ANT101 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology and Archaeology

What is Anthropology? Study of all aspects of humankind Holistic approach to humankind Both culture and biology Looking humankind as a species Similarity and the diversity of the species We are more similar than we are different Biocultural Approach Central paradigm of anything in anthropology is culture Culture Integrated system of beliefs The foundation of all sub-fields of anthropology is culture Rests in the foundation of all anthropological inquiry Culture forms your perception Inherited i

Anthropology is a Holistic Discipline Comparative Particularistic Relativistic Four Traditional Divisions Social-cultural anthropology Linguistic anthropology Biological (physical) anthropology Archeology Others such as forensics, medical etc. Biocultural Approach in Anthropology Culture is all the aspects of human beliefs, behaviors and material culture. Ex. traditions, stories, language etc. It is learned and transmitted by non biological means (non genetic means) though generations. Encul

Hypothesis started in Arab and Greek areas, and then moved to England. Lyell is the father of geology. He didn't create the ideas, but rather summarized and revised them. History of Evolutionary Theory Evolution A change in the genetic structure of a population from one generation to the next. The term is also frequently used to refer to the appearance of a new species. History - Necessary Background Developments Experimental science and hypothesis testing. Uniformitarianism is the concept that

Myths of Origin All human cultures seem to have a theory of belief surrounding the origins of humans Holism and culture as the foundation and paradigm of all the sub-fields of anthropology Idea of the origin myth – “Where do we come from? How did we originate?” Universally addressed through the origin myth Almost all of them have the idea that humans are the ultimate product of human creation Fixity of Species Species, once created can never change Darwin stepped out of the boundaries of scienc

Cell Division - Mitosis and Meiosis Chromosomes are cellular structures, DNA wrapped around protein. They are only found in the cell nuclei. We can only see them during the cell division phase under a light microscope where they condense and thicken while getting ready to undergo cell division. One DNA molecule is made up of 10's of 1000's of genes. It is like one big ball of string which unwraps as one long string. It stores a lot of information. In the shape of a double helix. Chromosome Sets

Primatology The study of non-human primate biology & behaviour Two Key Concepts It is non-human primates Not only behavior, but it is also the biology Analogies Structures that are superficially similar Appear similar but are not Example - Wings on a bird vs Wings on a bat Based on function so it is NOT an evidence of evolution Structures that serve the same purpose but have different shapes Example - Wings on a bird Share a similar function Built from different parts Do not have a similar s

Modern Theory of Evolution aka the Modern Synthesis incorporates the old ideas of Darwin with what we know about evolution now, including the role of variation plus natural selection. Page 60-61. Variation in a population Is produced by mutation, which is the only way to get a brand new allele. Mutation mixes existing alleles to produce a different new one. The alleles are then distributed by recombination and sexual reproduction, which are a much higher source for diversity than gene flow or ge

Adaptive Significance of Human Variation Types of Adaptation to Environment Acclimatization Adult acclimatization. Ex. if you're an adult and move to a higher elevation region, your body will increase its hemoglobin production so you can carry more oxygen to breathe better. Once you move back to a lower region, your hemoglobin levels will go back to normal. Ex. if you stay out of sun, you will get a tan. Once you stay away from it long enough, your tan will eventually fade. This is a reversible

Archaeology The study of material remains in order to describe and explain human behavior (Haviland et al., 2009:11). Material Remain Anything that reflects human behavior three types of material remains Environmental Remains of human activity Human remains themselves – Bioarchaeology Four Goals of Archaeology Reconstruct human past across time and space Reconstruct human life ways - Where and when? Explain how and why the past occurred – context is more important than the object itself. One

Despite a few inaccuracies from a current perspective, this 1978 video reveals the basic primate patterns of morphology and behaviour. The trend over 60 million years is to binocular vision and increasingly better colour vision with lesser reliance on olfaction, more skilled grasping forelimbs, and cognition based on brain size. Primates also have increased in overall size, evolved greater social skills and continued a long period of maternal care of offspring. According to the video’s narrator

Microevolutionary - Forces affect the gene pool – Change within a single reproducing population Macroevolution – Larger scale, speciation events Creation of new species over time Divergent – Single ancestor giving rise to 2 descendant species Physical and social barriers Convergent – Two photogenically unrelated organisms develop greater similarities Based on homoplasy Not indicative of evolution Homologies - Indicative of evolutionary relationships, analogies are not Systematics vs Cladistics

Primates - Characteristic and Anatomical Adaptations Generalized The two most important adaptations for primates are their grasping hands and feet, (imposable thumbs and toes, nails and claws) and their vision. Most primates have developed colour vision, with eyes in the front of their head, and a bigger brain section focused on vision. They have a longer childhood and greater dependency on behavioural flexibility. Ex. being on top of their parents back. Primate Group Tendencies Tend to live in

Early Homo - 2.5 to 1.6 Million Years Ago Louis Leaky Olduvai Gorge, North Tanzania 1.8 Million Years Ago Homo Habilis – Habilis means tool maker Tools found at the site that attribute to this species Significance of the name Early tool makers Ancestors to modern humans Other sites - East Africa Omo, South Ethiopia Koobi Fora – KNM-ER 1470 – Richard Leaky Found within the time frame of early homo 1.9 Million Years Ago 752 cc Suggested that it may fall in a different species Because of its face

Paleoanthropology Paleoanthropology is the study of ancient human ancestors, specifically hominins which are extinct ancient human ancestors (except modern humans). Multidisciplinary Corresponds with geology and geography disciplines. Process Reconstruct Human Ancestor Behaviour and Ecology Methods Dating - Large time scale and few fossils to work with. Includes chronometric and relative dating. Environment - Studying the environment hominins lived in is important because it tells us how they l

Anatomically Modern Homo Sapiens Cro-Magnon Western Europe 35,000 Years Ago. First find but not the oldest. High broad forehead Chin Narrow nose Small face Globular vault Slight brow ridges Less robust post-cranial Origin of modern H. Sapiens Hypotheses Modern humans Vertical forehead – Development of the frontal lobes of the brain Largest volume Different feature between hominins and genus homo – Encephalization Difference between hominoids and hominins – Habitual bipedalism Humans have a chin

Humans, Animals and Plant Analysis Bioarchaeology Study the human biological components of the archaeological record Is it Human? Sex Determination Juvenile - Very difficult because you get your sex determining factors when you reach puberty Adult - Primarily from the pelvis – Female pelvis is wider Age Determination Juvenile (Dentition, epiphyseal growth plates) vs Adult (Pelvis, skull – Popoulation dependent) Bioarchaeological Analysis Paleopathology - Study of diseases Trauma - antemortem;

Hominin Evolution Early Primate Evolution Eocene: 56-34/33mya First primates Prosiman radiation (one species that diversifies into many species to fill in empty niches. Example lemurs and lorises) First Anthropoids (ancestor of early apes and humans) Oligocene: 33-23mya Anthropoid radiation Miocene: 23-5mya First Hominoids (humans and extinct human ancestors) Hominoid radiation widespread distribution

Early Hominins Australopiths and early Homo. Diversity of species/adaptive radiation: Have grassile, aferensis, robust and some homo species all living at the same time in the same types of environments. There are so many species because the groups weren't travelling far, thus interbreeding in small population. This causes genetic drift, and based on random factors, speciation begins. They climbed more and lived in the trees. Brain size from 3 - 1mya there was a flat line when looking at encep

Early Hominins Australopiths and early Homo. Diversity of species/ adaptive radiation: Have grassile, aferensis, robust and some homo species all living at the same time in the same types of environments. There are so many species because the groups weren't travelling far, thus interbreeding in small population. This causes genetic drift, and based on random factors, speciation begins. They climbed more and lived in the trees. Brain size - From 3 - 1 million year ago there was a flat line when

Premodern Humans ya = years ago Homo erectus to Premodern Humans Overview, Time and Place Homo erectus biologically and evolutionarily evolved rapidly while dispersing quickly from Africa. But it was a gradual process to evolve into Homo sapiens. There was one or more transitional species in this time period, called premoderns. The earliest if Homo heidelbergenis, who is an ancestor for Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. They overlapped with Homo erectus, but not as much in Africa, Europe or th