CORE-UA 305 Midterm: Human Origins midterm study guide
23 Aug 2016
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What is a primate: no single feature distinguishes primates from other mammals, most characteristic thing about the primate order is a lack of specialisation in general body plan, primates retain special primitive" mammalian characters. Examples of primate derived morphology: post orbital bar, auditory bulla, nails rather than claws on most digits, tactile pad on ngers, usually single pair of mammary glands. Mcginty !2: visual sense highly developed, eyes move forward in the head to provide stereoscopic vision (the closer together the eyes the better 3d depth perception) post-orbital bar closure. Evolutionary theory: depictions of primates date back to ancient world (egyptians depicted baboons as gods, and. Typological thinking: (greeks) plato and aristotle"s essentialism, attempt at ordering natural world, the idea or type is the only thing xed and real. Mcginty !3: observation variation is no more real than shadows on a cave wall, gaps in nature are real- represent discontinuities between types, immutability of species: an unalterable xity of essence.
