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Quiz 1
Ch. 1 & 2
71
Anthropology
Undergraduate 2
09/12/2008

Additional Anthropology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
primate
Definition
member of the mammalian order Primates, including prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans, defined by a suite of anatomical and behavioral traits
Term
evolution
Definition
a change in the frequency of a gene or a trait in a population over multiple generations
Term
biological anthropology
Definition
the study of humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework; sometimes called physical anthropology
Term
hominid
Definition
a member of the primate family Hominidae, distinguished by bipedal posture and, in more recently evolved species, a large brain
Term
adaptation
Definition
a trait that increases the reproductive success of an organism, produced by natural selection in the context of a particular environment
Term
paleoanthropology
Definition
the study of the fossil record of ancestral humans and their primate kin
Term
osteology
Definition
the study of the skeleton
Term
paleopathology
Definition
the study of diseases in ancestral human populations
Term
forensic anthropology
Definition
the study of human remains applied to a legal context
Term
primatology
Definition
the study of the nonhuman primates and their anatomy, genetics, behavior, and ecology
Term
human biology
Definition
subfield of biological anthropology dealing with human growth and development, adaptation to environmental extremes, and human genetics
Term
physical anthropology
Definition
the study of humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework
Term
anthropology
Definition
the study of humankind in a cross-cultural context. Anthropology includes the subfields cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology
Term
culture
Definition
the sum total of learned traditions, values, and beliefs that groups of people, and a few species of highly intelligent animals, possess
Term
biocultural anthropology
Definition
the study of the interaction between biology and culture, which plays a role in most human traits
Term
cultural anthropology
Definition
the study of human societies, especially in a cross-cultural ontext; the subdivision of anthropology that includes ethnology, archaeology, and linguistics
Term
ethnology
Definition
the study of human societies, their traditions, rituals, beliefs, and the differences in these traits between societies
Term
ethnography
Definition
the practice of cultural anthropology.  Ethnographers study the minute-to-minute workings of human societies, especially non-Western societies
Term
archaeology
Definition
the study of the material culture of past peoples
Term
artifacts
Definition
the objects, from tools to art, left by earlier generations of people
Term
material culture
Definition
Term
linguistic anthropology
Definition
the study of language, its origins, and use; also called anthropological linguistics
Term
observation
Definition
the gathering of scientific information by watching a phenomenon
Term
deduction
Definition
a conclusion that follows logically from a set of observations
Term
hypothesis
Definition
a preliminary explanation of a phenomenon.  Hypothesis formation is the first step of the scientific method
Term
experimentation
Definition
the testing of a hypothesis
Term
data
Definition
the scientific evidence produced by an experiment or by observation, from which scientific conclusions are made
Term
scientific methodstandard
Definition
standard scientific research procedure in which a hypothesis is stated, data are collected to test it, and the hypothesis is either supported or refuted
Term
falsifiable
Definition
able to be shown to be false
Term
paradigm
Definition
a conceptual framework useful for understanding a body of evidence
Term
immutablility (or fixity)
Definition
stasis, lack of change
Term
polygenism
Definition
ancient belief that people are derived from multiple creations
Term
monogenism
Definition
ancient belief that all people are derived from a single creation
Term
taxonomy
Definition
the science of biological classification
Term
binomial nomenclature
Definition
linnaean naming system for all organisms consisting of a genus and species label
Term
taxon
Definition
a group of organisms assigned to a particular category
Term
catastrophism
Definition
theory that there have been multiple creations interspersed by great natural disasters such as noah's flood
Term
theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
Definition
discredited theory of evolutionary change proposing that changes that occur during the lifetime of an individual, through use ofr disuse, can be passed on the the next generation
Term
lysenkoism
Definition
soviet-era research program that tried to apply lamarckian thinking to agricultural production
Term
uniformitarianism
Definition
theory that the same gradual geological process we observe today was operating in the past
Term
adaptive radiation
Definition
the diversification of one founding species into multiple species and niches
Term
natural selection
Definition
differential reproductive success over multiple generations
Term
population
Definition
an interbreeding group of organisms
Term
mutation
Definition
an alteration in the DNA, which may or may not alter the function of a cell.  If it occurs in a gamete, it may be passed from one generation to the next
Term
creation science
Definition
a creationist attempt to refute the evidence of evolution
Term
intelligent design
Definition
a creationist school of thought that proposes that natural selection cannot account for the diversity and complexity of form and function seen in nature
Term
prokaryotes
Definition
single-celled organisms, such as bacteria, in which the genetic material is not separated from the rest of the cell by a nucleus
Term
eukaryotes
Definition
a cell that possesses a well-organized nucleus
Term
nucleus
Definition
in eukaryotic cells, the part of the cell in which the genetic material is separated from the rest of the cell by a plasma membrane
Term
cytoplasm
Definition
in a eukaryotic cell, the region within the cell membrane that surrounds the nucleus; it contains organelles, which carry out the essential functions of the cell, such as energy production, metabolism, and protein synthesis
Term
somatic cells
Definition
the cells of the body that are not sex cells
Term
stem cells
Definition
undifferentiated cells found in the developing embryo that can be induced to differentiate into a wide variety of cell types or tissues.  Also found in adults, although adult stem cells are not as totipotent as embryonic stem cells
Term
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Definition
a double-stranded molecule that is the carrier of genetic information.  Each strand is composed of a linear sequence of nucleotides; the two strands are held toghether by hydrogen bonds that form between complementary bases
Term
proteins
Definition
complex molecules formed from chains of amino acids or from a complex of polypeptides.  They function as structural molecules, transport molecules, antibodies, enzymes, and hormones
Term
protein synthesis
Definition
the assembly of proteins from amino acids, which occurs at ribosomes in the cytoplasm and is based on information carried by mRNA
Term
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Definition
single-stranded nucleic acid that performs critical functions during protein synthesis and comes in three forms: messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomal RNA
Term
mitochondria
Definition
organelles in the cytoplasm of the cell where energy production for the cell takes place.  Contains its own DNA
Term
endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
Definition
an organelle in the cytoplasm consisting of a folded membrane
Term
ribosomes
Definition
structures composed primarily of RNA, which are found on the endoplasmic reticulum.  THey are the site of protein synthesis
Term
nucleotide
Definition
molecular building block of nucleic acids DNA and RNA;consists of a phosphate, sugar, and base
Term
base
Definition
variable component of the nucleotides that form the nucleic acids DNA and RNA.  In DNA, the bases are adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine.  In RNA, uracil replaces thymine
Term
enzyme
Definition
a complex protein that is a catalyst for chemical processes in the body
Term
hemoglobin
Definition
protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen
Term
hormone
Definition
a natural substance produced by specialized cells in one location of the body that influences the activity or physiology of cells in a different location
Term
polypeptide
Definition
a molecule made up of a chain of amino acids
Term
genetic code
Definition
the system whereby the nucleotide triplets in DNA and RNA contain the information for synthesizing proteins from the twenty amino acids
Term
codon
Definition
a triplet of nucleotide bases in mRNA that specifies an amino acid or the initiation or termination of a polypeptide sequence
Term
gene
Definition
the fundemental unit of heredity.  Consists of a sequence of DNA bases that carries the information for synthesizing a protein and occupies a specific chromosomal locus
Term
messenger RNA (mRNA)
Definition
strand of RNA synthesized in the nucleus as a complement to a specific gene.  It carries the information for the sequence of amino acids to make a specific protein into the cytoplasm, where it is read at a ribosome and a protein molecule is synthesized.
Term
transfer RNA (tRNA)
Definition
RNA molecules that bind to specific amino acids and transport them to ribosomes to be used during protein synthesis
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