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. A node is the point where two branches separate from one another. A node represents the most recent common ancestor or MRCA. b. Branches on a phylogenetic tree represent a lineage. A lineage consists of extinct and living organisms. b. The tips or leaves on a tree represent the living representative of a lineage. For example, human is a tip on the primate lineage. c. You should be able to define and differentiate each of these definitions and recognize where they are on a phylogenetic tree. d. 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. 2. 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. 3. What are the six steps to humanness? a. bipedalism b. nonhoning chewing c. complex material culture and tool use d. hunting e. speech f. dependence on domesticated foods 4. The Scientific Method a. What are the steps of the scientific method? b. What is a hypothesis? c. What does it mean a hypothesis is falsifiable? Do we ever prove anything? d. What is the difference between a control group and the experimental group? Go to this link to see an example of the Scientific Method
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