Transcript HSP3U Primatology and Human Variation

HSP3U
Primatology and Human Variation
February 23rd, 2015
PRIMATOLOGY
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Humans and other primates ______ many
characteristic features
Grasping hands
 Forward-facing eyes (sign of a predator)
 Relatively larger brain
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Primatologists study the _________ and the ___________
of living primates – not always anthropologists (biology
or zoology) but their reason is always relevant to
anthropology – they’re investigating what makes us
________ to and __________ from other primates
STUDYING PRIMATES
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Primatologists observe primates in their __________
habitats and in the __________
Jane Goodall is one of the most famous anthropologist
that has studied primates in their _________ habitat
Other famous anthropologists are Dian Fossey and
Birute Galdikas
They all lived in ________, solitary, and difficult
conditions and had to wait patiently for ________
before they could get close enough to the animals to
understand their _________ behaviour
Each primatologist had to learn to ________ the
animals’ calls and __________ and eat their food
before primates trusted them as one of their own
JANE GOODALL
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http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/janegoodall-retrospective?source=relatedvideo
On April 2, 1957, at the age of 23, Jane travels to
Kenya by boat. She has a wonderful time seeing
Africa and meeting new people, but the most
important event of her visit is meeting famous
anthropologist and palaeontologist Dr. Louis S. B.
Leakey.
When Leakey and Jane begin a study of wild
chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika,
British authorities resist the idea of a young woman
living among wild animals in Africa. They finally
agree to Leakey's proposal when Jane's mother Vanne
volunteers to accompany her daughter for the first
three months.
JANE GOODALL CONT’D
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But studying the chimpanzees of Gombe was not easy. The
animals fled from Jane in fear. With patience and
determination she searched the forest every day,
deliberately trying not to get too close to the chimpanzees
too soon. Gradually the chimpanzees accepted her
presence.
Jane observes meat-eating for the first time October 30,
1961. Later, she sees the chimpanzees hunt for meat.
These observations disprove the widely held belief that
chimpanzees are vegetarian.
On November 4, 1961, Jane observes David Greybeard and
Goliath making tools to extract termites from their
mounds. They would select a thin branch from a tree, strip
the leaves and push the branch into the termite
mound. After a few seconds they would pull out the
termite-covered stick and pick off the tasty termites with
their lips.
JANE GOODALL CONT’D
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This becomes one of Jane's most important
discoveries. Until that time, only humans were
thought to create tools. On hearing of Jane's
observation, Leakey famously says: "Now we must
redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as
humans."
Jane continues her work today by travelling an
average of 300 days per year speaking in packed
auditoriums and school gymnasiums about the
threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental
crises, and her reasons for hope that we will
ultimately solve the problems that we have imposed
on the earth.
Jane continually urges her audiences to recognize
their personal power and responsibility to effect
positive change through consumer action, lifestyle
change and activism.
HUMAN VARIATION
Human beings are all ___________
 Anthropologists study human __________, or the
genetic differences between ________ and
__________, to understand the differences
between people
 Anthropologists studying human variation try to
find out _____ and ______ human beings are
different and try to understand these differences
from an evolutionary perspective
 Humans have _______ over time in order to
survive in different conditions
 Evolution is the process of species’ _________,
________, or ___________
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DARWIN’S THEORY OF NATURAL
SELECTION
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The theory of Natural Selection involves 3 principles:
Variation – every species has a lot of ________ within it
 Heritability – individuals pass on _______ to their offspring
 Environmental Fitness – individuals who are better
adapted to their environment will produce ______ offspring
and pass on their traits to the next generation
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Variation is essential to the __________ of any species
If there is change in the available ______ supply, and all of
the individuals of a species are able to eat only the old kind of
food, the species will become __________
If some individuals can eat the new food, they will reproduce
and _____ on their traits to their offspring, ensuring the
survival of the species as a whole
RACE IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
Race is a social construction meaning that it is
something ________ by our society
 More genetic variation exists _______ races than
_______ them (i.e. there is more genetic variation
within the Asian race than between the Asian
race and the African race)
 An individual’s ________ and _________ are
largely conditioned by his or her ________ (i.e. it’s
your upbringing and the culture of your
surrounding family and society that help shape
your individual behaviour)
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RACE CONT’D
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The idea of ______ has been used in the past to
justify ________, economic, and political
inequalities and excuse hatred, cruelty, and
_________
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Examples:
Nazi persecution of Jewish people
 Apartheid (In South Africa - a policy or system of
segregation or discrimination on grounds of race)
 Ku Klux Klan in North America
(any Canadian examples????)
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Racial beliefs are considered by the American Anthropological
Association (AAA) as ______ and folk beliefs and have no
biological legitimacy
STUDYING HUMAN VARIATION
LEGITIMATELY
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Anthropologists look at human variety and try to
understand a specific ______, such as skin colour or
blood type, in terms of evolutionary __________
Blood type is an example of a trait that is easy to
measure ___________ (without bias)
Certain blood types are __________ to certain parts of
the world, but blood type does _____ correspond to
external characteristics
Many traits are the result of a population’s isolation
or ____________
Many ‘racial’ traits, such as ____ colour, probably
have no evolutionary advantage at all (A lot of people
with Dutch backgrounds usually have blonde hair,
fair skin, and blue eyes)
EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGES
Anthropologists look at whether a ________ trait
provides an individual with a _______ chance of
survival in her/his environment, and a greater
chance of ________ on those traits to offspring
 Today, humans have ways to deal with various
kinds of _______ colour
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Disadvantages of light skin in tropical places
(sunscreen, clothing, air conditioning)
 Disadvantages of dark skin in areas with less
sunlight (a diet rich in vitamin D, vitamin D
supplements etc.)
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HUMAN VARIATION
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/skin
-color
 http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/humanevolution-timeline-interactive
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Chapter Review Questions
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Pg. 52-53 #’s 1 - 4, 7, 10