ANTH2490 midterm

what do anthropologists study

human kind in all its aspects (language, culture, society, material & human remains)

where do muslims draw the line with evolution?

plants and animals evolve but humans evoloving from apes is not correct

who developed the ladder of creation

aristotle in 550 BCE

how does the ladder of creation work

every kind of living organism is linked in an enormous chain guided by divine principles

how are species divided in the ladder of creation

least possible difference

what are the underlying principles of the great chain of being

1. continuity (those with similarities are closest together)

2. plentitude (benevolent god created all organisms, no gaps)

3. unilinear gradation (single hierarchy depending on degree to which the depart from divine ideal)

what three species are ranked highest n the great chain of being

1. divine ideal (god)

2. angels

3. humans

what is nicolaus copernicus credited with discovering

earth is not the center of the universe but one of the many objects rotation around the sun

when did arch bishop james ussher date the creation of earth and why

9am october 23rd 4004 BC, based on biblical events

which two geologists are credited with creating and developing the principle of uniformitarianismo

james hutton and charles lyell

what is the geological principle of uniformitarianism

same processes that we use today were used in the past

who is the father of modern biological taxonomy

carolus linnaeus

how did carolus linneaus view human variation

accidents or degradations

what are the human varieties of 1735

american (reddish)
european (white)
asiatic (yellow)

negro (black)

what are the human varieties based on

skin color
face form
skull shape
stature
hair
nose shape
behavioural attributes and social cutoms

what did ibn khaldum believe in terms of evolution

humans evolved from an ape or monkey ancestor

what was the hierarchy proposed by muslim scholars

mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms with temporal changes and different times of origin

how does darwin believe evolution occurs

by gods will and guidance

what were the early thoughts on the world

product of grand design
static and unchanging

typological thinking was the norm

variation was the product of imperfection

what did le comte de buffon invent

zeography

what did jean baptise lamarack challenge

concepts of ‘fixity of species’

transformational evolution

all organisms in a species change physically in response to changing environment demands

law of use and disuse

features of an organism could be strengthened or enhanced by use and weakened or disappear through disuse

law of inheritance if acquired characteristics 

changes which occurred in an organisms lifetime could be passed to its offspring

who is the father of physical anthropology

johann blumenbach

what arre the five races johann blumenbach created

caucasoid
mongoloid
american
ethiopian

malayan

what populations did the perfect caucasoid skull refer to

european, north african, and middle eastern

what causes competition for resources in terms of population

population increasing at a rate faster than available resources

how were charles darwin and alfred wallaces ideas similar

variation is the result of different species emerging through descent with modification from a single parental population

what are the components of natural selection

all individuals vary
competition for resources occur among individuals within populations

differential survivial and reproduction

slow gradual process

fitness

organisms ability to survive and reproduce

what are four examples of natural selection

1. galapogos finch beak size

2. antibitoic resistance in bacteria

3. malaria in mosquitoes and sickle cell anemia

4. salt retention gene

who is considered the founder of genetics

gregor mendel

criminal anthropometry

identifying those ‘born criminal’

what abnormalities are used to identify criminals

1. receeding forehead

2. large ears

3. square/projecting chin

4. broad cheekbones

5. left-handedness

6. compromised smell or taste

7. exhibitionism (tattoos)

who began criminal anthropometry

ceasre lombroso

anthropometry

scientific approach to the study of human diversity focusing on the average man and ideal physical types

anthroposcopy

observing the human body without taking measurements (hair form, tall vs short)

phrenology theory

cranial contours mapped to determine individual traits and abilities

pierre broca skull theory

skull shape is the best indicator of intelligence, the bigger the smarter

eugenics

an attempt to contribute social problems to genetic inheritance

guassian distribution

distribution of traits among a population where the average (norm) is idealized

negative eugenics (margaret sanger)

eliminating undesirable traits (contraception for the lower class)

emily murphy

womens rights champion who helped determine women were legally people under section 24 of british north america act 

dr. helen macmurchy

inspector of the feebleminded in ontario who argued for sterilization

what did franz boas challenge

the nature concept, insisted environment plays a role in development as well as biology through studying immigrants and their children

evolution

a dynamic series of events that ultimately lead to change

genotype + environment = ?

phenotype

mutation

change in genetic code resulting in an allele change

trisomy 21

extra chromosome (down syndrome)

nondisjunction

failure of homologous chromosomes to separate

point mutation

change in nucleotide sequence of DNA

germ line mutation

gametes carry mutation to next generation (heritable mutation)

acquired mutation

occurs in an individuals lifetime (exposure to environmental mutagens)

gene flow

movement of alleles from one population to another, increasing genetic exchange

random genetic drift

changes in allele frequencies in a population due to chance events

drift-sampling error (s. wright)

over time one of the populations alleles becomes fixed and the other becomes extinct

drift-sampling error requirements

1. small population size (<100 breeding individuals)

2. isolation (no immigration or emigration

3. no other evolutionary force operating

4. the rarest allele is low frequency

founder effect

descendants carry only a small fraction of the alleles and variation present in the original population

bottleneck effect

small portion of population survives disaster (famine, war, plague)

reproductive isolation types

1. physical/geographical (islands, mountains)

2. religious (hutteries, amish)

what is a genetic consequence of reproductive isolation

an elevated frequency of rare genetic diseases

how does natural selection provide directional change

different alleles becomes more or less common

what is required for selection to operate

the influence of variant genes must exert before the post-reproductive period

types of selection

1. stabilizing (balancing)

2. directional (increase or decrease based on fitness)

3. disruptive (extremes have higher fitness)

sexual selection

selection generated by differential access to opposite sex gametes

types of mating

1. random (panmixis) - regardless of qualities

2. assortative - choose with preference (negative or positive)

3. disassortative - preference for genes in the MHC (mechanism for avoiding inbreeding)

major histocompatibility complex (MHC)

large locus on vertebrate DNA containing a set of closely linked genes that code for cell surface proteins

what contextual factors may contribute to inbreeding

1. geographical or cultural isolation

2. social system preference (retaining family wealth)

what are the results of inbreeding in children

1. small body size

2. increased congenital abnormalities

3. mortality during first six years of life

what disease have high probabilities for inbred children

1. albinism

2. alkptonuria (black urine)

3. PKU

4. tay-sachs (destruction of nerve cells)

5. xeroderma pigment (extreme UV sensitivity)

6. ichthyosis congenita (scaly skin)

7. congenital total blindness

hox genes

master control genes that coordinate the activity of many other genes

direct evidence for present evolution

resistance to HIV is altering the makeup of populations in africa

human design flaws

1. uterus layout

2. testsis linking over uteur

3. too many teeth for our jaws

irreducible complexity

biological structures are so complex and integrated that thyey could not possibly have evolved bit by bit