unit #2: the human line

what physical traits do we need to be bipedal? BAFSBK

bowl-like pelvis (balance)

angled femur

forward-facing toes

straight foramen magnu

bendy spine

knee joint

who was Lucy+ what did she do?

a complete fossil of A. afarensis

she walked

what were the Laetoli footprints+ what did they tell us?

they’re the footprints that Lucy left behind

tell us she was bipedal

how were the Laetoli footprints preserved?

volcanic ash; tell us what happened

what is the significance of the Acheulean tools? + who made them?

bifacial; worked on both sides

H. erectus

what is the significance of the Olduwan tools+ who made them?

oldest known tools (2.6 mya)

H. habilis

why is the usual picture of evolution wrong?

evolution was complicated, not straight forward

what is canine diastema?

space between canine teeth

how to measure the dental arcade shape?

turn the skull with its face towards the ceiling and see what it’s top teeth look like

how to measure a browridge?

does it’s eyebrows stick out or not

how to measure the mastoid process?

does it have a snout or not?

what are the lobes of the brain+their functions

frontal-planning/problem solving

parietal-senses

temporal- hearing/memory

occipital-what you see

name a specific trait that ardipithecus ramidus had that was important

modified pelvis for bipedalism/ climbing trees

what are some advantages of being bipedal?

carry things

better hunting (throw weapons)

see danger better

running

what was the first species to move out of Africa?

H. erectus

what is important about the Neanderthals?

they buried their dead

describe Lucy’s physicality

long arms, jutting jaw, low forehead

what was the first species to live in a cold climate because they were the first to build shelter?

H. heidelbergensis

what is important about the two Paranthropus species?

had the ability to chew really hard things