Term
| When did we share a last common ancestor with chimps? |
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Definition
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Term
| Who were the australopithecines, when did they evolve and what were some of their defining characteristics (e.g., jaws and teeth, skull and brain size, locomotion, general locations of were fossils have been found, any behavioral adaptations)? |
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Definition
| Lucy is the greatest fossil we have of the australopithecines. Found in Ethiopia, Africa, she evolved 4 million years ago with a hand and leg structure more similar to humans than chimps. The bones in her legs are longer, giving her bipedalism, which leads to other behavioral adaptations. |
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Term
| What are the Laetoli footprints and what do they tell us about the australopithecines? |
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Definition
| Proves further that australopithecines were bipedal. |
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Term
| When did Homo habilis evolve and what were some of their defining characteristics (e.g., jaws and teeth, body size, skull and brain size, locomotion, general locations of were fossils have been found, behavioral adaptations)? |
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Definition
| 2 million years ago, with a bigger brain, and the usage of simple stone tools. |
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Term
| When did Homo erectus evolve and what were some of their defining characteristics (e.g., jaws and teeth, body size, skull and brain size, locomotion, locations found, behavioral adaptations)? |
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Definition
| 1 and a half million years ago, with bigger brains still (2 times that of habilis), extremely thick skulls, larger browridges, tall and slender, a control of fire, and the ability to make hand axes used to butcher (which remained unchanged for 1 million years). They migrated out of Africa into Asia. |
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Term
| When did Neanderthals evolve and what were some of their defining characteristics (e.g., body size, skull and brain size, locomotion, locations found, behavioral adaptations)? When did they go extinct? |
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Definition
| 230,000 years ago, they had large brains, large bodies, and used sophisticated stone tools, and performed ritual burials (an indication of abstract thought). They were found mostly in Europe and went extinct 30,000 years ago. |
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Term
| What is the current evidence regarding whether or not we interbred with Neanderthals? |
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Definition
| Molecular DNA evidence suggests that our ancestors interbred with Neanderthals; approximately 1-4% of non-African modern human DNA is of Neanderthal descent. |
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Term
| When did Homo sapiens evolve and what are some of their defining characteristics (e.g., skull and brain size, early locations found, behavioral adaptations)? |
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Definition
| “Man, the wise” evolved 200,000 years ago, fossil evidence dictates that homo sapians migrated out of Africa approximately 60,000 to 100,000 years ago. |
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Term
| Who was the first to posit that humans evolved in Africa? |
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Definition
| Charles Darwin or Allen Wilson |
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Term
| What is the evidence that humans evolved out of Africa? (i.e., archeological, y chromosome mutation rates, mitochondrial DNA mutations rates) |
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Definition
| Fossil evidence, genetic evidence (in Y-chromosome mutation rates) and mitochondrial DNA mutation rates (passed through maternal lines). |
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Term
| When did humans emerge out of Africa (excluding those that remained behind and led to modern day Africans)? |
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Definition
| 60,000 to 100,000 years ago |
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Term
| At what geographical location did Homo sapiens most likely disperse from Africa? |
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Definition
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Term
| At what point did humans undergo their first “great revolution” and what were some of the unique traits and customs that emerged? |
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Definition
35,000 to 45,000 years ago during the Upper Paleolithic era. Elaborate tool kits (including bow-andarrow), transportation of materials long distances, elaborate shelters, art, ornamentation, ritual burials, and other
symbolic expression all emerged at this point in time. |
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Term
| At what point did Homo sapiens come to be the only remaining hominid on the planet? |
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Definition
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Term
| When do we begin to see evidence for the first permanent settlements, agriculture, and domestication? Where did this occur? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the genome? Chromosomes? DNA? Genes? The relation between them? |
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Definition
| The genome is comprised of 23 pairs of chromosomes and our DNA, which is made up of genes. |
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Term
| What are trinucleotides/bases? |
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Definition
| adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), guanine (G) |
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Term
| How many base pairs are found within the human genome? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do we get from genes to proteins? |
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Definition
| Genes are made up of a tri-nucleotide which codes for a particular amino-acid protein building block, proteins are assembled from the total sequence of amino acids. |
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Term
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Definition
| A sequence of three nucleotides which together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule. |
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Term
| What are typical roles that proteins play in our cells? |
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Definition
| Some proteins are responsible for switching genes on and off by physically attaching themselves to promoter and enhancer sequences near the start of a genes text. |
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Term
| How many genes do we have? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)? |
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Definition
SNP is the most common type of mutation where one base
nucleotide is incorrectly copied or switched.
This is useful for scientists to use as markers for
individual variation
• For example, comparing James Watson's genome
to Craig Venter's genome, there are1,359,862 (1.36 million) SNP differences. However, this difference is only about .05% of the genome, meaning we are 99.95% related. |
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Term
| On average, about how many SNPs divide you from me? |
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Definition
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Term
| How genetically similar are we to each other? |
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Definition
| .05 percent different, 99.95% similar |
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Term
| How genetically similar are siblings? |
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Definition
| .025 percent different, 99.975% similar |
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Term
| What is non-coding DNA? How much of our genome is comprised of it? |
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Definition
Non-coding DNA is responsible for controlling and regulating which gene sequences get expressed. Some are telomeres at the end of chromosomes which provide protection from chromosomal deterioration during DNA replication. Some are transposons and retrotransposons that are remnants of our evolutionary past (even old
endogenous retroviruses). And some of these regions are called cis-regulatory elements (e.g., promoters, silencers, and enhancers). |
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Term
| What are cis-regulatory elements? |
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Definition
| Promoters, silencers and enhancers; a type of non-coding DNA that act as genetic switches. |
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Term
| What is epigenetics? What is DNA methylation? |
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Definition
| Epigenetics are found above or upon the genome. DNA methylation is a factor found in some dietary sources that can tag DNA and activate or repress certain genes, producing fat or thin mice. |
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Term
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Definition
| FOXP2 is a gene that only humans have, it is necessary to produce speech. |
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Term
| What is Huntington’s disease and what causes it? |
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Definition
| Huntington's disease is a trinucleotide repeat disorder, a slight change in your genetic code develops this disease. We all have the Huntington's gene that has the potential to produce too many proteins, eroding the brain, but you need greater than or equal to 40 codons (what a gene is made up of) to result in Huntington's and malformed proteins. Most diseases do not work this way. |
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Term
| Understand the genetic variation that can give rise to individual differences in risk-taking behavior (i.e., variation in the dopamine receptor protein) |
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Definition
| We all have dopamine receptors which are responsible for giving the body a reward/pleasure upon the completion of certain behaviors. Depending on whether your receptor is made up of long or small proteins determines how much risk you must take to get that pleasure/reward of dopamine release. Small is super-efficient, not as much risk necessary, while a long receptor is not as efficient, and requires more risk for person to obtain that dopamine high. |
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Term
| What are some of the unique mutations that have spread in the human population as a result of conferring some sort of selective advantage in the past? |
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Definition
| Transposons and retrotransposons, jumping genes, are remnants of our evolutionary past |
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Term
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Definition
Genotype: describes the complete set of genes inherited by an individual.
Phenotype: describes all aspects of the individual's observable characteristics.
Pinkness of a flamingo is a phenotypic expression because the coloration is a result of their environment and what they eat. |
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Term
| Be familiar with Ferguson’s summary of links between certain gene polymorphisms (e.g., MAOA gene, etc.) and violence. |
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Definition
| MAOA gene malfunctions (mutation), not producing MAOA enzyme and causing violent behavior only in males because gene is found on X chromosome, COMT gene as well. |
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Term
| Also be familiar with Ferguson’s review of the evolution of aggression. |
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Definition
Possessing a modicum of aggression directs
us toward increased social dominance and consequent reproductive success. Many activities that benefit from aggression in humans including sports participation, defense of young, active pursuit of school and career success, etc., are considered socially acceptable. The evidence that aggression is, in large part, the product of evolution thus comes from multiple sources.
Molecular and behavioral genetics as discussed earlier in the article.
Cross-species similarity comparison with other mammals including
primates.
Cross-cultural and cross-historical similarity.
Sex differences in aggression are consistent across cultures, across
history and in the expected evolutionary direction. |
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Term
| What is parent-offspring conflict? |
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Definition
| The parent-offspring conflict states that since each child is only 50% genetically related to the parent that the interests of the parent and child will not coincide, and it predicts that each child will generally desire a larger part of parental resources than the parent wants to give. |
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Term
| What is genomic imprinting? |
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Definition
| Genomic imprinting is a genetic phenomenon! Where the allele expressed is solely determined on which parent contributed it. Both maternal and paternal imprints are necessary for an embryo to develop with placenta properly. |
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Term
| Some early evidence in mammalian embryos? |
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Definition
| The first evidence of genomic imprinting came from experiments with mammalian embryos that had ONLY paternal or maternal chromosomes. Embryos that contained only maternal chromosomes developed normally but with poor placental tissue (aborted). While embryos containing only paternal chromosomes had healthy placental tissue, but severely stunted embyro development. |
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Term
| What is Haig’s theory of ‘placental ‘invasion’? What are some adaptations that may have evolved as a result of this coevolutionary process? Some possible complications? Some benefits for the growing fetus? |
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Definition
Placental 'invasion' involves the exploitation of blood sugar. An adaptation babies use to get blood sugar is when fetal cells invade the lining of the womb in order to gain access to the maternal blood system and provide the baby with extra oxygen and nutrients. The placenta also secretes hormones that decrease the sensitivity of the mother to insulin and thus make a larger supply of blood sugar available to the fetus. The mom's counter-adaptation however is to increase the level of insulin in the
bloodstream. Then comes the fetal counter-counter adaptation in which the placenta has insulin receptors that stimulate the production of insulin-degrading enzymes. A huge complication is that the fetus demands a larger blood supply than is optimal for mom, causing her to have hypertension. |
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Term
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Definition
| Teratogens can disrupt the development of a fetus and morning sickness can protect the fetus from such toxins. |
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Term
| What is the smoke-alarm principle and how does this relate to morning sickness? |
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Definition
| The vomiting and nausea associated with morning sickness are like smoke detectors in our homes in that they are unpleasant to deal with when they go off, but a necessary defense in saving our lives or the lives of a fetus. |
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Term
| Describe some of the findings of the Dutch Hunger Winter studies on prenatal nutrition and later phenotypes. |
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Definition
| The Dutch Hunger Winter studies found that fetuses and babies exposed to extreme stress due to starvation were at higher risk for diseases like bipolar disease and obesity due to the stress hormones triggering something in the fetus's blood. The babies brain chemistry, not just the fat cells, were impacted, and remained impacted by fetal stress. |
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Term
| What is attachment and why is it important? Early discoveries on attachment mechanisms? |
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Definition
| Attachment is a strong social-emotional bond with a care person. It is a social mechanism to maintain proximity and ensure survival. |
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Term
| Why do human males help raise their children? |
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Definition
| Because they love them! (Proximate explanation) Also because when fathers hold children, their testosterone drops, which means a greater investment in parenting than in mating. Becoming a dad changes your physiology! |
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Term
| What were some basic findings of the video we watched regarding personality styles based on birth order? |
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Definition
| The first child gets mom's attention by being good, the second by being bad and throwing a temper tantrum. |
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Term
| Research on the attachment mechanisms in orphans. |
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Definition
| Research dictates that in orphans, if they do not receive care and love early on, may never view their parents with any real interest in a social bond, they have already learned to rely on themselves alone and are insecurely attached. |
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Term
| How do attachment styles later impact our mating tactics? |
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Definition
| A secure attachment means it's easy for you to get close and open up around others, while an insecure one means you are uncomfortable getting close with a fear of intimacy (avoidant) or you seek intimacy too closely with a detrimental worry that others will not reciprocate (anxious/ambivalent). |
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Term
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Definition
6 million ya common ancestor with chimps
4 million ya Lucy (australopithecines)
2 million ya Homo habilis
1.5 million ya Homo erectus
230,000 ya Neanderthals
200,000 ya Homo sapians |
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