ANTH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Phyletic Gradualism, Punctuated Equilibrium, Gradualism
Document Summary
H. neanderthalensis dates from 130,000 to 35,000 years ago. H. neanderthalensis expanded into cold regions and their post-cranial morphologies reflect this. Neanderthals were shorter and much more robust than anatomically modern humans. Large chests were adapted to cold climates. Larger bones accommodated larger muscles and heavier more physical behavior. H. sapiens relied more on culture to adapt and h. neanderthalensis on biology. Punctuated equilibrium an evolutionary history in which a species remains essentially unchanged for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years and then experiences short periods of very rapid evolution. Phyletic gradualism a theoretical model of evolution in which species change slowly at a more or less constant rate through time into other species. Modern h. sapiens ~200,000 years ago and persist into the present. They are the first hominin to expand beyond europe, asia and african and into the new. Asia, modern humans coexisted with neanderthals for about 45,000 years.
