ANTH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Paleomagnetism, Rain Shadow, New World Monkey
Document Summary
Advancements in human evolution: bipedalism, tool use, brain expansion. *remember, homo sapiens didn"t exist until 2 mya. Natural selection- gradual change of organisms over long periods of time. Charles darwin & alfred wallace explained how such changes occurred. Darwin-descent w/ modification & survival of the fittest. Can occur within one species to produce different variations of that species, closely related but distinct with its own evolutionary direction (majority of these new species become extinct- survival of the fittest!) Gradualism-slow, steady accumulation of small changes over a long period of time produces major changes in descendants of a species. Punctuated equilibrium-rapid, dramatic evolution over short periods of time are separated by longer periods of little change. Monkeys/apes centered in specific parts of the world, whereas humans occupy basically every part of the earth lower primates-characteristics more like older species. Most primates are arboreal aka live in trees. Upper primates-more adaptive, bigger brain, better senses.