AN 1344 Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing key concepts from the AN 1344 lectures.

Homo

A genus of hominins that includes modern humans and their extinct ancestors.

Australopithecines

An extinct genus of African hominids, considered to be the likely ancestor of the Homo genus.

Homo erectus

An early species of Homo, known for its larger brain size and use of stone tools.

Stone Tools

Stone tool-making tradition associated with Homo erectus.

Homo neanderthalensis

An extinct species of archaic humans that lived in Europe and Asia.

Levallois Tools

A stone tool-making technique associated with archaic Homo species.

Mousterian Tools

A stone tool culture associated with the Neanderthals.

Denisovan

An extinct human species discovered in Siberia, known from DNA evidence.

Homo floresiensis

An extinct hominin species found on the island of Flores, Indonesia, characterized by its small body size.

Multi-regional Model

A model suggesting modern humans evolved independently in different regions of the world.

Replacement Model

A model suggesting modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated to other parts of the world, replacing other hominin populations.

Homo sapiens sapiens

The most recent form of Homo sapiens, characterized by its advanced cognitive abilities and cultural development.

Upper Paleolithic

Refers to the time frame in which Homo sapiens sapiens emerged and spread.

Continuity Hypothesis

The hypothesis that modern human behavior evolved gradually over time.

Polymorphic

Focuses on the study of genetic differences between groups.

Racial Classification

A system of classification based on perceived physical differences.

Explanatory Approaches to Human Variation

A more modern approach that focuses on understanding the factors that cause human variation.

Clinal Variation

The concept that human biological traits are distributed along a continuum, rather than being divided into distinct categories.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The degree to which an organism's phenotype can vary in response to environmental factors.

Forensic Anthropology

An interdisciplinary branch of anthropology that studies human skeletal remains in a legal context.

Phylogenetic and taxonomic issues

Challenges in defining species boundaries due to incomplete fossils, variation within species, and potential for interbreeding.

Climate & climate change during the Middle to Late Pleistocene & its effects on hominin evolution, specifically Archaic Homo

Significant climate fluctuations during this period drove hominin evolution by favoring adaptability. Archaic Homo species, such as H. heidelbergensis, evolved and adapted to colder climates.

H. heidelbergensis (archaic H. sapiens): relative time frame, overall basic traits (behavior, morphology, etc.) & their significance, taxonomy, evolutionary relationships to H. erectus, H. sapiens neanderthalensis, H. sapiens sapiens

Lived roughly 600,000 to 200,000 years ago. Mix of H. erectus and H. sapiens traits. Believed to be ancestral to both Neanderthals and modern humans. Associated with Levallois tools.

Levallois tools

Tools associated with H. heidelbergensis

Homo (sapiens) neanderthalensis: relative time frame, overall basic traits (behavior, morphology, etc.) & their significance, evolutionary relationships to previous & later Homo

Lived from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Adapted to cold environments. Complex behaviors, including the use of Mousterian tools and burial of the dead. Closely related to modern humans.

Mousterian tools

Tool Culture associated with Neanderthals

Fate of Neanderthals? Replacement vs. interbreeding

The replacement model suggests modern humans completely replaced Neanderthals. The interbreeding model suggests interbreeding occurred. Genetic evidence supports interbreeding, but the extent is debated.

Denisovan: relative time frame, what was found, DNA

Lived around the same time as Neanderthals. Known primarily from DNA evidence found in Siberia. Interbred with both Neanderthals and modern humans.

H. floresiensis: relative time frame, overall basic traits (behavior, morphology, etc.) & their significance, evolutionary relationships; Interpretations of size? (i.e. Insular dwarfism)

Lived on the island of Flores until about 50,000 years ago. Characterized by their small size and small brain size. Insular dwarfism is suggested as an explanation.

Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans

Models have changed substantially; includes Multi-regional model (with Intermixing) and Replacement: Recent African Origin/ Replacement.

Recent Out-of-Africa model

Evidence supports this; explanatory model defines evolutionary trends, time frame, and location.

Homo sapiens sapiens (Anatomically modern humans (AMH)): relative time frame, overall basic traits (behavior, morphology, etc.) & their significance, evolutionary relationships

Earliest fossil evidence (Jebel Irhoud, Omo). General patterns of major migration events for H. sapiens sapiens, evidence in support (Skhul, Mitochondrial Eve).

Mitochondrial Eve

How estimated; implications of/ meaning; and common misconceptions about.

Characteristics of Middle Stone Age/ Upper Paleolithic AMH cultures

Key characteristics (ex. Symbolic art), time frame in Africa & Europe

Behavioral modernity: key characteristics (ex. Symbolic art), time frame in Africa & Europe

Upper Paleolithic Revolution/ Creative Explosion vs. Continuity Hypothesis and support for them. Role of climate in evolution of behavioral modernity; variability selection.

Human Variation and Evolution: What level of variation do biological anthropologists focus on?

Polymorphic; racial classification vs. explanatory approaches.

Anthropological Approaches to Human Variation

racial classification vs. explanatory approaches (what they are, when they were/ are used, why each of them came to exist).

Definition of race, social race, ethnicity; racism; race vs. ancestry

Definition of race, social race, ethnicity; racism; race vs. ancestry.

Phenotypic racial traits

What they, particularly skin color, are compatible with (Ex. colonialism, race-based systems of enslavement).

Human Adaptation and Adaptability

phenotypic plasticity; genetic pleiotropy and its effects on human phenotypic variation; plasticity as a functional adaptation; meaning of this for understanding relationships between human phenotypic variation, environmental difference, and genetic differences btw. human populations.

How does race affect humans?

Stress, embodiment of lived experiences of systemic racism, other forms of discrimination and prejudice, resulting in health disparities (ex. life expectancy, disease, coronavirus illness and death)

Patterns & what they mean for understanding human variation

non-existence of types; clinal variation; continuous traits

Evolution of skin color

Purposes of skin; melanin; skin pigmentation as evolutionary balancing