Exam 8: Early Hominins

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The evolution of bipedalism was influenced by several critical factors, including changes in the environment, the need for efficient movement, and the development of tools and technology. These factors illustrate the close relationship between biology and culture, as they show how physical adaptations and behavioral changes were influenced by both biological and cultural factors. The shift to bipedalism was likely influenced by changes in the environment, such as the transition from forests to open grasslands. Bipedalism allowed early hominins to cover longer distances more efficiently, access new food sources, and potentially avoid predators. This physical adaptation was influenced by biological factors, such as changes in skeletal structure and muscle development, as well as cultural factors, such as the need to adapt to a changing environment. The development of tools and technology also played a crucial role in the evolution of bipedalism. As early hominins began to use tools for hunting and gathering, they needed to free their hands for carrying and manipulating objects. This led to an increased reliance on bipedalism for efficient movement, as it allowed for the use of tools while walking. This illustrates the close relationship between biology and culture, as the need for efficient tool use influenced the physical adaptation of bipedalism. The discovery of Lucy's "baby," a 3.3 million-year-old fossil of a young Australopithecus afarensis, has contributed to our understanding of this relationship. The fossil provides evidence of the early development of bipedalism in hominins, as the skeletal structure of the young individual shows adaptations for upright walking. This discovery highlights the biological factors that influenced the evolution of bipedalism, while also shedding light on the cultural implications of this adaptation. The presence of a young individual suggests that bipedalism was a crucial aspect of early hominin life, influencing their behavior and social interactions. Overall, the evolution of bipedalism was influenced by a combination of biological and cultural factors, illustrating the close relationship between the two. The discovery of Lucy's "baby" contributes to our understanding of this relationship by providing evidence of the early development of bipedalism and its implications for early hominin life.

A) The skull shows evidence of cold-weather adaptations.
B) The skull has a sagittal crest.
C) The skull combines relatively small overall size with large chewing dentition.
D) Some scientists categorize the skull as belonging to a very early hyperrobust australopithecine.
E) Some scientists assign the black skull its own species, A.aethiopicus.

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A) some 6 million years ago
B) when Australopithecus garhi discovered fire
C) They never split.
D) some 4 million years ago
E) sometime between 3 and 2 m.y.a.

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A) replaces Lucy (3.2 m.y.a.) as the earliest known hominin skeleton.
B) lived in a dry savanna habitat.
C) stood about a foot shorter and weighed half as much as Lucy.
D) is the new undisputed oldest hominin fossil.
E) is the ancestor of Homo but not australopithecines.

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A) the position of its foramen magnum underneath the skull
B) the development of an opposable thumb
C) the presence of crude stone tools
D) its cranial capacity
E) its relatively large grinding surfaces on the back teeth, compared to earlier primate fossils

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A) Australopithecus afarensis
B) Homo habilis
C) Homo erectus
D) Australopithecus boisei
E) Australopithecus africanus

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A) it is recognized as the earliest known hominin, with the Toumai find from Chad, dated to 7-6 m.y.a., and Orrorin tugenensis from Kenya, dated to 6 m.y.a., as possibly even older hominins.
B) the kadabba find consists of 11 specimens, including a jaw bone with teeth, hand and foot bones, fragments of arm bones, and a piece of collarbone.
C) its bipedalism is still questioned because none of the fossil bones found was a pelvis or a femur.
D) it lived during the late Miocene, between 5.8 and 5.5 million years ago.
E) its fossils belong to individuals that were apelike in size, anatomy, and habitat.

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A) appears to have been a chimp-sized creature that climbed easily and walked on two legs when on the ground.
B) lacks any possible evidence that it was bipedal.
C) is the undisputed "missing link."
D) was found in South America, suggesting that the transition into bipedalism may have happened there.
E) is older than the famous Toumai find.

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A) the long time span within which they existed
B) differences in natural selective forces operating in specific environments
C) the poor condition of the fossils
D) age and sex differences
E) random genetic drift

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A) larger skulls demanding more elastic birth canals, even though the requirements of skeletal development during a woman's lifetime limit the elasticity of birth canals
B) the challenges of walking with a head that is too heavy
C) overcoming the trend of clumsy locomotion that makes hominins vulnerable to predators
D) overcoming the trend of ever more self-sufficient children eager to separate themselves from their mothers
E) larger skulls demanding larger birth canals, even though the requirements of upright bipedalism impose limits on the expansion of the human pelvic opening

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A) They were eventually unsuccessful in competing for available resources with early populations of Homo.
B) The broad-spectrum revolution was not adaptive.
C) They had no social organization.
D) They were a short-lived transitional stage between apes and humans.
E) They are relatively unimportant to the study of human evolution.

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A) Ethiopia
B) Tanzania
C) Kenya
D) Gibraltar
E) South Africa

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A) she is a member of Australopithecus afarensis, a species many anthropologists consider ancestral to humans.
B) the 3.3-million-year-old fossilized toddler was uncovered in northern Ethiopia.
C) her remains, which are amazingly complete, include a remarkably well-preserved skull, milk teeth, tiny fingers, a torso, a foot, and a kneecap no bigger than a dried pea.
D) the fossil suggests that the child died because her brain, which appears to have been larger than an average chimp brain at that age, was too large for her slowly developing skull.
E) the fossil supports the theory that A.afarensiswalked upright on two legs but still retained an apelike upper body, including two complete shoulder blades similar to a gorilla's, so it could have been better at climbing than are humans.

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A) A.anamensis, A.afarensis, A.kenyanthropus, A.kadabba, A.garhi, A.robustus, and A.sediba.
B) A.anamensis, A.afarensis, A.africanus, A.garhi, A.robustus, A.boisei, and A.sediba.
C) all discovered and named by the Leakey family.
D) all discovered in Africa except A.boisei.
E) but only five of them have been confirmed to be bipedal, thus putting into question that all australopithecines were hominins.

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A) were found at the same site and stratigraphic layer as the Ardipithecus kadabba fossils, dramatically pushing back in time the onset of stone tool use to the late Miocene.
B) contain evidence that they were used on fellow hominins, providing the earliest evidence of human warfare and cannibalism.
C) include elaborate axes and spears.
D) were also used to decorate burial sites, suggesting very early symbolic thought.
E) represent the oldest formally recognized stone tools.

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