NCEA Level 3 Biology AS 91606: Human Evolution Vocabulary

A complete set of 64 vocabulary practice flashcards covering trends in human evolution, anatomical adaptations, tool cultures, and dispersal theories from NCEA Level 3 Biology AS 91606.

Foramen magnum

The hole in the base of the skull, through which the spinal cord passes.

Diastema

The gap between the upper canine and premolar found in great apes.

Homo erectus

The first human to use fire and spread out from Africa.

Oldowan

The earliest known stone tools.

Valgus angle

The angle between the shaft of the femur and the vertical when the femur is in normal standing orientation.

Hominin

The bipedal apes and their ancestors.

Acheulian

The tool consisting of a core with a flattened stone with two faces made by Homo erectus.

Homo habilis

The first Hominin to use tools, also known as Handyman.

Hominoidea

The word to describe the great apes, humans and their ancestors.

Wernicke’s area

The brain centre responsible for interpreting speech.

Cultural evolution

The type of evolution where things are taught/learned and not passed on in the DNA.

Homo heidelbergensis

The group of hominin that were initially called archaic Homo sapiens and was the first with firm evidence for systematic hunting.

Occipital condyle

The part of the brain that articulates with the first vertebra.

Biological evolution

The type of evolution that is passed on through our DNA.

Mousterian

The name for the fine stone tools which include flakes, scrapers and spears with attached handles.

Homo neanderthalensis

The group of Hominin that first buried the dead and cared for the old.

Cerebrum

The area of the brain that is most enlarged in apes, most of all in humans.

Dog

The first animal to be domesticated.

Bowl shaped pelvis

The shape of the pelvis in bipedal organisms.

Sagittal crest

The crest along the top of the skull.

Australopithecus afarensis

The scientific name for “Lucy”, the first to probable walk upright.

Lower Palaeolithic

The name for the culture that included the Oldowan and Acheulian together, also called ‘Old Stone Age’.

Mousterian tool culture

The name for the Neanderthal tool culture.

Upper Palaeolithic

The later phase of the Old Stone Age.

Composite tool

A tool made of more than one kind of material.

Multiregional hypothesis

The view that modern humans evolved independently in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Homo sapiens

The first species to make and use needles.

‘Out of Africa’ theory

The theory that modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated to Europe and Asia, displacing other earlier species.

Brow Ridge

Heavy bone over the eye which reduces the stresses in the skull and lower jaw involved with chewing.

Prognathism

An anatomical condition meaning ‘having a snout/muzzle’.

Zygomatic arch

Gap through which large jaw muscles pass.

Replacement hypothesis (Eve hypothesis)

Another name for the Out of Africa hypothesis.

Ice ages (sea water levels)

Lowers water level creating land bridges between islands.

mtDNA

Mitochondrial DNA, which is only passed on to daughters.

Y chromosome (evolutionary tracking)

Genetic material that is passed on only to sons and isn’t affected by recombination, used to show patterns of evolution.

mtDNA and Y chromosome alteration

Genetic changes that occur exclusively through mutations.

Australopithecus foraging strategy

Obtaining food by scavenging what they found.

Cooking food (biological effects)

Softens food and kills microbes.

Fire (adaptive advantages)

Cooks food, hardens tools, lengthens day, kept warm, and keeps predators away.

Hominin tools (survival role)

Allowed more diverse animals to be killed and processed.

Foramen magnum position change

Moved from the lower back of skull towards the centre when Hominin became bipedal.

Sexual dimorphism

The name for the differences observed between male and female skeletons.

Hominin brain size evolutionary trend

Over time, brain size increased.

Prognathic muzzle evolutionary trend

Over time, the prognathic muzzle reduced.

Brow ridge evolutionary trend

Over time, the brow ridge became reduced.

Bipedal feet adaptations

Forward facing big toe, arched structure, and big toe attached.

Replacement hypothesis rationale

Named because when modern humans moved out of Africa, they outcompeted any Hominin they came into contact with, making them extinct.

Spine shape (apes vs. humans)

C-shaped spine in modern apes and S-shaped spine in humans.

Bipedalism advantages

Taller so can see predators / food, hands free to carry food/ young / tools, and more efficient cooling.

Cultural evolution progression

Progression characterized by better tools, use of shelter, abstract thought, imagination, and domestication of animals / plants.

Oldowan tools appearance

Lower Palaeolithic tools characterized as pebbles with flakes knocked off one edge.

Acheulian tools appearance

Lower Palaeolithic tools characterized as tear drop shaped pebbles.

Middle Palaeolithic tools

Stone tools consisting of Mousterian tools, scrapers, and axe heads.

Upper Palaeolithic tools

Tools such as needles and fish hooks (hocks) made from bone and wood.

Stone tool trend over time

Tools became more refined and more worked over time.

Abstract thought evidence

Evidenced by cave drawings, burial of the dead, and planned hunting groups.

Arboreal

Living in trees.

Ape dental arcade

“U” or rectangle shaped jaw in apes.

Human dental arcade

Parabola shaped jaw in humans.

Power grip vs. Precision grip

All primates can grip objects with a power grip, whereas only humans also have a precision grip.

Shorter pelvis advantages

Stronger & able to tilt and rotate during walking.

Positive feedback

The name of the process where one change reinforces another.

Replacement Hypothesis departure timing

About $200{,}000$ years ago.

Multiregional Hypothesis departure timing

About $1\text{ million}$ years ago.