INTRODUCTION LECTURE Reading Tree thinking exercise See handout on Blackboard Vista pp 1 11 only and material in lecture Chapter 1 pp 9 15 1 Phylogenetic trees are diagrams that depict relationships among and between different taxa singular is taxon a group of one or more organisms a b b c d A node is the point where two branches separate from one another A node represents the most recent common ancestor or MRCA Branches on a phylogenetic tree represent a lineage A lineage consists of extinct and living organisms The tips or leaves on a tree represent the living representative of a lineage For example human is a tip on the primate lineage You should be able to define and differentiate each of these definitions and recognize where they are on a phylogenetic tree In class and in the handout we will go over how to read a phylogenetic tree This will provide a foundation for understanding human s place in nature and our evolution What is a hominid A hominid includes humans and our extinct ancestors after the divergence from the most recent common ancestor with chimpanzees If we consider the MRCA of humans and chimps to be 7 million years ago this means that the living human and chimpanzees each represent 7 million years of evolution on each line after divergence What are the six steps to humanness a b c d e f bipedalism nonhoning chewing complex material culture and tool use hunting speech dependence on domesticated foods The Scientific Method a b c d What are the steps of the scientific method What is a hypothesis What does it mean a hypothesis is falsifiable Do we ever prove anything What is the difference between a control group and the experimental group Go to this link to see an example of the Scientific Method http www utm edu departments cens biology rirwin 391 391Brodie htm 2 3 4
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