Human Origins

Week 1

Anthropology

holistic study of humankind across time and space

Biological (Physical) Anthropology

study of human biological evolution and variation

Biocultural

humans are shaped by biology and culture (Fuentes’ “naturenurtural”)

Nature vs. Nurture

false dichotomy; humans are both biological and cultural

Epistemology

study of how we know what we know

Scientific Theory

well-supported explanation based on evidence, not a “guess”

Evolution

change in allele frequencies in a population over time

Population

interbreeding group sharing a gene pool

Gene Pool

total genetic variation in a population

Allele

variant form of a gene

Natural Selection

differential survival & reproduction of inherited traits

Genetic Drift

random allele frequency changes (small populations)

Gene Flow

movement of genes between populations

Mutation

source of new genetic variation

Founder Effect

small founding group shapes future population genetics

Bottleneck

drastic population reduction reduces genetic diversity

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

null hypothesis of no evolution

Genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Phenotype

observable traits influenced by genes + environment

mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA)

maternally inherited DNA

Genome

nuclear DNA + mtDNA

Homozygous / Heterozygous

allele combinations

Race (social category)

culturally constructed, not biological

Biological Race (myth)

NOT supported by genetics or fossil evidence

Cranial Variation

influenced by environment, nutrition, gene flow

Clinal Variation

gradual change across geography (skin color, blood types)

Gene Flow (Race context)

explains global trait distributions, not race categories

ABO Blood Groups

do not map onto racial categories

Fossil

preserved remains or evidence of life

Paleontology

study of ancient life via fossils

Taphonomy

processes affecting remains after death

Relative Dating

placing items in sequence (older/younger)

Stratigraphy

study of rock layers

Radiometric Dating

dating using radioactive decay

Half-life

time for half an isotope to decay

Taxonomy

classification of organisms

Binomial Nomenclature

two-part Latin naming system

Phylogeny

evolutionary family tree

Clade

ancestor + all descendants

Homologous Traits

similarity due to shared ancestry

Analogous Traits

similarity due to function, not ancestry