ANTH 225 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Spontaneous Fission, Olduvai Gorge, Taphonomy
15 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Includes humans and our immediate fossil ancestors (miocene to present) Mosaic evolution; different physiological systems evolve at different rates. Paleoanthropologists use the skills of multiple disciplines to reconstruct the anatomy, behavior, and ecology of our ancestors. Have to become an expert in a number of different things to be a paleoanthropologist (from bones to physics to geology) Fossils are mineralized remains of ancient plants and animals. Burial must occur prior to complete decomposition of organisms in order for fossils to be preserved. Burial agents: amber, volcanic, water borne sediments, cave sediments, etc. Laws of burial the study of what happens to an organism from the animals death, through fossilization, until its recovery during excavation. Olduvai gorge clear sequence of geological, paleontological, archaeological, and hominin remains over last 2 million years over 150 species of extinct animals found provide clues to the ecological conditions of early hominid habitats.
