Evolution+Last+HW!!+PK

__**2.3 Classification of Humans (p.475-477) by Patricia Kelley**__



- Humans are classified by domain through general characteristics while the species are classified through specific characteristics in common.
 * 1. How are humans classified from domain to species?**
 * **Domain Eukarya**: characterized by a membrane-bound nucleus
 * **Kingdom Animalia**: characterized by being multicellular, heterotrophic and motile,
 * **Phylum Chordata**: lived sometime within the history of life, characterized by having a dorsal tubular nerve cord, notochord and pharyngeal pouches
 * **Class Mammalia:** vertebrates characterized by hair and mammary glands
 * **Order Primates**: characterized by having a well-developed brain and attributes that are adapted to live in trees
 * **Family Hominidae**: characterized by having the adaption of an upright stance and having bipedal locomotion
 * **Genus Homo**: characterized by having most developed brain, building and using tools
 * **Species Homo Sapiens:** modern humans characterized by containing well-developed speech centers of brain

- The characteristics of primates...
 * 2. What are the characteristics of primates?**
 * Mobile forelimbs and hindlimbs which include the characteristic thumb
 * Binocular vision which allows primates to make correct judgments about the position and distance of tree limbs
 * Large complex brain which results in accurate hand-eye coordination within humans and chimpanzees
 * Reduced reproductive rate which increases the emphasis of complex social interactions and learned behavior




 * 3. What major differences exist between the chimpanzee skeleton and the human skeleton?**
 * The 1% difference between the compared genomes result in the difference of skeletons which are..
 * The chimpanzee spine has a slight curve where the human has an S-shaped backbone
 * The chimpanzee spine exits from the back of the skull where the human spine exits from the center
 * The chimpanzee pelvis is long and narrow while the human pelvis is bowl-shaped
 * The human knee can support more weight than the chimpanzee's knee
 * The human femurs angles invawd to the knee while the chimpanzee;s femur angles more outward

__**22.4 Evolution of Hominids**__



- The oldest australopithecines fossil was named Lucy and is estimated to have lived 3.18 million years ago. Her species of hominid is named A. Afarensis.
 * 4. Which fossil hominid is the oldest of the australopithecines?**

- It is suggested that the first hominid to have culture is the Homo Habilis, because their brains have larger areas for speech, which could have lead to a language that results in group huntings and group plant gatherers.
 * 5. Which hominid is the first to have culture? Explain.**

- The first hominid to first migrate out of Africa is the Homo Ergaster because the body is made for a hot climate ( for example: projected nose) and have been found in continents outside of Africa. - The Homo Habilis differed than the austropithecines through...
 * 6. Which hominid was the first to migrate out of Africa?**
 * 7. How might //Homo habilis//, living 2 MYA, have differed from the austropithecines?**

- Homo erectus differed though...
 * 8. How might //Homo erectus//, living about 1.9-1.6 MYA, have differed from //Homo habilis// ?**
 * More advanced tools such as heavy axes, cleavers and flakes which are used for cutting and scraping
 * Possibly could have been a systematic hunters who brought back game to the same site continually
 * Possibly could have had home-like sites which included social interactions, increased amount of child learning and language

- The out-of-Africa hypothesis proposes that Homo Sapiens evolved from Homo Erectus only within Africa. This suggests that all different people are very genetically similar.
 * 9. What is the out-of-Africa hypothesis and what bearing does it have on the evolution of humans?**

- The Cro-Magnons differ from the other Homo species though...
 * 10. How do Cro-Magnons, the first of the modern humans differ from the other species in the genus Homo?**
 * Having advanced compound tools such as spears which would give them an advantage in hunting
 * Possibly the first to have a language
 * Possibly lived in small groups, where the men hunted and the women took care of the children
 * Their culture included cave-art and figurines made out of bones.