Human evo

Foramen magnum

The hole in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes

Diastema

The gap between the upper canine and premolar found in great apes

Homo erectus

The first human to use fire and spread out from Africa

Oldowan

The earliest known stone tools

Valgus angle

The angle between the shaft of the femur and the vertical when the femur is in normal standing orientation

Hominin

The bipedal apes and their ancestors

Acheulian

A tool consisting of a core with a flattened stone with two faces, made by Homo erectus

Homo habilis

The first hominin to use tools; also known as "Handyman"

Hominoidea

The group containing the great apes, humans and their ancestors

Wernicke's area

The brain centre responsible for interpreting speech

Cultural evolution

Evolution where behaviours are taught or learned rather than passed on through DNA

Homo heidelbergensis

A group of hominins initially called archaic Homo sapiens; the first with firm evidence for systematic hunting

Occipital condyle

The part of the skull that articulates with the first vertebra

Biological evolution

Evolution that is passed on through DNA

Mousterian

Fine stone tools including flakes, scrapers and spears with attached handles

Homo neanderthalensis

The hominin group that first buried the dead and cared for the old

Cerebrum

The area of the brain most enlarged in apes, especially humans

Dog

The first animal to be domesticated

Bowl-shaped pelvis

The shape of the pelvis in bipedal organisms

Sagittal crest

The crest along the top of the skull

Australopithecus afarensis

The scientific name for "Lucy", an early hominin that probably walked upright

Lower Palaeolithic

The culture including Oldowan and Acheulian; also called the Old Stone Age

Mousterian

The tool culture associated with Neanderthals

Upper Palaeolithic

The later phase of the Old Stone Age

Composite

A tool made of more than one kind of material

Multiregional hypothesis

The view that modern humans evolved independently in Africa, Europe and Asia

Homo sapiens

The first species to make and use needles

Out of Africa hypothesis

The theory that modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated to Europe and Asia, displacing earlier species

Brow ridge

Heavy bone over the eye that reduces stresses in the skull and lower jaw during chewing

Prognathism

Having a snout or muzzle

Zygomatic arch

The gap/arch through which large jaw muscles pass

Replacement hypothesis

Another name for the Out of Africa hypothesis

Ice ages and sea levels

Ice ages lower sea levels, creating land bridges between islands

mtDNA

Mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through the maternal line

Y chromosome

Can be used to show patterns of evolution because it is passed on through the male line and is not affected by recombination

How can mtDNA and Y chromosome DNA be altered?

Through mutations

How did Australopithecus obtain food?

By scavenging what they found

What does cooking food do?

It softens food and kills microbes

What were the advantages of fire?

Cooking food, hardening tools, lengthening the day, keeping warm and keeping predators away

How did tools help hominins survive?

They allowed more diverse animals to be killed and processed

How did the foramen magnum change with bipedalism?

It moved from the lower back of the skull towards the centre

Sexual dimorphism

The differences observed between male and female skeletons

How did hominin brain size change over time?

Brain size increased

How did the prognathic muzzle change over time?

It became reduced

How did the brow ridge change over time?

It became reduced

How did the feet change with bipedalism?

The big toe became forward-facing and attached, and the foot became arched

Why is the Out of Africa hypothesis called the replacement hypothesis?

When modern humans moved out of Africa, they outcompeted hominins they encountered, causing them to become extinct

What is the shape of the spine in apes vs humans?

Apes have a C-shaped spine; humans have an S-shaped spine

Advantages of being bipedal

Taller so predators and food can be seen; hands are free to carry food, young and tools; more efficient cooling

How has cultural evolution changed over time?

Tools became better; use of shelter increased; abstract thought and imagination developed; animals and plants were domesticated

What do Oldowan tools look like?

Pebbles with flakes knocked off one edge

What do Acheulian tools look like?

Teardrop-shaped pebbles

What are Middle Palaeolithic tools?

Mousterian tools, scrapers and axe heads

What are Upper Palaeolithic tools?

Needles and fish hooks made from bone and wood

How did tools change over time?

They became more refined and more worked

What does cave drawings, burial of the dead and planned hunting groups indicate?

The ability for abstract thought

Arboreal

Living in trees

What shape is the dental arcade in apes?

U-shaped or rectangular

What shape is the dental arcade in humans?

Parabolic

Power grip

A grip that all primates can use to hold objects

Precision grip

A grip that humans have in addition to the power grip

What are the advantages of a shorter pelvis?

It is stronger and able to tilt and rotate during walking

Positive feedback

The process where one change reinforces another

When did ancestors leave Africa according to the Replacement Hypothesis?

About 200,000 years ago

When did ancestors leave Africa according to the Multiregional Hypothesis?

About 1 million years ago