...Extinction of Homo Neanderthalis: How and Why Did it Happen? One of the debates that has raged among anthropologists for over a century is the issue of Homo neanderthalis – what are the circumstances of the extinction of this species? Over time a variety of hypotheses have been posited; some have been disproven, others remain on the table of debate. Many factors contribute to the unresolved nature of the problem, ranging from limited information, contradictory evidence, and an increasingly curious mystery regarding the gradual decline of the population while temporally coexistent with Homo sapiens. An interesting observation can be made about the peculiar way in which biological anthropologists have considered the development of their own species. The old maxim that it is nearly impossible to turn an objective eye towards one’s self is especially valid, even in this context. Historically, anthropologists have seen the development of Homo sapiens as something gradual and transformative. The presence of Homo neaderthalis throws a wrench into the quaint linearity of this way of thinking. The paleoanthropological record of the Neanderthals continues up to a certain point and their presumed extinction has always been troublesome and anthropologists continue to debate as to why they became extinct. There are several ideas competing for prominence, four of which being the major considerations. The first states that they entered into resource competition with Homo sapiens and lost...
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...Ardipithecus ramidus was first reported in 1994. American paleoanthropologist Tim White led a team in the Middle Awash area of Ethiopia in 1992-1994. During this time the first Ardipithecus ramidus was discovered. Since then, White and his team have discovered over 100 fossil specimens of Ardipithecus ramidus. It is believed that the Ardipithecus ramidus species lived about 4.4 million years ago. The Ardipithecus ramidus has some ape-like features but it also has human features as well which include smaller diamond shaped canines and some evidence of upright walking. There is a possibility that it is a descendant from an earlier species named, Ardipithecus kadabba. The fossils collected were that of a female, which is known as “Ardi”. The partial skeleton of “Ardi” is combined of both human and other primate traits. Her pelvis was shorter than other apes which indicate she could have possible been able to walk bipedally and she had a grasping big toe for moving throughout trees. Based on the skeleton, scientists have predicted the average height of “Ardi” was 3ft 11inches and her weight was approximately 110lbs. Scientists believe that the Ardipithecus ramidus species were omnivores based on the enamel of their teeth. Australopithecus anamensis was discovered in 1994. The history of this species began in the year 1965 when a research team led by Bryan Peterson from Harvard University found what appeared to be a single arm bone of an early human at a site of Kanapoi in...
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...them. A species changes over time. It can grow bigger, smaller, develops new traits, or many other things can change in it. The evolution of a horse is an example of this. Over 50 million years ago, the horse was an animal that was about the size of today’s dog. The earlier horses were better suited for a tropical area than the plains of out west. However, because of evolution they adapted this maybe because of other animals that were predators or because of the lack of resources that were available. Horses even had multiple toes similar to what humans have that they used to walk on. However, not only were animals evolving, the earth was as well. There were new land formations and new vegetation that different animals had to learn to live in. The evolution of the horse allowed it to start changing in several ways. One of the main ones was the need it had for being able to run from predators that allowed it to start...
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...What is Anthropology??? • • • 20:41 Anthropology • Scientific Approach, OBJECTIVE • Study of Humankind- human groups • Seeks to produce useful GENERALIZATIONS about people and their BEHAVIORS • To arrive at an UNBIASED UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN DIVERSITY • Only scientific discipline that attempts to embrace an understanding of all of humanity • Helps us understand ourselves an others Anthropology Perspectives • Holistic Approach (broadest view) o To view things in the broadest possible contest o To cover the whole scope of humanity o To provide a total or composite view o Human culture as a system, functional whole, all parts relate o Biocultural Perspective Studies both the PHYSICAL and SOCIAL EX: kuru disease (neurological disease)- disease caused by culture, transmitted by mortuary practices • Cultural Relativism o To view the beliefs and customs of other peoples within the context of their culture not one’s own o Practice of not judging other cultures based on the standards of one’s own culture o ENDOCENTRISM Group centeredness Tendency to see ones own culture as the center of everything The measure or standard against which all other lifeways are evaluated Tendency to consider ones own culture as superior or better than all others o Anthropologists must be unbiased, objective o Involves an effort to remain unbiased in ones observations o Acknowledges that cultures are DIFFERENT, but NOT RANKED o No right or wrong cultures...
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...would be classified as evolution. Physical Anthropologists study the remains of Hominins and other ancestors of humans to discover the link that connects us all. They also study other creatures to compare them to humans in an effort to understand where humans come from and what makes us human (Gonder, 2013). One way that Physical Anthropologists have found links of evolution from early Humans and Neanderthals is through dental evidence found and investigated by Professor Alan Mann. He concluded that modern humans did in fact evolve from Neanderthals by finding links in the dental history of each species. Though his evidence is disputed by some, like any other scientific evidence, there have been some that support him and have come to the same conclusion of the relationship between Humans and Neanderthals. One piece of evidence that supports his theory is from a group of researchers from Germany that came to the conclusion in May 2010 “ based on DNA analysis, that Neanderthals and humans had mated, and 1 to 4 percent of the human genome of non-Africans today came from Neanderthals” (Patel, 2011). Mann goes on to say that through his research of human evolution, Evolution is not perfect and there are flaws that exist. One of these flaws he describes is the fact that the Human brain has...
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...Neanderthals are extinct members of the homo neanderthalensis species (Wong 99). They lived on the European continent about 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. The Neanderthals are very similar looking to humans in their physical appearance. They are even considered to be humans, before we humans came along. When we humans are compared to Neanderthals we are considered to be modern humans. The extinction of Neanderthals could have been caused by many reasons. But scientists believe that the cause of extinction is due to evolutionary forces. There are a few evolutionary forces that may have taken place in the extinction of the Neanderthals. But if we, modern humans, are still alive wouldn’t the species that are similar to us also be alive? This means that the Neanderthals were different from modern humans and evolutionary forces had a role to play. Modern humans and the Neanderthals came from the same linage. Humans did not develop from the Neanderthal. The Neanderthals weren’t studied until a skull was found in Germany (Wong 99). They were classified as a whole different species because of their structural differences. But it turns out that their differences were not so major at all. Compared to the early modern European, Neanderthals had a receding forehead, strong brow ridge, and no chin. The early modern European had steeper forehead, delicate brow ridge, and a chin (Wong 100). The Neanderthals adapted to their environment. An example would be their big bodies that were built as...
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...Chapter 1 Who were the first known humans and which time periods/territories did they cover? The earliest human-like creatures were known as hominids and lived in Africa about three or four million years ago. They were known as “southern ape-men”, having flourished in eastern and southern Africa. The Australopithecines were the first hominids that made simple stone tools to hunt or defend themselves, existing about two to four million years ago. These early human-like creatures were bipedal, meaning they walked upright on two legs, enabling them to make journeys on foot. In 1959, a new form of hominid was discovered in Africa labeled the Homo habilis or “handy human”. These hominids were believed to have a brain fifty percent larger than that of the Australopithecines. This allowed them to become more sophisticated in finding food and hunting in Africa. The emergence of the Homo Erectus began about 1.5 million years ago. The Homo Erectus were the first hominid to migrate to Europe and Asia from Africa. Describe the...
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...Bipedalism also freed our hands for the eventual use and crucial production of tools (Diamond 1992). Through the use of found tools, such as sharp rocks employed as knifes, our ancestors may have been able to scavenge meat to supplement their diet of plant food, allowing them to outcompete other species. The about one million years ago, Homo erectus began to expand to “the Near East, then the Far East and Europe” (Diamond 1992: 37). Biological evolution continued in the way of increased brain size and more rounded skulls, one step closer to anatomically modern humans (Diamond 1992). Brain size was increasing, but how? An analysis of our genome and that of a chimp showed that there are differences in the non-coding regions that control the expression of genes by turning them on and off or by “cranking the volume” (Fischman 2011). Distinct differences between humans and chimps, such as brain size, must be caused by a distinct difference in the non-coding region of the genome. Upon examination, it was found that a non-coding region near a tumor suppression gene that was present in chimps was not present in modern humans or in Neanderthals, who also were big-brained. This gene is responsible for suppressing tumors in the brain during the lifetime of an individual, but it has been shown that in the womb the gene...
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...common ancestor. Natural selection was the mechanism for evolutionary change. Over time the characteristics of the fittest species gradually changed over time through generations to survive the environment around them. Humans evolved in Africa and shared a common ancestor with chimps and apes which lived millions of years ago. This common ancestor diverged over time which formed different types of species of hominid. Homo sapiens make up today’s society, the other species of hominids became extinct. The know how of some of our early relatives is known because of fossil evidence, and our understanding of our family tree grows as new fossils are revealed. These fossils show that modern humans are part of a large human evolutionary family. Some distinctive features of H. sapiens the modern human have large brains, adapted to walk on two feet, a small or absent brow ridge and a small chin on the lower chin. Some of the hominids found that are believed to be our ancestors are Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo floresiensis. Australopithecus afarensis is one of the oldest early human relative that was bipedalism which shared characteristics with H. sapiens, this is known because of where the spinal cord sits under the skull. It’s thought to have lived between four and three million two hundred thousand years ago in Eastern Africa. ‘Lucy’ was an A. afarensis discovered in 1974. They discovered that Lucy was like a chimpanzee...
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...Unit 1 – online Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. There are 4 areas of Anthropology- 1. sociocultural - examine social patterns and practices across cultures, with a special interest in how people live in particular places and how they organize, govern, and create meaning 2. , biological/physical - seek to understand how humans adapt to diverse environments, how biological and cultural processes work together to shape growth, development and behavior, and what causes disease and early death 3. archaeology - study past peoples and cultures, from the deepest prehistory to the recent past, through the analysis of material remains, ranging from artifacts and evidence of past environments to architecture and landscapes 4. linguistics- is the comparative study of ways in which language reflects and influences social life Unit 1 – Book Anthropology – the study of humankind in all times and places Colonialism – when one nation dominates another through occupation, admin (military) and control of resource’s. Cultural imperialism – refers to the promotion of one nation’s values, beliefs, and behavior above those of all others. Most famous empiricist – Franz Boas (1858-1942) he rejected racism and saw everyone as equal Radcliffe Brown – focused on how culture worked as a whole to maintain itself Malinowski – paid attention to his key informants’ point of view (groundbreaking methodology) Influences on Canadian Anthro – museums, academic department, applied...
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...2 Abstract: Based on the breathtaking and scenic film Baraka, directed by Mark Magidson, this essay examines what makes us human internally and externally. Drawing on articles consistent in humanity and compassion exploration, biological research, chimpanzee research and analysis, and a look at our distant Neanderthal ancestors, we can combine the crucial pieces of humanity to look at it as a whole. Baraka depicts not only diversity, but importance of religion, ritual, traditions, and culture in the world. At first, the film seems to be a jumbled mixture of images and non-verbal sounds, but in fact it is strategically linked and results in one final theme: Life. 3 For centuries, humans have made themselves superior over our predecessor: Earth. While science has proved that the earth,with its animals and nature, have existed long before we have, we continue to oversee its power and lose our humanity. Our humanity, in my opinion, is not what makes us human biologically, but rather internally and cognitively. According to the dictionary, humanity is described as "the quality of being humane" and followed by words such as compassion, brotherly love, understanding, sympathy, and consideration. Is humanity an instinct, something we are born with? Or is humanity learned, taught, and projected? There are many things that we can relate to being human. Biologically, the DNA that lies within the cells that make up our physical body can tell whether we...
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...something new, that perhaps the world has never seen before. Owen Lovejoy helped discover why Ardipithecus ramidus is so unusual, which represents the transition from tree dwelling to ground dwelling. He had lots of evidence to prove that this new structure was seen in Ardi, which was a new body plan. He discovered that Ardi’s hands fit together in a way that allowed the hand to bend far backward at the wrist, If lovejoy is right, this means that Ardi never went through a knuckle-walking stage like experts believed she did(pg. 92). He also pointed that Ardi’s pelvic blades, were shorter and broader than apes, which would let her balance on one leg while walking upright. Lovejoy also claims that she had an opposable big toe, which meant she was able to grasp branches, suggesting she spent a lot of time in the trees. All this evidence was a huge shocker to the world of science, Ardi represents an early stage of human evolution when ancient ape body plan was being remodeled to live in two worlds- in the tree, and in the ground (pg. 92). When Berger saw a CT scan of the skull, he noticed that there was an air space in between the surface of the fossil and the contour of the...
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...ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE It is an intriguing question, to which we may never have a complete answer: How did we get from animal vocalization (barks, howls, calls...) to human language? Animals often make use of signs, which point to what they represent, but they don’t use symbols, which are arbitrary and conventional. Examples of signs include sniffles as a sign of an on-coming cold, clouds as a sign of rain, or a scent as a sign of territory. Symbols include things like the words we use. Dog, Hund, chien, cane, perro -- these are symbols that refer to the creature so named, yet each one contains nothing in it that in anyway indicates that creature. In addition, language is a system of symbols, with several levels of organization, at least phonetics (the sounds), syntax (the grammar), and semantics (the meanings). So when did language begin? At the very beginnings of the genus Homo, perhaps 4 or 5 million years ago? Before that? Or with the advent of modern man, Cro-magnon, some 125,000 years ago? Did the neanderthal speak? We don’t know. There are many theories about the origins of language. Many of these have traditional amusing names (invented by Max Müller and George Romanes a century ago), and I will create a couple more where needed. 1. The mama theory. Language began with the easiest syllables attached to the most significant objects. 2. The ta-ta theory. Sir Richard Paget, influenced by Darwin, believed that body movement preceded language. Language began...
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...intact. So the fact that most historical cultures, from first to most recent (our own), believed essentially the same creation story is astonishing in its consistency. Naturally, such long-term consistency made it extremely difficult to challenge when the accumulation of scientific evidence could no longer be ignored. Charles Darwin is usually credited with issuing the first call for a rational examination of divine creation as the belief system regarding the origins of life and humanity. However, in his 1859 classic, The Origin Of Species, he skirted both issues in an attempt to placate his era’s dominant power structure—organized religion. Though he used the word "origin" in the title, he was careful to discuss only how species developed from each other, not how life originated. And he simply avoided discussing humanity’s origins. Ultimately, pressure from both supporters and critics forced him to tackle that thorny issue in 1871’s The Descent Of Man; but Charles Darwin was never comfortable at the cutting edge of the social debate he helped engineer. The true roots of the challenge to divine creation extend 65 years prior to Darwin, back to 1795, when two men—a naturalist and a geologist—published stunning works. The naturalist was Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin’s grandfather, a brilliant intellectual in his own right. In The Laws Of Organic Life he suggested that population numbers drove competition for resources, that...
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...CRST 290 ALL TESTS Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwaid.com/shop/crst-290-all-tests/ • Question 1 4 out of 4 points Apologetics is a branch of theology that provides a rational defense of Christianity. • Question 2 4 out of 4 points The creation model predicts that organisms will remain essentially the same to the present or go extinct. • Question 3 4 out of 4 points Evolutionary theories are scientific and not subject to change • Question 4 4 out of 4 points A set of related hypotheses that are bound together to describe a phenomenon is called a law • Question 5 4 out of 4 points Germany only embraced Darwinian evolution after Hitler and the Nazi's came to power. • Question 6 4 out of 4 points Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood was a promoter of eugenics. • Question 7 4 out of 4 points Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that deals with the defense of doctrine and defense of the Christian faith. • Question 8 4 out of 4 points The scientific method has proven that evolution is an unguided process. • Question 9 4 out of 4 points Which of the following is a good hypothesis to use with the scientific method? • Question 10 4 out of 4 points The best current Creation Model looks like • Question 11 0 out of 4 points Which of the following is a reason(s) why evolution and creation are beyond the scope of empirical science...
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