Intro to Biological Anthropology Flashcards
4 branches of anthropology
- cultural anthropology
- archaeology
- linguistic anthropology
- biological anthropology
biological anthropology
the study of human biological evolution and biocultural variation
biocultural variation
differences across human beings
two key concepts that biological anthropology uses
- all humans are a product of evolutionary history (nature)
2. all humans are products of their individual life histories (nurture)
what are the six big events that made humans different
- Bipedalism
- loss of honing canine
- material culture and tools
- hunting
- speech/language
- domestication
humans are the only mammals that walk…`
on two legs all the time during our adult life
why did the adaptation of bipedalism occur
not clear, but its one of our oldest adaptations and is fundamental to being human
what does the loss of the honing canine suggest
evolutionary change in diet, mating and social strategy
what is a likely reason that the loss of the honing canine occurred
being able to walk on two legs earlier freed up hands, allowing us to do things other primates normally do with teeth such as breaking up food and fighting
australopithecus anamensis
species that existed roughly 3.8 million years ago, evolved to be human like but we don’t know where they fit in the family tree
australopithecus anamensis importance
shows clear evidence for first two big changes in human evolution- bipedalism and loss of honing canines
importance of humans evolving to use tools and material culture
behavioural changes allowed ancestors to survive and be more human like- start of human technological innovation
use of tools isn’t unique to humans but…
sharpening stone to make simple tools is
what did humans do before hunting
scavenging carcasses
hunting is not unique to humans BUT…
only humans regularly use sophisticated tools to hunt
