ANTH 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Sahelanthropus, Foramen Magnum, Moe Williams
15 Jul 2020
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Document Summary
Formation of the earth: 4. 6 billion years ago. Cenozoic era (approx 65 million years ago/mya: age of the mammals. The extinction of 75% of life(including dinos) at k-pg/k-t event allowed mammals to thrive. Diverged from chimpanzees in the late miocene early pliocene: 7mya-13mya. All early human and proto-human fossils are found in africa what makes a hominin a hominin. Foramen magnum at base (human) vs back of the skull. Humans have it at the base, quadrapedals have it at the back of the skull. Wouldn"t be the best for our balance. S-shaped spine (humans) vs flat and straight spine (quadrapedals) S-shaped spine provides cushioning for our bipedal locomotion, as it reduced impact force quadrapedals) Pelvis broad and short (humans) vs elongated pelvis in ( Foot with an arch, and no grasping/divergent toe (humans) Spring effect: primate human version of bipedalism is different because our backs are nearly vertical, whereas other bipedal organisms have a nearly horizontal back.
