Short answer: 40 points!!!
No late submissions will be accepted. You should use your book and class materials. Do not use web searches, google, or other materials obtained outside of class, or you will not get full credit.
Answer ALL of the first four questions. 12 points total. Answer these questions in a couple sentences each.
1. How long ago did our ancestors appear in the fossil record? Which species is likely our immediate ancestor? (5 points)
2. How are new species formed? What conditions are needed? (2 points)
3. Describe the evolutionary relationship between modern humans and the living apes. How are we related to gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos? (3 points)
4. Explain what each term means in science: hypothesis, theory, fact. (2 points)
Next, choose 4 of the following questions to answer in a paragraph. Fully answer all parts of the questions. Up to 7 points each. 28 points total.
1. How are prosimians different from other primates? What primates alive today are considered prosimians? What happened to all the prosimians around the world around 40mya? Why are prosimians today only found in Madagascar and some other isolated ecosystems?
2. Contrast Apes and Monkeys. Discuss the key similarities and differences in morphology and behavior between the two groups, using the taxonomy laid out in your textbook. Next, if you were given a skull only, how could you tell if it were an ape or monkey (what features would you look for, and how would they be different)?
3. Compare modern populations with pre agricultural populations. Discuss diseases, height, overall health, longevity, and teeth. What are the most important differences in lifestyle that lead to these differences? When thinking of agriculturalists and foragers: Who is healthier and why?
4. Does race exist? Why or why not? Support your discussion with data from your book or the articles assigned. Make an argument based on evidence. Do not just discuss your opinion.
5. Choose either the Recent African Origin, Multiregional Continuity, or Assimilation model and describe why you think it is the best model for the evolution of modern Homo Sapiens. Be sure to discuss BOTH fossil and genetic evidence in your answer.
6. Try to imagine what humans will be like in 1.5 million years. What physical traits will change in modern Homo Sapiens?
Why do you think that these changes will occur-what factors will lead to the evolution of new/different traits? Think about primarily physiological changes, but you may also include social or behavioral changes as a supplement. Which of the ‘four’ces of evolution will be most important for these changes as the human race continues to evolve and adapt?
7. Compare Australopiths, early Homo, Homo erectus, and Archaic Sapiens. What do we know about each group, and how do we know it? What features do all three groups share, and what sets them apart from one another?
8. Choose three species from this semester to discuss in detail. One should be a living primate, one should be a fossil primate, and the third should be a fossil hominid. For each species, describe their relationship to modern humans, their likely locomotion pattern, and evolutionary path (as in: are they still around/ if so, how?, are they extinct/if so. why? Out of the three you chose, which two are most closely related? (describe their relationship). Finally, out of the three, Which one is/was the most successful, and why?
