test 2

Question 1

biocultural evolution

Answer 1

the mutual, interactive evolution of human biology and culture; the concept that biology makes culture possible and that developing culture further influences the direction of biological evolution; a basic concept in understanding the unique components of human evolution.

Question 2

applied anthropology

Answer 2

the practical application of anthropology and archaeological theories and techniques. For example, many biological anthropologists work in the public health sector.

Question 3

ethnographies

Answer 3

Detailed descriptive studies of human societies. In cultural anthropology, an ethnography is traditionally the study of non-Western society.

Question 4

artifacts

Answer 4

objects or materials made or modified for use by hominins. The earliest artifacts are usually tools made of stone or, occasionally, bone.

Question 5

paleoanthropology

Answer 5

the interdisciplinary approach to the study of earlier hominins- their chronology, physical structure, archaeological remains, habitats, and so on.

Question 6

DNA

Answer 6

the double-stranded molecule that contains the genetic code. DNA is a main component o chromosomes.

Question 7

osteology

Answer 7

the study of skeletal material. Human osteology focuses on the interpretation of the skeletal remains from acheaological sites, skeletal anatomy, bone physiology, and growth and development. Some of the same techniques are used in paleoanthropology to study early hominins

Question 8

bioarchaeology

Answer 8

the study of skeletal remains from archaeological sites.

Question 9

paelopathology

Answer 9

the branch of osteology that studies in evidence of disease and injury in human skeletal (or occasionally, mummified) remains from achaeological sites.

Question 10

forensic anthropology

Answer 10

an applied anthropological approach dealing with legal matters. Forensic anthropologists work with coroners and others in identifying and analyzing human remains

Question 11

primatology

Answer 11

the study of the biology and behavior of nonhuman primates (lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes).

Question 12

science

Answer 12

a body of knowledge gained through observation and experimentation from the Latin scientia; meaning “knowledge.”

Question 13

hypothesis

Answer 13

a provisional explanation of a phenonemon. Hypotheses require verification or falsification through testing.

Question 14

empirical

Answer 14

relying on experiment or observation; from the latin “empiricus” meaning “experienced”

Question 15

scientific method

Answer 15

an approach to research whereby a problem is identified, a hypothesis is stated, and that hypothesis is tested by collecting and analyzing data.

Question 16

data

Answer 16

facts from which conclusions can be drawn; scientific information

Question 17

quantitatively

Answer 17

pertaining to measurements of quantity and including such properties as size, number, and capacity. When data are quantified, they’re expressed numerically and can be tested statistically.

Question 18

theory

Answer 18

a broad statement of scientific relationships or underlying principles that has been substantially verified through the testing of hypothesis.

Question 19

scientific testing

Answer 19

the precise repetition of an experiment or expansion of observed data to provide verification; the procedure by which hypotheses and theories are verified, modified, or discarded

Question 20

quadrupedal

Answer 20

using all four limbs to support the body during locomotion; the basic mammalian form of locomotion.

Question 21

ethnocentric

Answer 21

viewing other cultures from the inherently biased perspective of one;s own culture. Ethnocentrism often results in other cultures being seen as inferior to one’s own.

Question 22

relativistic

Answer 22

viewing entities as they relate to something else. Cultural relativism is the view that cultures have merits within their own historical and environmental contexts.

Question 23

natural selection

Answer 23

the most critical mechanism of evolutionary change, first described by Charles Darwin; refers to genetic change or changes in the frequencies of certain traits in populations due to differential reproductive success between individuals.

Question 24

fixity of species

Answer 24

the notion that species, once created, can never change; an idea diametrically opposed to theories of biological evolution

Question 25

reproductively isolated

Answer 25

pertaining to groups of organisms that, mainly because of genetic differences, are prevented from mating and producing offspring with members of other such groups. For example, dogs cannot mate and produce offspring with cats.

Question 26

binomial nomenclature

Answer 26

in taxonomy, the convention established by Carolus Linnaeus whereby genus and species names are used to refer to species.

Question 27

taxonomy

Answer 27

the branch of science concerned with the rules of classifying organisms on the basis of evolutionary relationships.

Question 28

catastrophism

Answer 28

the view that the earth’s geological landscape is the result of violent, cataclysmic events. Cuvier promoted this view especially in opposition to Lamarck.

Question 29

uniformitarianism

Answer 29

the theory that the earth’s features are the result of long-term processes that continue to operate in the present just as they id in the past. Elaborated nu Lyell, this theory opposed catastrophism and contributed strongly to the concept of immense geological time.

Question 30

fitness

Answer 30

Pertaining to natural selection, a measure of the relative reproductive success of individuals. Fitness can be measured by an individual’s genetic contribution to the next generation compared wit that of other individuals. The terms genetic fitness, reproductive fitness, and differential reproductive success are also used.

Question 31

reproductive success

Answer 31

the number of offspring an individual produces and rears to reproductive age; an individual’s genetic contribution to the next generation.

Question 32

selective pressures

Answer 32

forces in the environment that influence reproductive success in individuals.

Question 33

genome

Answer 33

the entire genetic makeup of an individual species

Question 34

biological continuity

Answer 34

a biological continuum. When expressions of a phenomenon continuously grade into one antoher so that there are no discrete categories, they exist on a continuum. Color is one such phenomenon, and life forms are another