CAS AN 102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Homo Habilis, Homo Rudolfensis, Olduvai Gorge
27 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Environment became cooler, dryer, and more variable (oxygen enrichment) Longer and more extreme cycles of climate fluctuations started 2. 8 mya. Variability selection: favor genes and phenotypes that build adaptive versatility. Louis leaker found the first homo habilis fossil at olduvai gorge where a. boisei is found --> one of the first sites where two hominin species are found in association. Homo habilis different from a. boisei: no sagittal crest, smaller teeth. Homo habilis: skull more rounded, larger brain, less prognathic, smaller molars, parabolic dental arcade, less postorbital constriction. More efficient biped (long legs, robust heel bone) Most paleoanthropoligists didn"t accept leakey"s new genus and species at first. Didn"t accept tool use as a criterion for naming a new genus. Homo habilis (smaller brains, less robust) & homo rudolfensis (robust, larger brain) Some say habilis belongs in australopithecus because brain is so small. Oldowan tools: haphazard designed tools made from locally available materials.
