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Human Evolution/Archeaolgy > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is Anthropology?

A

The study of all humankind in all places and in all times.

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2
Q

What are the 4 subfields of Anthropology?

A

Archaeology, Biological/Physical, Cultural, Linguistic

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3
Q

What is fieldwork?

A

The practice of anthropologists doing hands-on research in the setting on context of their subject.

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4
Q

What is fieldwork important?

A
  • Immerses the researcher in the data
  • Giving them a deep understanding of the facts
  • Ability to spot small details
  • Build up a more complete understanding.
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5
Q

What are some of the difficulties of fieldwork?

A
  • Travel
  • Permits
  • Funding
  • Difficult to independently confirm observations
  • Personal challenges: physical, mental, societal, political, ethical
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6
Q

Define Holistic

A

A fundamental principle of anthropology:
that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence.

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7
Q

Define Science

A

The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

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8
Q

Define Theory

A

In science, an explanation of natural phenomena,

supported by a reliable body of data.

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9
Q

Define Empirical

A

Based on observations of the world rather than on

intuition or faith.

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10
Q

Define Hypothesis

A

A tentative explanation of the relation between certain phenomena. Tested by experiments and/or direct observations.

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11
Q

Define Globalization

A

Worldwide interconnectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infectious diseases.

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12
Q

Who was Carl Linnaeus?

A
  • Carl von Linne
  • 18th Century
  • Invented Systema Naturae (System of Nature) to classify animals
  • Classified living things into a series of categories
    that are progressively more inclusive on the basis
    of internal and external visual similarities
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13
Q

What is a Mammal?

A
  1. Homoiothermic
  2. Placental
  3. Possess mammary glands to suckle young
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14
Q

Characteristics 9 of Primates

A 
Adaptions favouring eyesight
Pentadactyl
Flattened nails
Opposable thumb
Heterodontry
Generalized limb structure
Reduced litter size
Complicated social organization
Elongated life span
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15
Q

Define species

A

The smallest working units in the system of classification.

- Populations or groups of populations capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring

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16
Q

Define Genus

A

A group of like species

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17
Q

Define Taxonomy

A

The science of the classification of living things

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18
Q

Define Homonoids

A

Superfamily of primates with broad flexible shoulders and no tail.

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19
Q

Define gene

A

A portion of the DNA molecule containing a sequence of base pairs that is the fundamental physical functional unit of heredity. Briefly, the chemical instructions for building bodies.

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20
Q

Who was Charles Darwin?

A
  • 1809-1882
  • English naturalist
  • Co-developed theory of evolution with Alfred Russel Wallace
  • Sailed on Beagle around the world from 1831 to 1836
  • Published On the Origin of Species in 1859
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21
Q

Who was Alfred Russel Wallace?

A
  • 1823 - 1913
  • English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist
  • His landmark research in the field of biogeology (the distribution of species) led him to start developing a theory of evolution
  • His and Darwin’s ideas were very similar, leading to regular correspondence from Malay, developing a theory of evolution
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22
Q

Who was Gregor Mendel

A
  • 1822-1884
  • Moravian monk
  • Experimented with pea plants
  • Developed Basic Laws of Hereditary
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23
Q

What is the Law of Segregation?

A

Pairs of genes stay separate and keep their individuality as they are passed on to the next generation.

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24
Q

What is the Law of Interdependent Assortment?

A

Different traits are inherited independently of one another.

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25
Q

What is a chromosome?

A

Long strands of DNA combined with a protein

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26
Q

What is DNA?

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic material consisting of a complex molecule whose base structure directs the synthesis of proteins.

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27
Q

Who discovered DNA?

A

James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953

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28
Q

What is an Allele?

A

Alternate forms of a single gene.

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29
Q

What is a genome?

A

The complete structure sequence of DNA for a species.

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30
Q

What is a genotype?

A

The alleles possessed for a particular gene.

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31
Q

What is Mitosis?

A

Cell division that produces two new cells having exactly the same number of chromosome pairs, possessing identical genetic information, as the parent cells.

32
Q

What is Meiosis?

A

Cell division that produces the sex cells, each of which has half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the organism. It produces 4 cells.

33
Q

What is Homozygous?

A

A chromosome pair that bears identical alleles for a

single gene.

34
Q

What is Heterozygous?

A

A chromosome pair that bears different alleles for

a single gene.

35
Q

What is a phenotype?

A

The observable characteristic of an organism that may or may not reflect a particular genotype due to the variable expression of dominant
and recessive alleles.

36
Q

What is a recessive trait?

A

An allele whose expression is masked by the presence of a dominant allele.

37
Q

What is a dominant trait?

A

An allele that masks the presence of

another allele.

38
Q

What is polygenetic inheritance?

A

When two or more genes contribute to the

phenotypic expression of a single characteristic.

39
Q

What is Huntington’s Disease?

A
  • A neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and psychiatric problems
  • Caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in either of an individual’s two copies of a gene called Huntingtin
  • Produces proteins that over time damage neurons
40
Q

What is evolution?

A

The theory that life on earth shares a common ancestor. Genetic variations are acted upon by environmental forces and are then passed down through descent.

41
Q

What are the forces of evolution?

A
  • Natural Selection
  • Mutation
  • Gene Flow
  • Genetic drift
42
Q

What is a mutation?

A
  • A chance alteration of genetic material that produces a new variation
  • Increases variation within and between species
43
Q

What does V.I.S.T.A. stand for?

A

Variation – Organisms vary because of gene mutations
Inheritance - Traits are passed down genetically
Selection - Advantageous traits are passed down by more successful individuals
Time - Better traits being passed down through generations
Adaption - The resulting population is better adapted to it’s environment

44
Q

What is genetic drift?

A
  • Seperate populations evolving independently of each other
  • Decreases variation within populations
  • Increases variation between species
45
Q

What is gene flow?

A

Introduction of alleles from one population into another

  • Increases variation within populations
  • Decreases variation between populations
46
Q

What is the Founder Effect?

A

A particular form of genetic drift deriving from a small
founding population not possessing all the alleles present in the original
population

47
Q

What is Adaption?

A

Genetic traits that are beneficial adjustments to the environment.

48
Q

What is sickle cell anaemia?

A

It is the inherited form of anaemia caused by mutation in the hemoglobin protein. The mutation causes the cells to take the form of sickles which clog the finer parts of the circulatory system, causing excruciating pain.

49
Q

Why is sickle cell anaemia always used as an example in this point of any lessons about the biology of evolution?

A

Sickle shaped cells are more resistant to the malaria virus, so a person with a heterozygous allele (one SCA gene and on normal gene) has 50% sickle shaped haemoglobin, giving the a relative advantage to those with normal haemoglobin.

50
Q

What is dental formula?

A

The number of each tooth type (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) on one half of each jaw.

51
Q

What are Prosmii and Anthropoidea?

A

Prosmii - Lower Primates: Lemuriformes and Lorisformes

Anthropoidea - Higher Primates: Platyrrhini and Catarrhini

52
Q

Define Grade?

A

A general level of biological organization seen among a group of species; useful for constructing evolutionary relationships.

53
Q

Define Nocturnal?

A

Active at night and at rest during the day.

54
Q

What is meant by arboreal?

A

Mostly living in trees, rather than on the ground.

55
Q

What are Platyrrhinis?

A

New World Monkeys with broad, flat noses, found in South and Central America

56
Q

What are Catarrhinis?

A

Old World Monkeys, Apes and Humans, with narrow, downward-facing noses. Found in Africa, Asia, only humans are found worldwide.

57
Q

What is sexual dimorphism?

A

Within a single species, differences in the shape or size of a feature for males and females in body features not directly related to
reproduction.

58
Q

What is stereoscopic vision?

A

Complete three-dimensional vision (or depth
perception) from binocular vision and nerve connections that run from each eye to both sides of the brain, allowing nerve cells to integrate the
images derived from each eye.

59
Q

What is the fovea centralis?

A

A shallow pit in the retina of the eye that enables an

animal to focus on an object while maintaining visual contact with its surroundings.

60
Q

What is meant by suspensory hanging apparatus?

A

The broad powerful shoulder joints and

muscles found in all the hominoids, allowing these large-bodied primates to hang suspended below the tree branches.

61
Q

What is brachiation?

A

Using the arms to move from branch to branch, with the body hanging suspended beneath the arms.

62
Q

What is prehensile?

A

Having the ability to grasp.

63
Q

Define opposable?

A

Able to bring the thumb or big toe in contact with the tips of the other digits on the same hand or foot in order to grasp objects.

64
Q

What are the characteristics of prosimians?

A

Suborder of Primates
Eyes on either side of a long snout
Binocular but not stereoscopic

Lemurs, Lorises and Tarsiers

65
Q

What are the characteristics of Platyrrhini (New World Monkeys)?

A
  • Arboreal
  • Prehensile tails
  • 2-1-3-3 dental formula
  • Quadrupedal, no brachiation
  • Tamarins, Marmosets, Howler Monkeys
66
Q

What are the characteristics of Old World Monkeys?

A
  • 2-1-2-3 dental formula
  • Non Prehensile tails
  • Arboreal or terrestrial
  • Quadrupedal with palms-down
  • Baboons, macaques, colobus monkeys
67
Q

What are the characteristics of Apes?

A
  • No tails
  • Suspensory shoulder anatomy for brachiation
  • Arms longer than legs
  • Walk on knuckles by resting weight on middle joints of fingers
  • Occasionally walk bipedally for short periods
  • Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans
68
Q

What are dominance heirarchies?

A

Observed ranking systems in primate societies
ordering individuals from high (alpha) to low standing corresponding to
predictable behavioral interactions including domination.

69
Q

What is a natal group?

A

The group or the community an animal has inhabited since

birth.

70
Q

What is a community?

A

A unit of primate social organization composed of fifty or

more individuals who inhabit a large geographic area together.

71
Q

What is grooming?

A

Ritual cleaning of another animal’s hair to remove parasites and debris. It is an important gesture of friendliness, submission, appeasement or closeness.

72
Q

What are ischial collosities?

A

Hardened, nerveless pads on the buttocks that allow

baboons and other primates to sit for long periods of time

73
Q

What is estrus?

A

In some primate females, the time of sexual receptivity during
which ovulation is visibly displayed.

74
Q

What is a home range?

A

The geographic area within which a group of primates usually

moves.

75
Q

What is a tool?

A

An object used to facilitate some task or activity. Can be modified (tool making), or unmodified.

76
Q

What is culture?

A

All aspects of human adaption beyond biology. It is the entire database of knowledge, values, and traditional ways of viewing the world, which has been non-genetically transmitted from one generation to the next, through words, concepts and symbols.

Human Evolution/Archeaolgy (3 decks)

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