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92 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are fossils? |
Remains of once-living organisms that have been turned to rock through chemical replacement |
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Taphonomy (definition) |
Study of what happens to organisms' remains |
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Circumstances required for fossilization |
-Anaerobic conditions, free from bacteria and scavengers
-Minerals in soil for chemical replacement |
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Types of fossils |
1. Sedimentary fossils: preserved by layers of sediment 2. Volcanic fossils: preserved by volcanic ash |
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Laetoli footprints |
Footprints of early hominins, set by volcanic ash, showing two adults and a child (nuclear family?) |
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Limitations of Fossil Record |
-Paleontologists haven't looked everywhere -Rock sequences containing fossils are not complete in all places |
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Fayum Depression (and why it demonstrates fossil limitations) |
Rich record, but does not have any remains from later than 29MYA. Doesn't mean hominins didn't live there anymore (they probably did), circumstances weren't right |
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The 3 Eras and their timeframes |
1. Paleozoic 570-230 MYA 2. Miocene 230-66 MYA 3. Cenozoic 66 MYA - today |
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7 Epochs of Cenozoic Era (66 MYA - today) |
1. Paleocene 66-56 MYA 2. Eocene 56-34 MYA 3. Oligocene 34-23 MYA 4. Miocene 23-5.3 MYA 5. Pliocene 5.3-2.6 MYA 6. Pleistocene 2.6-0.01 MYA 7. Holocene 0.01 MYA - today |
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Steno's Law of Superposition |
The lower the strata/layer, the older it is. The higher the strata, the more recent. |
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Relative dating vs. Absolute dating |
Relative: order of events/records in relation to one another Absolute: more definitive, numerical dates for records |
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Methods of Relative Dating (3) |
1. Stratigraphic correlation 2. Chemical dating (Flourine) 3. Cultural dating |
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Stratigraphic correlation |
Matching strata from several sites through chemical, physical , other properties |
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Chemical dating (fluorine) |
Uses predictable chemical changes that occur over time in soil |
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Cultural dating |
Analyze change in material culture over time (pebble tools) |
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Methods of Absolute Dating (5) |
1. Dendochronology 2. Radiocarbon dating 3. Radiopotassium dating 4. Fission track dating 5. Amino acid dating |
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Dendochronology |
Tree-ring method of dating |
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Radiocarbon dating |
-Determines numerical age of past life forms via state of radioactive decay -Analyzes ratio of carbon absorption -Younger than 50,000 years |
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Radiopotassium Dating (K-Ar) |
-Ratio of K:Ar used to date material older than 250,000 years |
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Fission track dating |
Measure tracks left by decay of uranium-238 |
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Amino acid dating |
Measure of change in amino acid structure using polarized light |
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Hominin obligate features |
1. Bipedalism 2. Non-honing chewing |
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First hominins (2) |
1. Pre-Australopithecines 7-4 MYA 2. Australopithecines 4-1 MYA |
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Skeletal changes indicating bipedalism (7) |
1. Central foramen magnum 2. S-shaped spine 3. Short, narrow pelvis (short ilium) 4. Long legged 5. Valgus knee (inward knee) 6. Arched foot 7. In-line hallux |
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Characteristics indicating non-honing chewing (3) |
1. Small, blunt, non-projecting canines 2. No diastema 3. Wear on tips of canines |
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Bipedal Hypothesis (6) |
1. Hunting 2. Patchy Forest 3. Male provisioning 4. Seed-eating 5. Thermoregulation 6. Chimpanzee |
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Hunting Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Darwin, expanded by Raymond Dart -Freed the hands for carrying weapons -Now refuted as bipedalism predated hunting, tools |
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Patchy Forest Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Peter Rodney, Henry McHenry -Greater locomotor efficiency when forests became fragmented -Freed hands to carry food |
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Male Provisioning Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Owen Lovejoy -Monogamous males freed hands to carry food to mother & child to increase survival, birth interval |
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Seed-Eating Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Clifford Jolly -Freed hands to efficiently pick, carry seeds |
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Thermoregulation Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Dean Falk -Upright posture absorbs less head from sun |
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Chimpanzee Hypothesis (Bipedalism) |
-Adrienne Zihlman -Pygmy chimp as possible prototype for common ancestor of humans, chimps and gorillas |
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Of what do we have only a few, fragmented remains of?
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Pre-Australopithecines |
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Pre-Australopithecine timeframe |
7-4 MYA |
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Pre-Australopithecines (4) |
1. Sahelanthropus tchandensis 7-6MYA 2. Orrorin tugenensis 6MYA 3. Ardipithecus kadabba 5.8-5.6MYA 4. Ardipithecus ramidus "Ardi" 4.4MYA |
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Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Pre-Australopithecine -7-6MYA -Chad -350cc -Massive browridge -Biped: foramen magnum -Nonhoning chewing complex |
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Orrorin tugenensis (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Pre-Australopithecine -6MYA -Tugen Hills, Kenya -Biped: femoral neck -Curved finger: spent time in trees -Nonhoning chewing complex |
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Ardipithecus kadabba (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Pre-Australopithecine -5.8-5.5MYA -Ethiopia -Biped?: big toe wide and flat, indicating push off |
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Ardipithecus ramidus (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Pre-Australopithecine -4.4 MYA -Ethiopia -Primitive but had fully hominid chewing complex -Biped?: opposable big toe but ungrasping (life in trees and life on ground?) |
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Australopithecine timeframe
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4-1 MYA |
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Characteristics of Australopithecines |
1. Small brain 2. Small canines 3. Large premolars 4. Large molars |
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Australopithecines (9) |
1. Australopithecus anamensis 4MYA 2. Au. afarensis 3.6-3.0MYA 3. Au. platyops 3.5MYA 4. Au. africanus 3.0-2.0MYA 5. Au. garhi 2.5MYA 6. Au. aethiopicus 2.5MYA 7. Au. sediba 2MYA 8. Au. boisei 2.3-1.2MYA 9. Au. robustus 2.0-1.5MYA |
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Australopithecus anamensis (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-4 MYA -Ethopia and Kenya -Primitive, ape-like characteristics -large canines -parallel tooth rows -3rd premolar uneven -Biped: femur |
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Australopithecus afarensis (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-"Lucy" -3.6-3.0MYA -Ethiopia -True biped, habitual -Modern human proportions, only smaller -Not as primitive as anamnesis -Laetoli footprints were afarensis |
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Australopithecus (Kenyanthropus?) platyops (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-3.5MYA -Flat-faced -Retained some primitive traits |
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Australopithecus garhi (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-2.5MYA -450cc -larger teeth than afarensis -Human-like traits -gracile features -arm/leg ratio -Tools? |
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Australopithecus boisei (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Robust Au. -2-1MYA -Robust cranial traits -Large teeth -Large face -Heavy muscle attachments |
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Australopithecus aethiopicus (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
Robust Au. -2.5MYA -410cc -"Black skull" -Flattened cranial base -Large teeth -Ancestral to boisei? |
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Australopithecus robustus (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-2-1MYA -Behavior -lived in large groups? -specialized diet of seeds, nuts, tubers |
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Australopithecus africanus (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-3-2.3MYA -S. Africa -Projecting face -Small canines -Post-orbital constriction -The "Tuang Baby" -brain cast |
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Australopithecus sediba (Timeframe, location, characteristics) |
-2-1.8MYA -S. Africa -Small teeth -Pelvis similar to Homo -Arm/leg ratio |
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Gracile Australopithecines (4) |
1. Au. anamensis 2. Au. afarensis 3. Au. africanus 4. Au. garhi |
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Robust Australopithecines (3) |
1. Au. aethiopicus 2. Au. boisei 3. Au. robustus |
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Physical characteristics of early Homo (3) |
1. Large brain 2. Small face 3. Small jaws |
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Behavioral characteristics of early Homo (1) |
1. Dependence on material culture |
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Earliest Homos (2) |
1. Homo habilis 2. Homo erectus |
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Homo habilis (Timeframe) |
-2.5-1.8MYA |
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Homo habilis (Location (2)) |
-South Africa -East Africa |
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Homo habilis (Characteristics) |
-Sexually dimorphic -Human like dentition -Reduced face/larger cranium -Stone tools (Oldowan Complex) -Scavengers -Meat eating |
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Advantages of eating meat (4) |
-Increased calories -Improved brain function -Reduced digestive system -Earlier weening |
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Homo erectus (Timeframe) |
-1.8-0.3MYA |
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Homo erectus (Cranial capacity) |
-900cc |
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Homo erectus (Characteristics) |
-Human like limb proportions -Human like teeth -Less sexually dimorphic -Arched foot -In-line hallux -True human bipedalism (not true strides) |
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Archuelean tools |
-Evidence of learned behavior -Nothing else did we do for so long and forget so quickly |
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Homo erectus (Locations) |
-Evidence Erectus left Africa early in evolution -Europe -Asia -Australia -Regionality, localized adaption emerges |
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Asian erectus Characteristics (6) |
-Human like post cranial skeleton -850-1100cc -Heavy browridge -Low forehead -Sagittal keel -Nuchal torus |
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What indicated the creation of culture? |
-Erectus in China, Europe -Significant winters infers erectus made clothes |
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Significance of Zhoukoudian cave site in China |
-"Peking Man" -Cultural debris -Fire? -Hunting? -Cooking? -Cave as hyena den |
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Advantages of cooking food (3) |
-Makes food easier to eat, digest -Aids in child weening, development -Aids in lifespan expansion, elderly live longer |
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Evidence of Culture Among erectus (3) |
-Hand axe: Africa, Europe -Chopping tool: East Asia ^divided by Movius Line^ -Tools on Indo. islands where no remains were found -erectus embraced culture as survival strategy |
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Interpretations of H. erectus (8) |
1. First to leave Africa 2. Efficient biped 3. Human like size 4. Hunting 5. Sweating? If so, no hair 6. Clothing? Assumed 7. Dependence on technology 8. First bio-cultural species |
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What makes modern humans "modern"? (7) |
1. Small face 2. Small jaw 3. Small teeth 4. Vertical and high forehead 5. Narrow nasal aperture 6. Narrow body trunk 7. Long legs |
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Homo neanderthalensis (Timeframe) |
-150-30 KYA |
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Homo neanderthalensis (Locations) |
-Europe -Middle East |
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Homo neanderthalensis (Primitive traits) |
-Browridge -No chin -Low forehead |
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Homo neanderthalensis (Derived traits) |
-Mid face projection -Large nasal aperture -Occipital bun -Large cranium (1500cc) |
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Nomenclature of Homo neanderthalensis |
-"Late archaic" Homo sapiens - Homo sapien neanderthalensis indicates neanderthals as subspecies of homo sapien, making humans homo sapien sapien |
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Significance of La Chapelle, France |
-60,000 YA -Neanderthal buried in fetal position -Severely arthritic: indicates elderly -Intention of burial? -Compassion or necessity? |
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Significance of Shanidar, Iraq |
-45-35,000 YA -Healed head fracture -Impaired vision -Atrophied right arm -Compassion? |
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Significance of Teshik-Tash, Uzbekistan |
-70,000 YA -9 y/o intentionally buried, surrounded by Ibex horns |
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Aspects of Neanderthal Culture (7) |
1. Big game culture 2. Close proximity spears for hunting 3. Burials 4. Clothing 5. Symbolic behavior 6. Art work 7. Speech? (Hyoid bone) |
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Neanderthal Genetics |
-Neanderthal not within range of normal human variation -Diverged 690-550KYA -1-4% of non-African DNA is Neanderthal -Neanderthals were never in Africa |
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Advantages of Neanderthal DNA (4) |
1. Toleration of low oxygen 2. Detection of infection 3. Freckling, skin pigmentation 4. Blood coagulation (also a disadvantage) |
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Disadvantages of Neanderthal DNA (4) |
1. Allergies 2. Depression 3. Skin cancers 4. Blood clots, stroke (due to improved coagulation) |
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"Anatomically Modern Homo sapien sapien" |
-Anatomically identical to modern humans -Behave differently |
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The Denisovans (Location, significance) |
-Altai Mountains -DNA different than humans -Some contribution to human genome |
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Homo floresiensis "The Hobbit" |
-18,000 YA -Small stature: 3.5 feet -New species? -Water division of where erectus was and Flores was found -Erectus that experienced Island Dwarfism? -Diseased erectus? |
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African sites of early Homo sapiens |
-200 KYA -Unique sapien morphology -High forehead -Reduced brow ridge -Chin -Rounded cranium -Less robust overall |
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Hypothesis for Homo sapien origins (3) |
1. Multiregional evolution 2. Out of Africa evolution 3. Assimilaton evolution |
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Multiregional Evolution Hypothesis |
-Erectus as early sapien -Gradual evolution of Homo erectus to anatomically modern Homo sapiens due to spread of erectus throughout world |
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Out Of Africa Evolution Hypothesis |
-Erectus migration out of Africa was a dead end -Origin of anatomically modern human in Africa, evolution kind of started over |
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Assimilation Evolution Hypothesis |
-Origin of anatomically modern human in Africa -Moved out and replaced other populations -Homo sapiens replace neanderthal |
