Unit 1 Flashcards
The study of Man
Anthropology
4 Types of subfields
Linguistic, Biological, Cultural, and Archaeological
Is learned behavior and ideas,including social systems, economic systems, marriage
Cultural Anthropology
The study of cultural behaviors in the historic and prehistoric past through analysis of the culture’s remains
Archaeological Anthropology
The study of the evolution of language and its relation to culture.
Linguistic Anthropology
Biological evolution of humans and human ancestors, and the relationship of humans to other organisms. Patterns of biological variation within and between human populations and individuals.
Biological Anthropology
Subdivisions of Bioanthropology
Paleoanthropology & Primatology
Study of ancient man
Paleoanthropology
Study of Primates
Primatology
Human Biological variation
Morphological and Molecular
Comparing human/primate populations to determine common and unique behaviors or biological traits
Comparative approach
The change in living organisms over generations: Can be either biological change or cultural change, although bioanthropologists are mostly concerned with biological change and its interaction with culture
Evolution
Evolution occurs through the process of __________ or the retention of advantageous changes and the loss of disadvantageous changes
Adaptation
Focuses on Material or behavioral
Culture
Focuses on physiological, morphological genetic, (behavioral?)
Biological
Facts, hypothesis, and theory
Science
Verifiable truths
Facts
Explanations of observed facts
Hypothesis
Set of Hypothesis that have been tested repeatedly and have not been rejected
Theories
Emphasis on stasis
- Scalae Naturae( Natural Scale)
- Plato’s world of ideas(edits): wherein the world of shadows or ideas are imperfect representations of the ideal world
Greco Roman Period (1st Period)
Different “types” of a single thing that existed the imperfections were explained as random variations but they were believed to have had the “essence” of ideal
-Created a hierarchy of existence
Gods»>Angels»>Man»> Animals»>Metals
-Resulted in in the “Great Chain of Being” wherein there was recognition that everything was linked to everything else
-The hierarchy /great chain of being was considered immutable because as it was God’s will and God was deemed perfect , thus the world was a reflection of God’s will, albeit an imperfect reflection.
Medieval Thought
The concept that everything that can exist does exist and everything that doesn’t can’t
Plemtudes
The return to a more naturalistic approach to human variation, but it redeveloped slowly.
Also espoused recognition of cultural and linguistic differences through time and space.
The Renaissance (2nd Period)
- Growing Knowledge of human diversity
- Increasing interest in natural history of animals and plants
- Continuation of the “Great Chain of Being”
18-19th Century
“Father of Primatology”: did the first dissection of an ape (chimpanzee) and listed 48 physiological similarities with humans
Edward Tyson
- 1st Taxonomy into meaningful groups
- Published Systema Maturae
- Nested hierarchy rather than a chain
- coined term “mammals”
- 1st to classify humans with other animals and specifically primates
Carolus Linnaeus
Suggested that the world was not always as it is today, but that the processes that occur now have been occurring throughout time:UNIFORMITARIANISM
The “Constant” of Change:Lyell (Geologist)
Used presence of extinct fossil remains in quarries to argue for catastrophism: the belief that the life that existed earlier in earths history was made extinct by natural catastrophes much like the flood of Noah
Georges Cuvier
the belief that the life that existed earlier in earths history was made extinct by natural catastrophes much like the flood of Noah
catastrophism
- Thought evolution occurred through an organisms adaptation to its environment during its lifetime, which is then passed on to its offspring.
- Developed the Theory of Acquired Characteristics were passed on
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
Theory of Natural Selection: also described as “survival of the fittest”(originally coined by Herbert Spencer, a political philosopher)
Charles Darwin
Choosing mates in the wild
Sexual Selection
The intervention of humans to determine which animals will breed, that they serve human needs
Artificial Selection
Argued that the human population increases in size at a geometric rate while necessary resources increase at only an arithmetic rate, resulting in over population, death, and disease
Principal of Population
When did Charles Darwin work on the theory of natural selection?
Late 1820’s
Sent Darwin a paper briefly describing his own theory of evolution by natural selection. He independently developed his own, very similar theory of natural selection.
1858 Alfred Russell Wallace
- Although populations have the potential to expand infinitely, the environment can only support a finite population.
- Individuals vary in ways that cause differences in their ability to survive and reproduce
- This variation is heritable ( can be passed from generation to generation)
Darwin’s Postulates (claim/prerequisite)
Fossil records passed from generation to geneteration
Evidence for evolution
- Specific to the environment in which they occurred
- May be specific to an environment of the past that no longer exists, or may be utilized how for something it didn’t evolve ‘for’
Adaptation Careats
How many chromosomes does a human being have?
23 pairs 46 chromosomes
How many chromosomes does a Chimp have?
24 pairs 48 chromosomes
- Occurs only in the sex cells (sex cells:sperm and eggs) and produced gametes
- In this process, the cells divide twice, producing for daughter cells, each of which has one half as many chromosomes as the original cell.
Meiosis
Sometimes you have the same allele at each copy of your gene
Homozygous (homo=same, TT, tt)
Sometimes you have different alleles at each copy of your gene
Heterozygous (different; Tt)
The combination of alleles you have a at particular gene
Genotype
Some alleles are dominant, and some are recessive ( and some are __________, it turns out
Codominant
These two alleles interact to produce an observable and measurable results of an organism (like yellow or green pods)
Phenotype (pheno=’to show’ from the Greek)
Only inherited through your mother
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
Traits affected by more than one gene (are polygenic).
-Most traits are affected by multiple genes
For example
-Eyes
-Skin Color
-Height
Complex Traits
