Lecture Notes: Human Migration, Behavioral Modernity, Human Variation and Evolution, Forensic Anthropology

Mitochondrial Eve

Represents the matrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA). Estimated based on the mutation rate of mitochondrial DNA.

Behavioral Modernity

Refers to the suite of behavioral and cognitive traits that distinguish modern humans from earlier hominins.

Upper Paleolithic Revolution/Creative Explosion

Proposes a sudden and rapid emergence of behavioral modernity around 40,000-50,000 years ago in Europe.

Continuity Hypothesis

Suggests a gradual and incremental accumulation of modern human behaviors over a longer period, starting in Africa.

Variability Selection

Theory suggesting that periods of significant climate fluctuation favored individuals with greater behavioral flexibility and adaptability.

Racial Classification

Categorizing humans into discrete racial groups based on observable traits.

Linnaeus

Developed a hierarchical classification of humans, with Homo sapiens divided into subspecies based on geographic location and perceived behavioral traits.

Anthropometry

Measurement of human body dimensions (e.g., skull size) used to classify individuals into racial groups.

Blumenbach

Classified humans into five races based on skull morphology: Caucasian, Mongolian, Ethiopian, American, and Malay.

Environmentalism

Belief that environmental factors (e.g., climate, diet) are the primary drivers of human variation.

Eugenics

A pseudoscientific movement that advocated for selective breeding to improve the genetic quality of human populations.

Social Race

The way race is defined and understood within a specific society.

Ethnicity

Refers to shared cultural heritage, language, and traditions.

Racism

Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to environmental conditions.

Genetic Pleiotropy

When a single gene affects multiple phenotypic traits.

Clinal Variation

Gradual change in a trait across a geographic gradient.

Continuous Traits

Traits that vary along a spectrum (e.g., height, skin color).

Melanin

A pigment that absorbs UV radiation and protects against skin damage.

Extrasomatic Adaptations

Technology and culture are extrasomatic adaptations that allow humans to adapt to their environment.

Evolution

Change in allele frequencies in a population over time.

Adaptation

A trait shaped by natural selection

Forensic Anthropology

The application of anthropological methods to the identification of human remains in a legal context.

Skhul Cave

early modern human fossils outside of Africa

Race

A social construct that categorizes people based on perceived physical differences

Ancestry

A person's genetic origin and lineage

Skin color

Particularly skin color, is correlated with colonialism and race-based systems of enslavement

Biological Basis of Race

There is no biological basis to race

Purposes of skin

Protection from UV radiation, regulation of body temperature, and synthesis of vitamin D

Vitamin D synthesis

Lighter skin is advantageous in higher latitudes with less sunlight

Rickets

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, a bone disease.

Sunburn

Darker skin is advantageous in lower latitudes with intense sunlight.

Lactose Intolerance

The ability to digest lactose in adulthood evolved relatively recently in some populations.

Loss of Wisdom Teeth

A trend towards fewer or no wisdom teeth.

Decreasing Brain Size

Some evidence suggests a decrease in average brain size in recent human history.

Trauma Identification (Forensic Anthropology)

Forensic anthropologists can identify patterns of bone fractures