ASM 104-Quiz 3 (3.4-3.6)

Question 1

Homo habilis

Answer 1

extinct hominid of genus homo, from early pleistocene of east/south africa

Question 2

homo redolfensis

Answer 2

lived in turkana basin (n. kenya) between 1.9-1.8 mya, larger braincase, longer face and larger molar/premolar teeth then h. habilis

Question 3

oldowan tools

Answer 3

oldest known stone tool industry, dates back to 2.5 mya, fist sized cobblestones, when broken or chipped yielded usable core and several flakes

Question 4

cores

Answer 4

stone from which one or more flakrs have been removed

Question 5

flakes

Answer 5

stone fragments removed from cores. often used as blanks for finished artifacts

Question 6

homo erectus (african)

Answer 6

early pleistocene, led to emergence of h. heidelbergensis and eventually homo sapiens

Question 7

homo erectus (asian)

Answer 7

slight brow ridge, degree of prognathism, teeth, evidence against sophisticated stone tools

Question 8

power scavenging

Answer 8

svanenging for remains of animal already dead

Question 9

passive scavenging

Answer 9

extracting marow from long bones and brains from skulls

Question 10

nariokotome boy

Answer 10

african h. erectus, 8-9 yo at death, 5-5’4 ft tall, near modern body proportions, long legs relative to arms, narrow pelvis

Question 11

acheulean stone tools

Answer 11

teardrop shaped, consist proportions regardless of size, pointed end cuts meat and rounded end fits in palm

Question 12

where were earliest homo fossils found? where were best specimens?

Answer 12

eastern africa and western asia, about 1.5-1.9 mya
west turkana region of kenya

Question 13

2 hominin species living in east africa around 2.3 mya

Answer 13

paranthropus boisei, paranthropus aethiopicus

Question 14

evidence paranthropus boisei and athiopicus are different?

Answer 14

cheek teeth (premolars and molars), saggital crest in males and low sloping frontal bone, temporal fossa, larger browridges

Question 15

homo habilis vs australopithecus

Answer 15

brain size: HH-610cc & AU-450cc
browridge size: bigger, smaller
face shape/size: small/orthognathic,
body size/shape: both small, long arms
tools: oldowan tools

Question 16

why was large molar/jaw trend reversed with h. habilis and rudolfensis

Answer 16

emergence of stone tools means dietary shift towards more meat

Question 17

oldowan tool characteristics

Answer 17

fist sized cobblestones, when broken or chipped yielded a usable core and several flakes

Question 18

did h. habilis use oldowan tools? what for?

Answer 18

yes they were used for butchering, cutting, and scraping meat off bones

Question 19

when and where did homo erectus appear

Answer 19

1.9 ma in java, indonesia

Question 20

homo erectus first to do/have

Answer 20

make handaxes, first hominins to leave africa, use fire, hearths, endurance running, modern human limb proportions, brains about 100 cm^3

Question 21

nariokotome boy

Answer 21

8/9 yrs old at death, near modern vody proportions –> long legs to arms and narrow pelvis

Question 22

when did homo heidelbergensis appear?

Answer 22

300-600 kya (thousand years ago)

Question 23

homo species before h. heidelbergensis

Answer 23

homo erectus

Question 24

h. hedidelbergensis

Answer 24

continent: bodo, ethiopia
browridges: large
brainsize: larger than h. erectus
sima de los huesos site: at least 28 full individuals found here–> ritual evidence?
cannibalism: yes

Question 25

what are schoningen spears? what else found with? provide strong evidence of?

Answer 25

-3 wooden throwing spears found in germany
-oldest preserved hunting weapons found with 10 butchered horses
-first strong evidence of large game hunting

Question 26

which pop. of h. heidelbergensis gave rise to neanderthals? which for homo sapiens

Answer 26

-european pop. of heidelbergensis
-african pop. for homo sapiens

Question 27

neanderthals

Answer 27

-glacial climate
-discovered in neander valley cave in germany? or feldhofer cave in neander tal
-lived in eurasia and siberia
-appeared 430 kya
-ate large game animals (deer, bison, mammoths, etc.)

Question 28

neanderthals morpohology

Answer 28

head shape: flat headed
cranial capacity: 1300 to 1740cc
occipital bun: yes
brow ridge size/shape: narrow
size of nose/nasal opening: large nasal bones/opening
molar size: small molars, large front teeth
incisor wear: well worn
body shape/size: thick and stocky

Question 29

neanders tools compared to h. erectus

Answer 29

-more cutting edge per pound of flint
-evidence of attachment to shaft
-carried flint from far away
-also bone and ivory tools

Question 30

neanderthals language

Answer 30

-we don’t know if they had one
-probably could make same sounds as humans
language symbolic–> not ties to specific sounds

Question 31

was neanderthal life peaceful or violent

Answer 31

-evidence of violence
-100% of adults (m/f) >30yo had healed fractures
-evidence of caretaking?

Question 32

what evidence shows neanderthals cared and possibly buried dead?

Answer 32

-skeletal evidence for survival from trauma and injury
-sima de los huesos site showed possible ritual

Question 33

Homo sapiens

Answer 33

likely arose from African H. heidelbergensis
* Anatomy
o Average cranial capacity of 1350cc – within range of H. neanderthalensis
o Cranium
 Parallel-sided brain case
 No real brow-ridge, but a supercilliary arch above each eye
 Canine fossa – bump over canine root
 Vertical frontal bone forehead
 Rounded occipital bone without a torus or bun
 Face below/behind forehead
 A true chin – mandible sticks out anteriorly from incisors
o Post-cranial anatomy
 Reduced upper limb muscularity
 Hands capable of fine motor control
 Refined bipedal gait
 Overall lack of skeletal robusticity

Question 34

where did homo sapiens evolve

Answer 34

africa

Question 35

fossils info

Answer 35

Oldest fossils found in Ethiopia – not necessarily exactly where H. sapiens originated, but
probably close.
* Oldest: 230,000 years ago
* By 100,000 years ago, many fossils found throughout African and the Middle East. Remember
that the Neandertals were still around at this point

Question 36

Qafzeh cave & Skhul cave, Israel

Answer 36

115-90 ka (ka = 1000s of years ago)
o Interesting specimens – not entirely sure how they fit in to the story
o Some researchers think they are a transitional form (between Neanderthals and H.
sapiens). Round braincase, but prognathism & brow ridges
o Others think that they are a very early form of H. sapiens that made it out of Africa
much earlier.
o What happened to them?
 Neanderthals occupied the same caves after they did – so maybe they were
simply replaced by Neandertals?
 At any rate, no evidence that they moved on from Israel
 Seem to be a ‘failed attempt’ to leave Africa. Made it out, but only barely before
going extinct

Question 37

h. sapiens leaving africa summary

Answer 37

Species originate in Africa around ~200,000 years ago
o By ~100,000 years ago, all over Africa and into Israel
o Second wave properly left Africa 70-50Ka
o Europe – at least 45,000 years ago
o Central Asia – 42,000 – 39,0000 years ago
o Southeast Asia – 45,000 – 40,000 years ago
o Australia –50,000 years ago
o Americas – at least 15,000 years ago

Question 38

second wave of h. sapeins made it out

Answer 38

One famous site is the Cro-Magnon rockshelter in France
 Specimens dated to 30,000 years ago
 More complex tool technology than Neanderthals
 Also animal teeth with carvings on them, shells and teeth used as beads
* Indicates symbolic behavior

Question 39

Early indicators of ‘modern’ behavior

Answer 39

Pinnacle Point, South Africa
 165,000Ka
 Evidence of eating shellfish – good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are
important for brain growth and development
 Even more complex tools – made of silcrete (a flaky, soft stone), which they
used fire to harden
 Engraved shells, beads, ochre – shows cultural transmission of knowledge
o No agriculture – just hunting and gathering.
 Probably more vegetables than meat.
 Large prey also provided useful items: hides, bone, antlers, etc
o Shelters that were constructed (rather than just living in caves)
o Cave art and carved symbols
o Development of language, suggesting social complexity
o Death rituals

Question 40

H. naledi

Answer 40

Very few early Homo (rudolfensis, habilis) fossils, so still questions about the origins of
our genus
o Exciting find in S. Africa by Lee Berger and team
o Fossils from at least 15 individuals, found deep in a cave
o Mix of primitive (Australopithecus-like) and Homo-like features
o Possible burial of dead
o There is still some uncertainty about how old it is.
 If ~2.5 million years old (as Berger initially claimed), then it’s one of the earliest
species of Homo

Question 41

H. floresiensis

Answer 41

Discovered on island of Flores, Indonesia
o Nicknamed the “Hobbit”
o Found in a large limestone cave, along with stone tools and animal remains
o 30-year-old female, 3.5 feet tall
o Now the remains of at least 9 partial skeletons have been found
o Very small brain, not much bigger than a chimp
o But some cranial features like Homo

Question 42

how does hominin fit into big picture human evolution

Answer 42

Homo sapiens with microcephaly?
* Supporting evidence:
o associated with complex stone tools
o Initially thought to be very recent (18ka)
* Evidence against:
o More accurate dating: 100-50ka (closer to the time when H.
erectus was known to still be in the region)
o No true chin (unlike H. sapiens, which has a true chin)
o Slight browridge and sloping forehead (unlike H. sapiens)
o Big feet (not a symptom of microcephaly)

Question 43

isolated descendent of h. erectus?

Answer 43

Supporting evidence:
o Homo erectus recently living in S.E. Asia
o Elements of cranium resemble H. erectus
 Slight brow ridge
 Degree of prognathism
 Teeth
* Evidence against:
o Complex stone tools

Question 44

why h. floresiensis so small

Answer 44

Probably due to the phenomenon of “lsland dwarfism” or the “Island
rule”
o After many generations isolated on an island, large species tend
to become smaller, and small species tend to become larger.
Has to do with predation and competition for food
o H. floresiensis found with pygmy Stegodon (a species of
elephant) and giant rat fossils

Question 45

h. floresiensis consensus

Answer 45

H. floresiensis is a descendent of H. erectus that was isolated on an
island and became very small via island dwarfism. Persisted longer than H.
erectus.

Question 46

h. erectus expansion out of africa

Answer 46

-1.75 Ma, H. erectus found in Dmanisi (Georgia), indicating they expanded out of Africa around
1.8 Ma into Europe and Asia’
-Dmanisi fossils showed quite primitive traits
-1.6 ma, erectus fossils found in indonesis (se asia)
-600,000 yrs ago, erectus fossils found in china
-asian erectus had larger brains than african

Question 47

how could h erectus expand

Answer 47

New tool technology that allowed them greater access to meat, which fueled brain
growth, allowed them to exploit new niches?
 Maybe, because fossils associated with Acheulean stone tools – two-sided hand
axes that are very effective at defleshing large carcasses
 But, only Olduwan tools at Dmanisi (and small brains), so maybe not
o Control of fire?
 Maybe –
* evidence of hearths
* stone tools near baked earth
* burned animal bones with H. erectus fossils
 But maybe not
* No convincing evidence of fire until around 500,000 years ago

Question 48

cenozic era –> quatemary period –> epoch (start date)

Answer 48

holocene (10,000)
pleistocene (2.5 Ma)
*put eggs on my plate please homer

Question 49

cenozic era–> tertiary period–> epoch (start date)

Answer 49

pliocene (5ma)
milocene (23 ma)
oligocene (34 ma)
eocene (56 ma)
paleocene (65 ma)
*put eggs on my plate please homer

Question 50

Why did bipedalism evolve?

Answer 50

Provisioning model:
Males would gather food and bring back to females → hence their hands needed to be free to carry these items
But this would mean that pair-bonding evolved early… sexual dimorphism suggests otherwise (males bigger than females)
Using tools model:
Hands needed to be free to make tools and hunt
But, no evidence of stone tools until long after bipedalism evolved
Thermoregulatory model:
Reduced heat gain (sun just on head vs. being on entire back/body of quadrupeds)
Increased heat loss
But, lots of quadrupedal animals in savannas
Climbing mechanical model:
Retention of suspension morphology
Possible arboreal ancestors had to walk on ground bipedally because their arms were too long