Science of Bones and Fossils

Week One of Introduction of Biological Anthropology

What is the term relating or denoting to the present epoch?

Holocene

What is the epoch that lasted from 2.58mya to 11.7kya?

Pliestocene

What is the is the name for the study concerned with fossil hominins?

Palaeoanthropology

When was the earliest primate-like mammals and what epoch was it?

58-55mya, paleocene

When was the earliest archaic human fossils and what epoch?

2mya, pleistocene

When was the earliest anatmical modern humans and which epoch was they in?

300kya, pleistocene

When and where was the Trachilo footprints?

5.7mya, Crete

When and where was the Laetoli footprints?

3.6mya, Tanzania

When and where was Eve’s footprints?

117kya, South Africa

What is the study of biological and physiological aspects of human beings?

Biological Anthropology

What is the body of physical (not written) evidencwe about the past called?

Archaelogical record

What are two reasons for discovering fossilies humans

• Accidental discoveries

• Targetted researches projects and field schools

Where are four places that fossilised hominins can be found?

• Sedimentary geological formations

• Volcanic igneous rocks

• Quarries

• Caves

What is relative dating?

Used to arrange geological events and the rocks they leave behind in a sequence

What does time of dispostion mean?

Youngest (most recent) at the top, oldest at the bottom

What is the study of rock layers and layering called?

Stratigraphy

What is the principle called that states the oldest strata is at the bottom?

Law of Superposition

What is a distinct and abundant animal or plant that indicaates geological time or enviroment?

Index fossil

What is the natural rate of radioacticve decay of elements called?

Radiometric dating

What is the method called for determining age of an object containing organic material by using properies a radioactive isotope of carbon?

Radiocarbon dating

Measuring the ratio of radioactive isotope potassium-40 to its decay product, stable argon-40 to work out the age of a rock, what is this process called?

Potassium-Argon dating

When uranium decays to lead to detemine age of rocks, what is this process called?

Uranium-Lead dating

What are seven types of relative dating?

• Stratigrpahy

• Datable artefacts

• Dendrochonology of wood

• Luminescence of soil

• Documents

• Burial records

• Grave Stones

What are two types of absolute dating?

• ¹⁴C radio carbon dating

• Stable isotopes

  • Stronium

  • Lead

  • Polonium

How can you tell when a body is from?

By the level of C14 isotopes extracted from dental canals