Exam 9: Paleoanthropology: Reconstructing Early Hominin Behavior and Ecology

Although excavations at Olduvai Gorge have yielded abundant archaeological traces, no hominid remains have ever been found there.

Describe why paleoanthropology is necessarily a multidisciplinary science, and discuss the major subdisciplines that contribute to it.

One of the constraints of paleoanthropology is that mounting a concentrated research project costs several hundred thousand dollars.

Describe the human capacity for and our dependence on culture.

Jolly's seed-eating hypothesis is

Carbon-14 dating is most appropriate for dating

Define the term mosaic evolution .  Discuss three different anatomical or behavioral hominin traits that demonstrate the nature of mosaic evolution.

A thin-edged fragment removed form a core is called a

Name the four essentials of the concluding stages of interpretation in paleoanthropology.

What is the term used for small stone tools usually produced from narrow blades punched from a core?

Objects or materials made or modified by hominins are called

Stable carbon isotope analyses

Explain the basis of fluorine analysis. What type(s)of material is/are appropriate for fluorine analysis, and how accurately can this method date material? Are there any special limitations to this technique? What is the most famous application of fluorine analysis?

In archaeology, stones suitably sized and shaped to be further worked into tools are called

Explain paleomagnetism and give examples.

Discuss Lewis Binford's position on hominin research.

Dating methods indicating that something is older or more recent than something else

Which is NOT true about thermoluminescence dating?

Explain the importance of accurate dating to human evolution and describe the differences between relative and chronometric (absolute)dating techniques.  Give an example of each type discussed in the text.

Thermoluminescence dating is a method for dating certain archaeological materials that were heated in the past and that, upon reheating, release stored energy of radioactive decay as light.