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Bio L3 Human Evn
NCEA Level 3 Biololgy Human Evolution AS 91606
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ape | A large primate that lacks a tail. |
| Australopithecus afarensis | An extinct hominin located in Ethiopia, which lived between 3.7 and 2.9 million years ago. (*Lucy*) |
| hominid | The great apes, humans and all species of bipedal human ancestors. |
| hominin | All living and fossil species belonging to the human lineage (i.e. a sub-group of hominids). |
| Homo erectus | An extinct species of hominid that originated in Africa, which spread as far as India, China and Java, about 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago. |
| Homo habilis | An extinct species of upright East African hominid having some advanced human-like characteristics. |
| Homo neanderthalensis | An extinct member of the Homo genus known from specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia. |
| Homo sapiens | A bipedal primate having language and ability to make and use complex tools and a brain volume at least 1400 cc. The only surviving hominin. |
| Paranthropus | A genus of southern African robust hominids. Specialised for a bulky, low grade vegetarian diet, with large teeth, powerful jaw muscles and a robust skull with large crests for muscle attachment. |
| climate | The conditions of weather, including temperature, rainfall, etc prevailing in an area or over a long period of time. |
| diet | The kind of food an organism habitually eats. |
| habitat | The environmental area in which an organism lives. |
| nomadic | Populations which move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. May relate to seasonal conditions and food availability. |
| savannah | Grassland with scattered trees. |
| selection pressures | The environmental and competitive factors that influence the kinds of traits that best help a species survive. |
| sexual dimorphism | Distinct differences in size or appearance between the sexes of an animal. |
| biological evolution | Changes in the gene pools of populations from generation to generation. |
| bipedalism | Using only the hind-limbs for locomotion. |
| Broca’s area | An area in the brain associated with speech production. |
| brow ridge | A bony ridge above the eye socket. |
| canine | A pointed tooth located between the incisors and molars. |
| cerebellum | Part of the brain important for co-ordination of movements. |
| cranial vault | The space inside the skull occupied by the brain. |
| dentition | The arrangement or condition of the teeth. |
| dexterity | Skill and grace in physical movement especially in the use of the hands. |
| diastema | A gap in the rows of teeth in a mammal’s jaw. |
| facial angle | The angle of a line drawn from the forehead to the protruding part of the jaw; gentle in Homo sapiens (flatter face), steeper in apes and species with a protruding muzzle. |
| foramen magnum | Opening at the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes. Its position indicates whether the body posture is normally horizontal (apes) or vertical (humans). |
| great toe | Also called ‘big toe’. In apes this is opposable and diverges from other toes. In humans it is in line with other toes and is not opposable. |
| molar | The grinding teeth at the rear of the jaw of mammals. |
| nuchal crest | A bony ridge across the back of a skull to which neck muscles supporting the head are attached. |
| opposable thumb | A thumb that can be placed opposite the fingers of the same hand. Opposable thumbs allow the digits to grasp and handle objects and are characteristic of primates. |
| sagittal crest | A ridge running lengthwise along the top of a skull, to which jaw muscles are attached. |
| valgus angle | The angle formed by the femur with the pelvis allowing the knees to be closer together than the hip joints. Much greater in humans than apes. |
| Wernicke’s area | The area of the brain important in understanding spoken and written language. |
| zygomatic arches | The parts of the skull through which jaw muscles pass. Very large in some apes and some groups of hominins. |
| abstract thought | The ability to think beyond the ‘here and now’; e.g. reflect on experiences, connect ideas, make predictions. |
| Acheulean tools | A style of stone tools shaped by flaking (especially in a tear-drop shape) and with fine edges worked on both sides. Associated with Homo ergaster and H. erectus. |
| art/decoration | Ways of communicating ideas and expressing emotions symbolically (H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens). |
| burial | Neanderthals buried their dead in a way which showed signs of rituals, including burying symbolic objects with the deceased. |
| cultural evolution | Changes in learned information over time. Transmission of ideas, beliefs and knowledge by learning from other members of the group. |
| domestication | Selective breeding of plants or animals by humans. |
| gathering | (from hunter-gatherer) Obtaining food only from wild plants and animals (in contrast to agricultural societies, which rely mainly on domesticated species). |
| Mousterian tools | A style of stone flake tools having some degree of symmetry, mostly small hand axes. Typically associated with H. neanderthalensis. |
| Oldowan tools | The oldest-known stone tools, being flake and pebble tools with shaping being mostly only an edge formed by chipping stone. Associated with Homo habilis. |
| social organisation | A group of hominins who co-operate and partake in daily activities that require cultural solutions. |
| Upper Palaeolithic tools | Finely-worked tool, made for specific purposes (e.g. arrow point, fish hooks), made from a range of materials. Associated with the last of the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. |
| fossil evidence | The remains of an animal or plant preserved from an earlier era inside a rock. |
| mtDNA | Found inside mitochondria; passed along only the female line; unaffected by recombination in sexual reproduction -> rate of change in mtDNA indicates the evolution of a species over long period of time. |
| Multiregional Theory | Theory that Homo sapiens evolved from different groups of Homo erectus in several regions of the world, with gene flow occurring between them. |
| Replacement Theory | (also called ‘Out of Africa’ Theory) Theory that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and then moved out of Africa, replacing regional populations of other related species as they went. |
| carbon dating | To estimate the age of (an object of plant or animal origin) by radiocarbon dating. |
| Homo floresiensis | A short, lightweight Homo species with a small brain but advanced features, found on the Island of Flores, Indonesia. |
| Neolithic tools | Specialised advanced tools, made from a range of materials for specific purposes, including use in agriculture. Used by Homo sapiens only. |
| endocranial | Inside the cranium, i.e. relating to the brain. |
| nuclear DNA | The DNA inside the nucleus (contrast mtDNA). |
| comparative dating | Determining the relative ages of preserved objects. Older strata (layers) are always below younger ones. Also called relative dating. |
| dispersal | The movement or spread of individuals from an original location. |
| permanent settlement | Living in a single location continuously (contrast nomadic). |
| archaic humans | A term for some Homo species predating H. sapiens; often includes H. neanderthalensis, Denisovans, H.heidelbergensis |
| modern humans | Homo sapiens |
| Homo heidelbergensis | An extinct member of the Homo genus, whose skulls share features with H. erectus and H. sapiens, and which may be the link between them. |
| Homo naledi | An extinct species recently discovered in South Africa, with features intermediate between Australopithecus and Homo. |
| Ardipithecus | Genus of early bipedal hominins, with small brains and skeletal adaptations for tree climbing. |
| Australopithecines | Early hominins belonging to the Australopithecus, Ardipithecus and Paranthropus genera. |
| Homo ergaster | An extinct African Homo species, often considered to be part of H. erectus. |
| Homo georgicus | An extinct Homo species found in Georgia (at the boundary of Europe and Asia). Often considered to be part of H. erectus. |
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