo

Question 37

homo luzonesis

Answer 37

a relatively small bodied hominin ancestor 50,000-70,000ya

Question 38

what fossil provided evidence of homo luzonesis

Answer 38

2007 fossil found in the northern parts of luzon, dated as 67,000 ya