The roots of biology

Question 1

what types of working knowledge did hunter gatherer people need?

Answer 1

animal biology such as habits of animals, migration, behaviour, internal anatomy, how best to kill them

Question 2

What else did hunter gatherers need?

Answer 2

knowledge of plant diversity and use: plants as food, plant as medicines, plants as weapons, tools and construction materials

Question 3

Roots of biology in agriculture:

domestication of plants and animals meant what?

Answer 3

that their reproduction fell under the control of people which lead to artificial selection

Question 4

What does artificial selection lead into?

Answer 4

deliberate selective breeding for altered characteristics

Question 5

domesticated plants arose by what?

Answer 5

both unintentional and intentional selection

traits that were selected during plant domestication

Question 6

increased biological knowledge lead to what?

Answer 6

agriculture, the domestication of wild plants and the production of new varieties of plants required much biological knowledge

Question 7

Domestication of animals involved what?

Answer 7

keeping animals alive rather than hunting and killing them, this would have required knowledge of nutrition, breeding, behaviour and disease

Question 8

Roots of biology in early medicine?

what were the subdivisions in early civilization?

Answer 8

pharmacology, surgery and magic and religion, usually done by different practitioners

Question 9

wheat and corn can do what?

Answer 9

self pollinate

Question 10

wild almonds before domestication had what?

Answer 10

cyanide in them

Question 11

domestication has what affect on seeds?

Answer 11

increase size

Question 12

horse chestnuts need what?

Answer 12

a period of cold before it will germinate

Question 13

Glutens in bread wheat are what?

Answer 13

are stretchy proteins that allow bread to rise

Question 14

assyrians discovered what?

Answer 14

pollination a female date palm

Question 15

How were physician organized in early Egypt?

Answer 15

among elite, and were organized into a hierarchy, from chief physician to bandager

Question 16

Imhotep did what?

Answer 16

Was an architect, physician, polymath , might have witten surgical texts. was the first non royal to get named in the hitory books

Question 17

Asclepios was what?

Answer 17

Greek god of medicine

Question 18

Edwin smith papyrus was what?

Answer 18

one of the first medical record

Question 19

How did knowledge of animal and plant biology prove critical to early hunter-gatherer populations?

Answer 19

For survival. Needed to know the behaviour, anatomy, and migratory patterns of animals as well as the many uses of plants as food, tools, construction materials, and medicine.

Question 20

What main process affected the earliest domesticated animals (and continues to affect domesticated animals today)?

Answer 20

Artificial selection

Question 21

What are 5 examples of traits which were selected for during the domestication of plants?

Answer 21

1. Non-shattering inflorescences
2. Higher-yield
3. Removal of toxins
4. Fruit size
5. Characteristics (ex: glutens in some wheat which allow bread to rise)

***and any more you can think of!

Question 22

What ancient culture is thought to have discovered the ability of some plants to reproduce sexually? Which species was this first observed in?

Answer 22

It is thought that ancient Assyrians first used this knowledge to pollinate date palms by hand.

Question 23

What knowledge is needed to domesticate animals that would not have been needed by hunter-gatherers?

Answer 23

How to keep animals alive (nutrition, breeding, behaviour, diseases, etc.).

Question 24

What type of animal is the easiest to domesticate?

Answer 24

Herd animals which have a dominant individual.

Question 25

What were some of the common subdivisions of medicine in early civilizations?

Answer 25

Pharmacology, surgery, magic, and religion.

Question 26

How did medical practitioners fit into the ancient Egyptian social framework? How were they organized?

Answer 26

High up in the caste system, organized into a specific hierarchy.

Question 27

Who was Imhotep?

Answer 27

The first person in historical record who wasn’t royal. Disciple of many scientific fields and deified after his death.

Question 28

What Greek god might be derived from the earlier deification of Imhotep?

Answer 28

Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine.

Question 29

What is contained within the Edwin Smith papyrus?

Answer 29

48 case histories regarding the treatment of traumatic military injuries, also some knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Very little magic.

Question 30

In what written record is the connection between blood and life/death first speculated?

Answer 30

The Edwin Smith papyrus which may date back to Imhotep.

Question 31

In what written record were the medicinal properties of honey first recorded?

Answer 31

The Edwin Smith papyrus.

Question 32

What is contained within the Ebers Papyrus?

Answer 32

Formulas for over 700 drugs, contains both practical advice and magic.

Question 33

What important ancient medical text was written in China?

Answer 33

The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon.

Question 34

What main idea, seen also in some Egyptian and Geek medicine, is contained within The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon?

Answer 34

Illness results from natural causes, not demons or other shit.

Question 35

In The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, what forces were presumed to be responsible for illness?

Answer 35

Disruption of the flow of chi along the meridians, (led to acupuncture) as well as imbalances of yin and yang.

Question 36

What differentiates the ancient Chinese ideas of yin and yang?

Answer 36

yin: negative, dark, cold, empty, earthly, feminine
yang: positive, bright, warm, full, heavenly, masculine

Question 37

What links the ideas of microcosm and macrocosm in The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon

Answer 37

The human body is a microcosm which reflects the macrocosm of the world as a whole.

Question 38

What 5 elements were suggested by The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon to be important for the persistence of life?

Answer 38

1. Wood
2. Fire
3. Earth
4. Metal
5. Water

Question 39

What differentiates a menagerie from a zoo?

Answer 39

Menagerie: collection of animals, a sign of wealth and status
Zoo: scientific interest, study of organisms

Question 40

What was the layout of the Persian formal garden plan? How did this inspire the meaning of the word “paradise”?

Answer 40

Four equal sections separated by canals and surrounded by a high walls. The word “paradise” comes from the Persian word for “surrounded by walls”.