Lecture Notes

Flashcards of vocabulary terms and definitions from lecture notes on Early Homo, Transitional Homo, Neanderthals, Modern Human Origins, Human Variation & Race, and Forensic Anthropology.

Homo habilis

Considered the first member of the genus Homo due to its larger brain and use of tools.

Australopithecus garhi

A species most likely the closest ancestor to early Homo.

Early Stone Tools Significance

For Homo, allowed access to new food sources like meat.

Dmanisi Site Significance

Suggests Homo erectus left Africa earlier than previously thought.

Homo erectus Characteristics

Distinguished from Australopithecines by larger brain, smaller teeth, and use of fire and tools.

Australopithecines Extinction

Likely went extinct due to competition with more advanced Homo species.

Evidence of Homo erectus fire use

Burnt bones and hearths at archaeological sites

Meat Eating Impact

High-calorie diets fueled larger brain growth in early Homo.

Home Bases

Revealed that early Homo began returning to specific locations and sharing resources.

Potential Language Capacity in Homo erectus

Suggests more complex social structures and communication.

Homo heidelbergensis

Likely ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans.

Levallois technique

Tool technology associated with Homo heidelbergensis.

Mousterian tools

More refined tools used by Neanderthals.

Replacement model

Modern humans replaced Neanderthals without interbreeding.

Interbreeding model

Extinction model with more supporting genetic evidence for Neanderthals.

Shanidar I Burial

Tells us Neanderthals cared for the injured and buried their dead.

Denisovans

Considered a distinct group because their DNA differs significantly from Neanderthals and H. sapiens.

Homo floresiensis

Small size is explained by insular dwarfism due to island isolation.

Pleistocene climate change

Led to adaptations like bigger brains and tool use.

Fossil Overlapping Traits

Reason for debate over species boundaries in transitional Homo.

Recent Out-of-Africa model

Supported by highest genetic diversity found in Africa.

Behavioral modernity

Defined by the use of symbolic art and advanced tools.

Jebel Irhoud and Omo fossils

Oldest known anatomically modern humans.

Mitochondrial Eve

Represents a common maternal ancestor traced via mtDNA.

Misconception of Mitochondrial Eve

People think she was the only woman alive, but she wasn't.

Upper Paleolithic Cultures

Characterized by sophisticated art, rituals, and long-distance trade.

Symbolic Art

Suggests cognitive complexity and cultural expression in Homo sapiens.

Continuity Hypothesis

Modern behavior evolved gradually over time.

Current Evidence

Supports the Continuity Hypothesis of gradual development over time.

Climate Variability

Shaped human evolution by pushing adaptability and innovation in behavior.

Anthropologists Rejection of Race

Human variation is continuous, not discrete.

Skin color as Race Marker

It evolved due to UV exposure, not ancestry.

Clinal variation

Gradual change in traits over geographic space.

Racism Impact on Health

Stress and discrimination lead to chronic illness.

Colonialism Influence on Race

Used "race" to justify oppression and slavery.

Darker Skin Evolution Near Equator

Protects against UV damage and folate degradation.

Race as Social Construct

It reflects social beliefs, not biological reality.

Forensic Anthropologists Determination

Age, sex, ancestry, and trauma from a skeleton.

Forensic Anthropology Limit

Cannot always determine cause of death.

Forensic Anthropologists Contribution

Help identify unknown individuals in legal cases.