Exam 7: Origins of the Genus Homo

Describe one example of cultural bias in the field of paleoanthropology.How can researchers prevent this?

What is the "Neandertal problem"? What are some alternative theories concerning the fate of the Neandertal?

Were early hominids (H.habilis)hunters or scavengers? Present the evidence and discuss.

You are a paleoanthropologist excavating a site in southwestern Asia.You come across several bodies buried in graves.Their brains are at least the size of modern humans.Their front teeth are large and worn down from use,the facial projection of their noses and teeth form a kind of prow,and both sexes are muscular and robust.At the back of the skull is a bony mass for the attachment of powerful neck muscles.You decide that they are:

How do factors related to biological and cultural capabilities determine the designation of a species in the fossil record?

The cranial capacity of late H.erectus is 47% bigger than that of the earlier forms.

Why is it difficult to determine the species of a fossil?

Denisovans were local descendants of H.erectus who may have interbred with Neandertals.

Archaeologists have ascertained that early Homo was a tertiary scavenger based on microscopic analyses of cut marks on bones.

The name given to a group of archaic H.sapiens from southern Siberia dated to between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago is:

Describe the cultural innovations of H.erectus,and explain how they indicate an advance in intellectual development from H.habilis.

What conclusions can be drawn from the evidence of the Middle Paleolithic and the relationship among culture,skulls,and modern humans?

What is the most significant statement about the "Nariokotome Boy" fossil?

Up until about 1.8 million years ago,the only home of bipedal primates was Africa.However,after that time,humans began to spread into China,Western Europe,Georgia,India,and Java.Which species was the first to migrate out of Africa?

Since its discovery in 1887 by Eugene Dubois,which of the following has now been assigned to the species Homo erectus?

Provide evidence for and against the argument that Neandertals had spoken language.

During what historical period did scientists misplace the fossils of "Peking Man" (Chinese H.erectus)?

At Zhoukoudian,there is a trail of H.erectus footprints.

What does Neandertal's expanded thoracic vertebral canal,a feature it shares with modern humans,but not the earlier H.erectus,suggest?

The Mousterian tool tradition is found in Europe,southwestern Asia,and North Africa between: