Human Evolution and Behavior

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to human evolution, behavior, and social structures, highlighting important concepts that are essential for understanding the material from the lecture notes.

Sexual dimorphism

Differences in phenotype and behavior between sexes of the same species, usually resulting from sexual selection and evolutionary pressures.

Bipedalism

The ability to walk upright on two legs, a key characteristic of hominins that includes features like a s-shaped spine and bowl-shaped pelvis.

Foramen magnum

The hole where the skull connects to the neck for the spine, its position indicates whether a creature is bipedal.

Australopithecines

A genus of hominins that lived during the Pliocene epoch, characterized by bipedalism and a variety of dental traits.

Hominin

A tribe that includes modern humans and extinct species that are more closely related to humans than to chimps.

Homo

The genus that includes modern humans (Homo sapiens) and their closest relatives, such as Homo erectus.

Altruism

Helping others at a cost to oneself, often explained by Hamilton's rule where the benefit to the recipient multiplied by the degree of relatedness exceeds the cost to the altruist.

Cumulative culture

The accumulation of ideas and technologies across generations, unique to humans, allowing for complex societal development.

Mating systems

Refers to the ways in which groups of organisms mate, including patterns like monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry.

Inclusive fitness

A concept that describes how individuals can increase their genetic success through supporting the reproduction of relatives.