ANTHROP 3300 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Rhinarium, Ape, Pleistocene
24 Sep 2016
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Trends in hominin evolution (6 trends, from lecture: bipedalism, shift to terrestraility, increasing brain size and complexity, meat in diet, dental reduction, prolonged growth periods. Encephalization quotient: ratio of brain to size to expected brain size for mammal of that size. Expensive tissue hypothesis: trade off brain vs. gut, meat led to bigger brains which led to tools which became feedback loop, gut size decreases as brain size increases. Taung child (significance, cause of death: australopithecus africanus, found in south africa in 1925; first major find and wasn"t immediately accepted, proposed that death occurred from being carried off by large, predatory bird. Fossils and fossilization --factors promoting/preventing fossilization: context is important, occurs when minerals in groundwater infiltrate tiny spaces in bone, soft parts do not typically fossilize, burial = best chance of preservation. Taphonomy and the killer ape hypothesis: study of processes that intervene between living animal community and fossil remains, killer ape hypothesis.
