Article Movie Assignment #3

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Rio Salado Community College *

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100

Subject

Anthropology

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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pdf

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Uploaded by DoctorTurtleMaster5048

ASM 104 ARTICLE and MOVIE ASSIGNMENT #3 You have two options for submission of this assignment: you can (1) – print off this worksheet, answer the questions by HAND, then scan/photograph and submit as a PDF/JPEG/JPG or (2) - you can type the answers into the textbox. Either way, use complete sentences and your own words. DO NOT copy directly from the article. You will be marked down if you do. Part I: Read the article “The Naked Truth” by Nina Jablonski (link in module). 1. In contrast to other mammals, what is the primary strategy for keeping cool among primates? How does this mechanism work? (3 points) - The primary strategy for keeping cool for primates, including humans, is the ability to sweat. Sweating allows the body to cool off by the production of liquid on the skin’s surface that evaporates, drawing heat away from the skin. This cooling mechanism is highly effective in preventing overheating of the brain and other body parts. 2. How is the human system of cooling more effective than that of other mammals? (2 points) - The human system of cooling off is more effective than other mammal’s strategies for cooling off because humans lack fur and produce a very large number of eccrine glands, which produces up to 12 liters of thin watery sweat a day. Eccrine glands do not gather around hair follicles, but instead, live close to the surface of the skin producing sweat through tiny pores. The combination of naked skin and watery sweat that sits directly on our skin instead of getting clumped in our fur, allows us to eliminate heat faster and more effectively. This combination allows us to cool off better than any other mammal. 3. How does the evolution of the human cooling system relate to changes in environment, food accessibility, and the availability of water? (3 points) - Th evolution of the human cooling system relates to the change in the environment because of climate change. By looking at fossils and plants, scientists are able to look at past ecological patterns that showed the earth entering into a phase of global cooling that had a drying effect where our human ancestors once lived. With the decline in rain fall, the forests favored by early hominids opened up to the savanna grasslands, and the foods that our ancestors once ate, became less and less abundant over time along with their source of freshwater. In response to this change, our ancestors had to abandon their leisure foraging habits for a more active way of life. In order to stay alive and have energy, our forebears traveled longer distances in search of edible food and water. This is the time where the early hominids introduced eating meat as found by fossils of stone tools. In response to this new way of life, our ancestors’ bodies were at a higher risk of overheating. As a result, the hair that covered them must have fallen off over time in order to keep them cooler and help them sweat out their heat.

4. How did the switch to meat-eating result in a long-legged body built for sustained striding and running? (2 points) - The switch to eating meat resulted in longer legs that were built for sustained striding and running was due to the fact that our ancestors now had to hunt for their meals. Due to climate change, foraging for food became scarce, so our ancestors had to branch out and find new ways to sustain their living. As a result of having to hunt for their food in order to live, their legs and arms evolved to get longer over time in order to help them catch their prey and increase their surface-to-volume ratio. 5. What is the fossil evidence that tells us when the transition to naked skin and an eccrine-based sweating system was happening in our lineage? Include WHEN that transition takes place in your answer. (3 points) - The fossil evidence that was able to tell us when the transition to naked skin and eccrine based sweating was the Homo ergaster fossil which was the first hominid to posses long, striding legs. This fossil was that of a 1.6-million-year-old Turkana Boy skeleton which possessed elongated limbs for sustained walking and running. 6. Why did evolution leave a few body parts covered? (2 points) - Evolution did leave a few areas of our bodies to have hair. Hair in the armpits and groin area probably serves as a way to propagate pheromones that serve to elicit a behavioral response from others and to help keep those areas lubricated during any movement. Hair on our heads serve as a way to help shield us against excess heat and helps create a layer of air between a sweating scalp. The hair on our bodies helps absorb heat while the barrier layer remains cool. This in turn allows sweat to evaporate into a layer of air allowing us to cool down in the process. Part II: Watch the movie “Search for the First Humans” (link in module). 1. Why is bipedalism considered such a significant development in evolution? (1 point) - Bipedalism is considered to be such a significant development in evolution because it allows us to stand out from the rest of other mammals and allows us to develop more as a species. One important development that came from bipedalism was the ability to work with our hands and move freely. This allowed us to travel more and also be able to use things like tools when walking. The ability to be hands free also allowed us to sue them for societal communication and aesthetics, which laid the foundation for crucial cultural growth. Bipedalism also helped allow us to survive the intense African heat by allowing us to stand straight up and avoid full body exposure of the sun. Another benefit to bipedalism was that it allowed us to look farther and wider, making us more aware of any dangers or potentially better opportunities for food and shelter. Lastly, walking on two legs helped us to travel longer and farther at a more efficient speed.

2. What is the ‘ Savannah Theory’ of bipedalism development (explain with detail)? (2 points) - The Savannah Theory of bipedalism first came about when a scientist discovered a fossil which supported the theory on how us humans became bipedal. The Savannah Theory states that our ancestors had to have an upright posture in order to help them look over the tall grass in the savanna deserts. The upright posture in turn helped us to balance on our legs and stand over the tall grass in order to hunt and see more efficiently. 3. How did Lucy support it? (2 points) - Lucy supported bipedalism based off of her fossil findings. Lucy’s pelvis was compromised between bipedal locomotion and was wide enough to have big, brained babies. Her arms were also much longer than those of modern-day humans and her fingers were curled too. Lucy’s fossil showed that her hip and knee joints were less specialized for upright posture, but that she clearly was capable of walking bipedally. As the most important fossil of our time, Lucy was able to show us that our ancestors were up and walking long before the earliest stone tools were made or the size of our brains getting bigger. Bipedalism was in fact the first steps in becoming human based off of Lucy’s fossil remains. 4. According to the video, how do femurs differ between bipeds and quadrupeds? List two ways. (4 points) a. - In quadrupeds, the femurs are not angled and are located directly below the hip joint. b. - In bipeds, the femurs are angled in a certain way, and are sturdier in order to support the weight of the body. 5. Discuss what the movie tells you about Orrorin tugenensis (include locomotion, living patterns, diet, etc.) (6 points) - The movie tells us about the Orrorin tugenensis which is a fossil that lived over 6 million years ago and is one of the oldest early humans on our family tree. The individuals were about the size of a chimpanzee and had small teeth. The importance of this fossil is the upper femur which shows evidence of a bone built for a biped. The fossil not only climbed trees, but also walked upright on two legs. Based on their small canines and rounded molars, scientists believe that the Orrorin tugenensis ate mainly a plant-based diet including leaves, fruits, seeds, roots, and insects. Scientists believe that the Orrorin tugenensis had most of the characteristics of apes, except that they walked bipedally.

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6. How has studying the behavior of orangutans helped solidify arguments that bipedalism may have arisen in trees? (3 points) - Studying the behavior of orangutans helped solidify arguments about bipedalism arising in trees because the orangutans are the closest living primate that walk like us. While watching their behavior, you can notice that the hip joint on an orangutan can extend far, making their legs go behind their bodies. This allows them to move around the high levels of the forest canopy gathering fruit and extending their arms out like spiders to grab branches and move around. 7. According to the video, with the discovery of Orrorin tugenensis , how have ideas about the development of bipedalism changed? List two reasons. (4 points) a. - One idea about bipedalism that arose from the discovery of Orrorin tugenensis was that bipedalism is an adaptation that arose in a more forest environment. b. - Another idea is that it was also a pre-adaptation in order to help them move out into the Savanna grasslands. 8. Why do the paleoanthropologists in the video think that Lucy needs to be removed from our direct lineage? Discuss two reasons (be specific). (4 points) a. - One way that the movie stated on how Lucy needed to be removed as our direct link were her 3 molars found in her skull. The 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd molar are bigger and more elongated in comparison with our molars and the Orrorin molars. This could be the first evidence that states that the Orrorin tugenensis were probably a closer relative to us than Lucy was. b. - The second way the movie stated that Lucy should be removed as our direct link was the formation of her femur and the structure of how her body would have been in comparison to ours today. The scientists stated that we humans and the Orrorin tugenensis had a closer body structure than Lucy’s. This is another reason scientists believe that maybe Lucy came first but that she and her species became extinct over time and that the Orrorin tugenensis continued living out their lineage and eventually created us humans over time.

Article Movie Assignment #3

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