1. Paleontology Notes

2. What is Paleontology?
The scientific study of life in the geologic past, especially through the study of animal and plant fossils
Greek for "ancient" (paleo), "being" (onto-), and "study" (-logy)

3. In order to fully understand Human Evolution, we must understand our closest ancestors
“If we look straight and deep into a chimpanzee's eyes, an intelligent self-assured personality looks back at us. If they are animals, what must we be?”  ― Frans de Waal

7. What makes an animal a primate? Hands and feet
Features of hands and feet
Grasping big toe
Opposable thumbs
Sensitive fingertips
Flat nails

8. Adaptations of Primates

9. Adaptations of Primates
Opposable Thumbs
Practice Exercise: Write your name with your pencil without the use of your thumb. Also, try and tie your shoe and get something out of pencil case

10. Adaptations of Primates
Grasping Hands
Practice Exercise: Pick up a coin without using your thumbs

11. Limited olfactory senses
What makes an animal a primate?
Vision
Forward facing eyes
Binocular vision
Stereoscopic Vision
Information sent to both hemispheres of the brain
Depth perception
Color vision
Limited olfactory senses

14. Adaptations of Primates
Binocular Vision
Practice Exercise:
Determine your field of vision with your arms spread wide.
Test your binocular vision using a pencil and a partner.

15. What makes an animal a primate?
TEETH
2 pairs of incisors
1 pair of canine
2 pairs of premolars
3 pairs of molars

16. What makes an animal a primate?
DEVELOPMENT
Small liters
Long pregnancy
Long infancy
Long juvenile period

17. What makes an animal a primate?
BRAIN
Large brain in proportion to body size

18. The Primate Family Tree

20. Groups of Primates
Prosimians Monkeys Apes

21. Prosimians Why? What do you notice about their eyes? Aye-Aye Loris
Lemur
Why?

22. They are nocturnal Prosimians also: Are insectivores Have large snouts
Are most primitive of primates

23. Tarsier – From Southeast Asia
Tarsiers
They are Prosimians but are more closely related to Old & New World Monkeys
Larger brain than lemur and loris
Flatter face than lemur and loris
Tarsier – From Southeast Asia

24. Monkeys
Two groups
New World
Old World
Have tails

25. New World Monkeys Found in South and Central America Spider Monkey
Howler Monkey
Notice the functioning tail.

26. Old World Monkeys Found in Africa and Asia Baboons
What are the TWO main differences between new and old world monkeys?

27. Difference between Old and New world Monkeys
Old World
New World
Prehensile Tail
Less intelligent
Flat nose
Nostrils are far apart and open to the side
Thumb orientation lies in line with other digits. 
Live mostly in trees
NO prehensile tail
More intelligent
Nostrils are closer together and open downward or forward
Thumbs are rotated and more opposable
Live mostly on the ground

28. Gibbons
From Asia
Apes
Orangutans
From Asia

29. Apes
Gorillas
Chimpanzees
From Africa
From Africa

30. Apes No tail Large brain Can use tools Highly intelligent Long arms
Can walk upright for short periods although not considered bipedal

31. Humans

32. What do we call primates who are bipedal?
HOMINIDS

33. Hominids

34. how are Humans like Chimpanzees? Its in our DNA

35. Human and Ape DNA Lab

36. Part I When you hear the word evolution, what do you think of first?
For many people, the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase, “Humans evolved from apes.” However, we did not evolve directly from modern apes. Instead, we evolved from a common ancestor with modern apes.
This activity will give you the opportunity to observe differences and similarities in human and ape DNA.

37. Background Knowledge DNA is a double helix shape
DNA is made of nitrogen bases that make up the “steps of the ladder”
A and T, C and G always match up and are called “base pairs”

38. Background Knowledge A G G C A T T C C G T A
One side of DNA is called the parent strand and the opposite side is called the complimentary strand
For example:
A G G C A T
Parent strand
T C C G T A
Complimentary strand

39. Background knowledge A G T G A T C C G C A T T C C G T A
Organisms that share matching bases are closely related in evolution. The more bases you match, the closer you are related.
Sections that do not match show differences
A G T G A T
C C G C A T
Parent strand of Human
T C C G T A
Complimentary strand of
Organism X
Don’t Match
4 unmatched bases and 2 unmatched sections

40. procedure
1. Diagrams called morphologic trees, are based on comparisons of organisms. Look at the morphologic tree in figure 1 and find the part of the tree that shows the relationships between gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.
You will notice that there are no lines showing relationships.
2. Develop three hypotheses to explain how these organisms are related. On the DNA Lab Answer Sheet, under Part I, make a diagram of your hypotheses by drawing lines from point A to each of the three organisms (G = gorilla, C = chimpanzee, H = human, A = common ancestor).
3. Circle ONE of the hypotheses as the one that you think best shows the relationship between humans, gorillas and chimpanzees.

41. example
G C H A
You can use this one on your paper but make sure to make up 2 more that are from your brain

42. Part II
Modern research techniques allow biologists to compare the DNA that codes for certain proteins and to make predictions about how closely related the organisms are based on their DNA.
You will use models of these techniques to test your hypotheses.

43. procedures
1. Using your DNA Lab Answer Sheet, “recreate” three strands of DNA. Use the provided DNA sequences and a color code like the one listed below:
blue = adenine (A)
green = guanine (G)
yellow = thymine (T)
red = cytosine (C)
2. Recreate the three DNA strands by filling in the correct color, coded for each base in the proper sequence of DNA given for each organism. The DNA strands for all three organisms represent a section of the gene that codes for the hemoglobin protein. Hemoglobin carries oxygen in red blood cells.

44. procedures
3. The Human DNA strand (below) represents the parent strand. Remember DNA exists as two stands, a parent strand and a complimentary strand.
Human DNA strand:
(position 1)
A-G-G-C-A-T-A-A-A-C-C-A-A-C-C-G-A-T-T-A (position 20)
A G G C A T
Now you can finish the rest…

45. Procedures
4. The Chimpanzee and Gorilla cDNA strands (below) represent the complimentary strand that matches to the parent strand.
Chimpanzee cDNA strand:
(position 1) T-C-C-G-G-G-G-A-A-G-G-T-T-G-G-C-T-A-A-T (position 20)
Gorilla cDNA strand:
(position 1) T-C-C-G-G-G-G-A-A-G-G-T-T-G-G-T-C-C-G-G (position 20)

46. procedures
5. Compare the human DNA to the chimpanzee cDNA by matching the strands base by base.
Remember, the DNA bases are complementary – adenine (A) will always pair with thymine (T), and guanine (G) will always pair with cytosine (C).
6. Count the number of bases that are NOT complementary (matches) and the number of sections of bases that are NOT complementary (matches).
Record your data in table 1 on your Lab Answer Sheet, under Part II.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the human DNA and the gorilla cDNA.

47. Part III
Biologists have determined that some mutations in DNA occur at a regular rate. They can use this rate as a “molecular clock” to predict when two organisms began to separate from a common ancestor.
Most evolutionary biologists agree that humans, gorillas, and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor at one point in their evolutionary history. They disagree, however, on the specific relationships between these three species.
In this part of the activity, you will use data from Table 1 to answer discussion questions and determine which hypothesis from Part I is best supported by the analyzed DNA evidence.
Answer these discussion questions on the back of your Lab Answer Sheet under Part III.

48. Hominid Evolution

49. How are humans different from other primates?
Bipedal (2 legs)  skeleton is adapted for walking upright
Human pelvis is vertical (holds skeleton upright)
Gorilla pelvis tips ribcage, head, and neck forward
Human spine is “S” shaped
Gorilla spine is “C” shaped

50. Which are bipedal advantages and disadvantages?1. 2. 3. 4.
Bipedal Disadvantages
A. Easier birth B. Less heat absorbed C. Walk further D. Can climb trees better E. Faster F. No back problems G. Use of hands for carrying H. Greater field of vision

51. Which are bipedal advantages?
Walk further
Use hands for carrying
Greater field of vision
Less heat absorbed
Bipedal Disadvantages
More difficult births
Slower
Back problems with age
Cannot climb trees as well

52. Cranial Structure
Foramen magnum  Hole in the skull where the spine enters
Human: Spine enters at bottom of skull
Gorilla: Spine enters near rear of skull

53. Opposable Toes
Humans do NOT have opposable big toes (only opposable thumbs).
Other primates have both opposable thumbs and opposable big toes so they can hold onto things with their feet as well as their hands.

54. Next- Complete the Human vs Ape Comparison Worksheet

55. What came first bipedalism or large brains?

56. What came first bipedalism or large brains?
The fossil evidence shows that bipedalism came first. The oldest fossils of hominids had cranium sizes similar to the size of apes but showed evidence of walking upright.

57. When and where did Homo sapiens evolve?
So far fossil evidence also points to East Africa
Genetic evidence also points to East Africa as our origin.

58. How did hominids evolve?
Geologic Change changed climate Climate Change changed habitats Habitat Change changed the Species

59. Geologic Change 8MYA all of central Africa was tropical
6MYA Great Rift Valley forms isolating East Africa
North & South America are joined by Central America

60. Climate Change
East African climate became cooler & drier due to mountain range
Change in Atlantic ocean currents due to joining of North and South America

61. Habitat Change In East Africa tropical rainforests became savanna
West Africa still existed as a tropical rain forest

62. Species Change Primates of East Africa adapted becoming bipedal
No longer lived in forested areas so less reliance on trees
Needed hands to carry food further
Needed increased height to look over the grasslands

63. Place events in order under their correct change: Geologic; Climate; Habitat & Species
Savanna grasslands form in East Africa
Central Africa is all tropical (apes are diverse)
East Africa became cooler & drier due to mountain range and change in ocean currents
West Africa remained a tropical rainforest
Bipedal primates evolve in East Africa
Great Rift Valley forms isolating East Africa & connection of North & South America

64. If bipedalism came first, what caused brains to increase in size?

65. Climate change – unpredictable environment

66. Hominid Skull Lab

67. Meet your Relatives

68. Human vs. Gorilla

69. Forehead
Large, Medium, Small, or none??
Apes
Hominids

70. Sagittal Crest No crest Large (very pronounced)
Large, Medium, Small, or None??
Sagittal Crest
No crest
Large (very pronounced)

71. Prognathism How big is its snout, or muzzle?
Large, Medium, Small, or None??

72. Supra-Orbital Ridge Bony ridge (eyebrow bone) above the eyes
Small or None
Large
Large, Medium, Small, or None??

73. Dental Arcade Arch or shape of the jaw (top or bottom)
U – shaped (parallel)
V – shaped (parabola)

74. Canines
Large, Medium, or Small ?? 2 1 3 1 2 3

75. Facial Slope
The angle of the face (measured in degrees)

76. Facial Slope
How to measure
This is not level

77. Facial Slope
How to measure

78. Cranial Size The circumference of the brain
Use the measuring tape around the skull