Final Exam - Study Notes

Middle Pleistocene Biocultural Adaptations

• Sweating External Noses

• Increasingly efficient bipedality

• Better tools (Archulean)

• Fire

• Bigger brains v. Smaller guts

• Settling into Eurasia middle latitudes

Expensive tissue hypothesis

Bigger brain evolved after acquiring smaller guts due to higher quality diets

H. heidelbergensis

• Date range: 534 -475kya

• Location: Africa, South Europe & Asia

• Diet: ?

• Brain sicze: 1000-1400cc

H. heidelbergensis cranial traits

• Widest part of cranium at middle of skull

• Rounded occipital bone

• Downward facing nuchal region

• Decreased nuchal torus

• Reduced prognathism

• Broad upper face

• Strong, curved supraorbital torus

H. neanderthalensis

• Date range: 150,000-30,000ya

• Location: Europe & Asia

• Habitat: Ice age environments

• Diet: Meat & veggies

• Material culture: Lithic technology

• Interesting behaviors: Thrusting spears for hunting, cooked w/ fire, cared for each other

• Brain size: 1500cc

H. neanderthalensis cranial traits

• Occipital bun

• Large, prognathic midface

• Large nasal aperture

• Retromolar gap

H. Sapiens

• Date range: 315,000 - present

• Location: Originated in Africa, spread to all 7 continents

• Habitat: Varied

• Diet: Varied

• Interesting behaviors: Language, agriculture

• Brain size: 1400cc

H. Sapiens cranial traits

• Globular brain case

• Gracile cranial features

• Forehead

• Chin

What is important about H. denisovan?

• Sister group to Neanderthals

• Found at Denisova Cave in 2010

• First identification of a hominin entirely based on ancient DNA

• Archaic introgression (moderns humans interbred with them and neanderthals)

Bergmann’s Rule

Colder region body size (volume) is larger because volume of organism increases faster than its surfaces

Allen’s Rule

In colder climates, shorter appendages are better at preventing heat loss, and in warmer climates, longer appendages are better at promoting heat loss

What are the features of language?

• Spoken & gestural

• Semantic

• Phonemic

• Symbolic

• Grammatical

Social & Vocal Coevolution Hypothesis

Social complexity is dependent upon vocal complexity

Neolithic Revolution

Widespread adoption of agriculture starting around 12,000-10,000yrs ago

Domestication

Evolutionary process in which humans modify (intentionally or unintentionally) the genetic makeup of plants and animals