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► Neanderthal and Emergence of Mind ► What it means to be Human. ► Readings: Scarre Chapter 1, Also: pages 55,59,74-75, and Chapter 4
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6 million years of human development in one class period
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Key topics ► Comparative morphology ► Bipedalism ► Neanderthal evolution ► Dating technology ► Paradigms of imagery: what is a Neanderthal? ► Modern Humans ► Humanity: What is it?
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Comparison of Chimp and human skeletal structure
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Comparative morphology ► Examines skeletal structures ► Dentition ► Craniometrics: skull development ► Genoype/phenotype ► Humans do not descend from chimps, but we are distant cousins with an ancient common primate ancestor.
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Skulls Human Chimp
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The issue of bipedal locomotion. In the old model: human ancestors evolved large brains, invented tools, then became bipedal as they came to depend on tools…the “smart ape hypothesis.” Considerable evidence supports the hypothesis that bipedalism was well established 4.6 million years ago, before tools and large brains… upright ape hypothesis” Leatoli (see Scarre 59)
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Leatoli evidence ► Anatomically human foot, knee, pelvis, posture, teeth, and hand evolved long before large brains or human-like facial structures. ► Proto-human creatures were bipedal 4.6 mya and probably earlier.
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Sexual dimorphism in Australopithecus. 4 million years ago.
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Dentition Chimp A.afarensis Human
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► The oldest known manufactured tools are dated at 2.6-2 m.y.a., ► Found in various parts of Africa, and are grouped under the name Oldowan pebble tools, given them by the Leakeys in 1931.
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The Pleistocene (2 m.y.a. to 10,000 B.P.) is the epoch of human life. Lower Pleistocene (2 to 1 m.y.a.): Australopithecus and early Homo Middle Pleistocene (1 m.y.a. to 130,000 B.P.): Homo erectus and archaic Homo sapiens Upper Pleistocene (130,000 to 10,000 B.P.): modern Homo sapiens
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Dating technologies ► C14 ► Stratigraphy ► K/Ar-Ar ► Fission tracking ► Paleomagnatism ► Biostratigraphy ► Tuff correlations ► Relative dating
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Neanderthal ► Was Neanderthal a separate species of human or something else? ► Could Neanderthal and archaic humans interbreed? Latest DNA study (2010) suggests yes—we all have a little Neanderthal in us. ► What became of Neanderthal? ► Did Neanderthal exhibit human behaviors?
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► Biggest question: what does it mean to be human?
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Australopithicus (all species) Homo habilis H. erectus H. neanderthal H. sapiens (archaic) H. sapien sapiens Direct line model. No longer considered valid.
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Australopithicus H. habilis H. erectus H. Neanderthal H. Sapiens (archaic) H. Sapiens sapiens Branching tree model. H. Florensis (“hobbits”) The French
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H. neanderthal H. sapien H. neanderthal H. sapien H. neanderthal H. sapien Direct ancestor Cousin, no overlap Not close enough to be same species, overlap A B C
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Archaic
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Modern Homo sapien (minus lower jaw) Key elements of cranial morphology
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Changing images ► New data and new sensibilities have inspired a rethinking about Neanderthal. ► Forensic science has changed our perception of physical appearances (phenotype).
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► Archaeological data has changed view about Neanderthal life. ► mtDNA suggests greater split in time from archaic humans
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Neanderthal as frat boy run amok. Brutish behavior considered Neanderthal.
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Skeletal remains of child with Neanderthal traits, Portugal, 30,000 years old. (2010)
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Modern child Neanderthal (?) child
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Is this the face of a 30,000 year old Neanderthal/ Human hybrid?
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Theory of human migration: origins of modern humans ► Two competing hypotheses currently debated. These hypotheses will be affected by new DNA research. ► Out of Africa 1 and Out of Africa 2 (next week)
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