,This week we learned about evolution and osteology. We started by reviewing CLAP and learning more about the fourth letter: Physical, or Biological, Anthropology. Physical anthropologists study the biology and behavior of humans and how those characteristics evolved. Then we learned more about evolution, or change over time in groups of organisms in response to the environment. We learned the four ways evolution works: mutation, natural selection, gene flow, and genetic drift. Then we learned that osteology, or the study of bones, can be a good way of “seeing” evolution. We focused on how humans are related to apes and other primates, and they have been evolving just as long as us to be good at what they do, just as we are good at what we do. We also went over the idea that there are many extinct human ancestors. Then we went through 5 traits on the skull that can be useful in identifying human from nonhuman skulls: the location of the foramen magnum (hole on the bottom of the skull where the spine attaches), small teeth, no sagittal crest (ridge along the mid line of the top of the skull), a vertical face, and the presence of a chin. Then for our activity, we went through each of these characteristics with several skull casts of humans and human relatives to determine where those skulls fit on the primate family tree.
To see more lessons like this one on Culture, check out our lesson plan pages on Evolution and Osteology.
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To see and download the exact powerpoint, lesson plan, and activity used in this blog, you can do so by clicking the links below!
To contact us with questions, concerns, or anything else, go to our contact page.
To see and download the exact powerpoint, lesson plan, and activity used in this blog, you can do so by clicking the links below!
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