Anth 5 Extra Credit Options (up to 15 points)
1)Complete all 12 in-class labs and homework assignments (10 points).All labs must be completed on the day they’re assigned in class, and homework must be submitted on the due date listed in the schedule. If you complete all labs but miss one or more homework assignments, you will receive an automatic five extra points.
2) Extra CreditSelf-Test 12.1(5 points). Answer questions #1, 2abc, 3abc, 4, 5(pp. 295-296).Due in class on June 6th.
3)WebLab: The "Hobbits" ofFlores(5 points).Watch “Alien From Earth (NOVA)”: (this link is also available on my website; view all 5 chapters; approx. 60 minutes)and address the four questions below in a typed paper (11-12 pt. font, double-spaced and include detailed examples from the film in your own words). An ancient legend on the Indonesian island of Flores tells of an elflike creature similar to the fictional hobbit of novels and film. But a controversial 2003 find not only suggests that there could be some truth behind the legend but promises to rewrite a key chapter in the human evolutionary story. This program investigates the discovery, analysis, and startling implications of the "hobbit" of Flores. Due in class on June6th.
1) Discussthe evidence supporting the position that the fossils represent a new species (Homo floresiensis) on the hominid family tree.
2) Explain why some scientists thought the fossils were the remains of a diseased modern human (Homo sapiens), or possibly a pygmy. Thendiscuss the evidence that challenges this assumption.
3) Some scientists initially thought the fossils mightbelong toa mini-version of Homo erectus, but now recognize they share many similarities with the Lucy skeleton from E. Africa. Describe the anatomical similarities between Homo floresiensis and Australopithecus afarensis.
4) For many years, scientiststhought large brains were, at least in part, behind the migration out of Africa by Homo erectus. Provide a detailed explanation ofrecent evidence from Georgia that contradicts this assertion.
4)WebLab: Becoming Human: First Steps (5 points). Watch the following NOVA video: (this link is also available on my website; view all 6 chapters; approx. 45 minutes)and address the eight questions below in a typed paper (11-12 pt. font, double-spaced and include detailed examples from the film in your own words). This program examines the factors that caused us to split from the great apes and explores the fossil of "Selam," also known as "Lucy's Child." Paleoanthropologist Zeray Alemseged spent five years carefully excavating the sandstone-embedded fossil. NOVA's cameras are there to capture the unveiling of the face, spine, and shoulder blades of this 3.3 million-year-old fossil child and take viewers "inside the skull" to show how our ancestors' brains had begun to change from those of the apes. “First Steps” also explores why leaps in human evolution took place and the provocative "big idea" that sharp swings of climate were a key factor.Due in class on June6th.
1) How were scientists able to determine the age of the fossil remains of the Australopithecus afarensis infant from the Afar region of Ethiopia (nicknamed “Selam”), when the skull and bones could not be dated directly?
2) Why do scientists think Lucy and her kind (Australopithecus afarensis) were adapted to living in trees, as well as on the ground?
3) How do scientists know what past environments and landscapes were like?
4) According to Dr. Lieberman, what is the main reason for the evolution of anatomical changes that allowed for bipedalism in our ancestors?
5) Why do some scientists think Tumai (Sahelanthropus tchadensis from Chad, N. Africa) was a biped?
6) What does the size of Selam’s brain (which was only about 75% the size of an adult’s) tell us about her development?
7) How do scientists know the stone tools of Homo habilus were used to obtain meat?
8) How do scientists think the climate instability of East Africa’s past (i.e. the drastic environmental changes that occurred over a 200,000 year period) affected the evolution of hominids like Homo habilus?