ANT-1430 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Hominidae, Genetic Variation, Twin Study
Document Summary
Differences due to the effects of the environment. Humans show less between population variation than most other mammals. Less variation among human populations than other great apes. 5 skulls at dmasnisi cave likely all from one species (h. erectus), but show significant morphological diversity. Genetic variation decreases as you increase distance from east africa. That is where humans have been the longest. Determining what variation is genetic and what is environmental. One way to test is through twin studies. Example of within population human variation: height. Some variation is adaptive (subjected to natural selection) The rate of heat loss is proportional to surface area, and any change that reduces the amount of surface area for a given volume will conserve heat. In cold climates, animals tend to be larger than those in warm climates. Appendages (e. g, legs and arms) of animals living in cold climates tend to be shorter than in animals of the same species living in warm climates.
