The Human Organism: Explorations in Biological Anthropology

240 Pages·2015·6.68 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Weiss

THE HUMAN ORGANISM
Explorations in Biological Anthropology
FFIIRRSSTT EEDDIITTIIOONN
By Elizabeth Weiss
San Jose State University
Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher
Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions
Jamie Giganti, Managing Editor
Jess Busch, Senior Graphic Designer
Kristina Stolte, Acquisitions Editor
Michelle Piehl, Project Editor
Alexa Lucido, Licensing Assistant
Claire Yee, Interior Designer
Copyright © 2015 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter in-
vented, including photocopying, microfi lming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the
written permission of Cognella, Inc.
First published in the United States of America in 2015 by Cognella, Inc.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.
Cover images:
Copyright © 2012 Depositphotos Inc./lhfgraphics.
Copyright © 2011 Depositphotos Inc./Morphart.
Copyright © 2012 Depositphotos Inc./jumpingsack.
Copyright © 2012 Depositphotos Inc./Morphart.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-63189-453-4(pbk)/ 978-1-63189-454-1(br)
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION VII
SECTION 1: UNDERSTANDING EVOLUTIONARY CONCEPTS
Chapter 1: Evidence of Evolution 1
Introduction 1
Learning Objectives 1
History of Evolutionary Theory 2
Understanding Natural Selection 6
Evidence of Evolution 7
Types of Selection 10
Summary 12
Glossary 13
Reading 1 14
1. Origin of Species, 1st Edition. Chapter XIII: Morphology, Embryology; Rudimentary Organs 15
Charles Darwin
Chapter 2: Mendelian Genetics and the Modern Synthesis 29
Introduction 29
Learning Objectives 29
Mendelian Genetics 30
Non-Mendelian Patterns of Inheritance 33
Modern Synthesis 34
Summary 37
Glossary 38
Reading 2 40
2. Effects of Sexual Dimorphism on Facial Attractiveness 41
D. I. Perrett, K. J. Lee, I. Penton-Voak, D. Rowland, S. Yoshikawa, D. M. Burt, S. P. Henzi,
D. L. Castles, and S. Akamatsu
Chapter 3: DNA and Molecular Anthropology 49
Introduction 49
Learning Objectives 49
Cells and DNA 50
Cell Division 51
Protein Synthesis 53
Molecular Anthropology 55
Summary 58
Glossary 58
Reading 3 60
3. Evolution in the Everyday World 61
David Mindell
SECTION 2: PRIMATES
Chapter 4: Living Primates 73
Introduction 73
Learning Objectives 73
General Primate Characteristics 74
Prosimians 76
Tarsiers 78
Anthropoids 79
Using Primates as Models for Human Evolution 88
Summary 90
Glossary 90
Reading 4 92
4. Sexual Selection, Multiple Mating and Paternity in Grey Mouse Lemurs, Microcebus Murinus 93
Ute Radespiel, Valentina Dal Secco, Cord DröGemüller, Pia Braune, Elisabeth Labes & Elke
Zimmermann
Reading 5 108
5. Chimpanzee Ai and Her Son Ayumu: An Episode of Education by Master-Apprenticeship 109
Tetsuro Matsuzawa
Reading 6 118
6. How Deep Is Your Love? Human Morality and the Question of Altruism Among Nonhuman Primates 119
Kenneth Krause
SECTION 3: HUMAN EVOLUTION
Chapter 5: Our Earliest Humans 127
Introduction 127
Learning Objectives 127
Fossils 128
Types of Fossils in the Hominid Record 129
Dating Fossils 129
What Makes Hominids Different from Other Apes? 130
Contenders for the Earliest Hominid 134
Australopithecines 135
Early Homo Species and the First Stone Tools 141
Oldowan Tools 143
Summary 143
Glossary 144
Reading 7 146
7. Early Hominids—Diversity or Distortion? 147
Tim White
Chapter 6: Humans Disperse: Homo erectus and Sibling Species 151
Introduction 151
Learning Objectives 151
Homo erectus Discoveries 152
Homo erectus and Homo ergaster 154
Earliest Fossils Outside of Africa 156
Homo antecessor 156
Summary 158
Glossary 159
Chapter 7: Almost Ourselves: Archaics and the Arrival of Homo sapiens sapiens 161
Introduction 161
Learning Objectives 161
Homo heidelbergensis 162
African Archaic Homo sapiens (400–125 KYA) 163
Asian Archaic Homo sapiens (350–130 KYA) 163
European Archaic Homo sapiens (400–150 KYA) 164
Neanderthals (130–30 KYA) 164
Origins of Anatomically Modern Humans 168
Summary 170
Glossary 171
Reading 8 172
8. The Multiregional Evolution of Humans 173
Alan G. Thorne and Milford H. Wolpoff
Reading 9 186
9. Human Origins: Out of Africa 187
Ian Tattersall
SECTION 4: MODERN HUMAN VARIATION
Chapter 8: Modern Human Variation 197
Introduction 197
Learning Objectives 197
Human Variation 198
Human Adaptation 200
Human Life Cycle 204
Summary 208
Glossary 209
Reading 10 210
10. Understanding Race and Human Variation: Why Forensic Anthropologists Are Good at Identifying Race 211
Stephen Ousley, Richard Jantz, and Donna Freid
Reading 11 228
11. Change We Can Believe In: “Race” and Continuing Selection in the Human Genome 229
Kenneth W. Krause
Reading 12 234
12. The Evolution of Light Skin Color: Role of Vitamin D Disputed 235
Ashley H. Robins
IMAGE CREDITS 243
INTRODUCTION
T
he purpose of this volume is twofold. Many college students, and perhaps yourself,
take human evolution introduction courses to fulfi ll a General Education requirement;
thus, these students are not necessarily keen on the topic prior to enrollment, and you
(and many others) may wonder what human evolution has to do with your major, or your day-to-
day life, which brings me to the fi rst purpose of this anthology. I hope to not only demonstrate
that studying evolution is relevant to your life, but also that you might pass your knowledge on
to others. Understanding evolutionary concepts can help one make informed health decisions,
improve relationships, and to better understand fellow humans. Furthermore, evolutionary
concepts are utilized in forensics (e.g., DNA analyses of crime scenes and victim identifi cation
through skeletal remains); medicine (e.g., gearing medicine to individuals based on their biology
and learning of the ways that pathogens are transmitted from species to species); psychology
(e.g., understanding why we judge people based on appearance and who we are attracted to); and
many other applications. One does not have to become an anthropologist to utilize knowledge
of evolution in his or her life; one must just be human.
The second purpose of this book is to stimulate critical thinking skills; many students are
not aware of the difference between primary and secondary sources. This volume has a mix
of readings from popular literature, review articles, and primary journal articles. By introducing
various types of references, I hope you will be able to see what makes a primary source so distinct.
I believe that being able to fi nd good information and then assess that information are among
the most important things you can learn in college. Primary sources offer conclusions, but the
authors provide information on their data and analyses that help you determine whether to accept
their conclusions. Secondary sources do not reveal all the details of the scientifi c method, which
can make it diffi cult to assess the strength of the author’s conclusions. This does not mean that all
VII
VIII | THE HUMAN ORGANISM: EXPLORATIONS IN BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
secondary sources should be tossed out, but rather that you should be able to recognize the difference
between the types of sources, and fi nd primary sources for topics that you wish to learn more about.
Thus, I encourage you to ask yourself after each article what the author’s conclusions are, how did the
author arrive at those conclusions, would you have drawn the same conclusions, and—perhaps most
critically—what more information would you like to have about the topic. This allows you to critically
analyze material you encounter in your everyday life (on the Internet, in the news, from magazines,
etc.) and make informed decisions, such as after reading about a new health fad should you follow it or
look at the original source to ensure the claims are based on scientifi c data? This skill to read critically
will last a lifetime.
This anthology is divided into four sections: 1) Understanding Evolutionary Concepts; 2) Primates;
3) Human Evolution; and 4) Modern Human Variation. Each section offers a diverse selection of
readings that includes classic popular science chapters, review articles, and primary peer-reviewed
research articles. Articles were chosen to emphasize some of the important connections evolution has
with understanding humans and making connections to your life. I hope you will enjoy the diversity
of the materials selected and can see how understanding evolution can enrich your college experience
and your life for many years to come.
UNDERSTANDING
EVOLUTIONARY
CONCEPTS
Section 1
CHAPTER 1
EVIDENCE OF
EVOLUTION
IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN
Evolution occurs all the time and has been documented occurring quite rapidly in microbes.
Flu viruses, for example, evolve each season, which is why doctors continuously work on new
vaccines and why last year’s vaccine does not prevent us from getting this year’s fl u. Bacteria
also evolve quickly, and this has led to an arms race with medicine to prevent antibiotic
resistant forms of staph, tuberculosis, and Chlamydia from killing countless individuals. It
is possible to view evolution in action, but there is much evidence of evolution without
having to watch bacteria and viruses. Evidence of evolution is all around us. Charles Darwin
included many types of evidence in Origin of Species, such as comparative anatomy, compara-
tive embryology, and fossils.
LLEEAARRNNIINNGG OOBBJJEECCTTIIVVEESS
1. Understand the infl uences of past scientists on Darwin.
2. Understand taxonomy and the species concept.
3. Understand how natural and sexual selection work.
4. Recognize different types of selection.
5. Understand the evidence of evolution that Darwin utilized.
1