ANTH 101 Section 1 Primates People Prehistory Instructor Dr Gail Wagner T A Brittany Walter Our offices Hamilton College at the corner of Pickens and Pendleton streets NO TEXTBOOK which means you need to attend all the classes Sending an email to professor or T A If you leave the Subject line blank it will be deleted without opening Be sure to put ANTH 101 or else Human Evolution in the Subject line You can always follow it with more information For example ANTH 101 Carstens absence Blackboard web page for course It is up to you to gain and maintain access to Blackboard Losing access to your computer or internet at home is not an adequate excuse for not completing online assignments on time Course is divided into three sections Grades are based on 3 Tests final is comprehensive 10 Worksheets 1 DUE Sept 4 online 4 Quizzes on during the movies NO EXTRA CREDIT other than surprise in class end of class pop quizzes Online practice quizzes will be available Taking them will help you study for the tests What is anthropology The holistic and integrative scientific study of humans exploring human diversity in space and time Anthropology is holistic comparative interdisciplinary and cross cultural The four subfields in anthropology Cultural Study of human societies and cultural behavior Biological Study of the human as a biological species past and present including other close relatives Linguistic Study of human verbal and nonverbal communication Archaeology Study of human behavior and societies through material remains This course examines human biological and cultural evolution We begin with background material How recover artifacts and fossils How date objects Basic genetics Introduction to primates and their behavior Second part of course covers fossil evidence for human evolution Third part of course covers modern humans and their spread across the world Anthropologists have a professional code of ethics with ethical obligations to a the people whom they study b those who fund the research c the profession of anthropology d students e the animals or objects with which they work What makes us HUMAN 2012 answers BIOLOGICAL N 29 groups 2012 answers COGNITIVE N 29 groups 2012 answers OTHER N 29 groups 2012 answers FRAMEWORKS for studying human evolution For much of human history we looked to CREATION MYTHS stories that account for a society s origin often involving supernatural happenings provides account of origin of the world lays out society s world view and belief system may explain social behavior In this course we will use the scientific method Process by which phenomena are explained through observation and posing and testing hypotheses hypothesis tentative but testable explanation of relationship between certain phenomena or variables How do scientists pick the best explanation 1 Define the problem or question clearly 2 List two or more alternative solutions answers 3 Develop and apply Fair Tests that a Could support two or more alternative solutions b Do NOT have the same basis as any of the alternative solutions 4 Examine criteria such as a Strength of each fair test b Agreement among fair tests c Strength of the alternative solutions Taken from ENSI 1999 http www indiana edu ensiweb Example Problem How did the great diversity of life originate Alternative hypotheses solutions 1 All living things were created at the same time Basis Literal biblical interpretation 2 Different types of living things were created at different times Basis Modified biblical interpretation 3 Different types evolved from earlier types Basis Inferred from classification of living things IF 1 THEN I d expect to see among Fair Test 1 1 Look at fossil collections and when they occur 2 Chromosome banding patterns comparing different living groups 3 Amino acid sequences in proteins comparing different living groups 4 DNA hybridization tests between different groups Theory A hypothesis that has been well supported by evidence and testing Examples Theory of gravity Atomic theory Theory of evolution Explains how life developed and changed Some people still mistakenly think that religious belief cannot coexist with scientific investigation Scientific creationism The belief that scientific evidence exists to support the biblical creation story and that no evidence supports the theory of evolution Scientific creationism is NOT scientific Intelligent Design The belief that life is too complex to have evolved naturally It must have been designed by some intelligent entity This is not a testable idea it must be taken on faith Background for understanding Theory of Evolution Prior to 1859 the Biblical framework of history our creation myth was the only acceptable way to view the past In 1650 Archbishop Ussher counted the generations in Genesis and figured the earth began in 4004 BC He interpreted the bible literally Many believed the world was less than 6000 yrs old However natural scientists and observers of the world around them began to question began scientific observations Geologists saw evidence that the earth had undergone tremendous changes How could this happen within 6000 yrs Catastrophists explained this by saying there had been a series of catastrophes with Noah s flood the most recent often looked for divine intervention Uniformitarianism Change comes about through natural observable processes not unknown catastrophes The rates and processes of change in the past were the same as they are now The key here for using this to explain the origin of earth is GIVEN ENOUGH TIME Charles Lyell 1797 1875 The present is the key to the past Mini summary Two explanations have been offered to account for change in the world e g mountains eroding to plains 1 Catastrophism sudden large changes 2 Uniformitarianism rate of change remains the same as we can observe today We accept the explanation of uniformitarianism Given uniformitarianism the world MUST be older than 6000 years old Then people began to question whether life forms had changed Linneaus 1758 who devised binomial system of nomenclature was a creationist the world and all in it was divinely created all at once with little or no change since then But geologists saw fossils in rocks some of creatures that no longer existed Geologists study the stratigraphy layering Could identify strata of rocks and noticed a sequence of events especially in fossils By end of 1700s it was accepted that life forms had changed Then people asked how had life forms changed what
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