Modern Human Biology pg. 422-430 5.31.12

Biological determination: the concept that phenomena, including various aspects of behavior are governed by biological factors; the inaccurate association of various behavioral attributes with certain biological traits, such as skin color
-18th-19th century European and American scientists concentrated on classifying biological variation in humans and in nonhuman species.
-Blumenbach, German anatomist classified humans in 5 races: white, yellow, red, black and brown. Also he said that racial categories based on skin color were arbitrary.
Eugenics: the philosophy of "race improvement" through the forced sterilization of members of some groups and increased reproduction among others; among others; an overly simplified, often racist view that's now discredited.
Polytpyic: referring to species composed of populations that differ int he expression of one or more traits
-certain physical traits are associated with numerous cultural contexts a person's social identity is strongly influenced by the way he or she expresses those physical traits
-skin color highly visible, makes it easy to put someone in a certain category
-sex and age are important, an individuals biological/ethnic background is inevitably a factor that influences how he/she in initially perceived and judged by others
-race can also refer to geographically patterned phenotypic variation within a species
-biological anthropologists continue to study differences in traits as skin or eye color because these characteristics and the genes that influence them, can yield information about population adaption, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow.
-race isn't a valid concept esp. from a genetic perspective, because the amount of genetic variation that exists within groups
-some physical anthropologist think that race is an outdated creation of the human mind that attempts to simplify biological complexity
Racism 
-false belief: humans inherit such factors as intellect and various cultural attributes
-one group is superior to another
-cultural phenomenon found worldwide
Intelligence
-genetic and environmental factors contribute to intelligence
-limits are broad and the potentials aren't fully known
-product of interaction is learning and ability to learn influenced by genetic and other biological components

Evidence for Evolution

Heidelbergensis vs. Us Social -H. heidelbergensis may have been the first species of the Homo genus to bury their dead. -H. heidelbergensis, like its descendant H. neanderthalensis, acquired a primitive form of language. Red ochre, a mineral that can be used to create a red pigment which is useful as a paint, has been found. Language -The morphology of the outer and middle ear suggests they had an auditory sensitivity similar to modern humans and very different from chimpanzees. They were probably able to differentiate between many different sounds. Dental wear analysis suggests they were as likely to be right-handed as modern people. Hunting -400,000-year-old wooden projectile spears were found at Schöningen in northern Germany. These are thought to have been made by H. erectus or H. heidelbergensis. The lack of projectile weaponry is an indication of different sustenance methods, rather than inferior technology or abilities. Physical -A very large brow ridge, a larger braincase and flatter face than older early human species. It was first early human species to live in colder climates, their ­­­short, wide bodies were a likely adaptation to conserving heat. Also, this human broke new ground; it was the first species to build shelters—creating simple dwellings out of wood and rock. -The bodies of heidelbergensis tended to be compact, as would be expected for people living in cold climates.  This shape reduces the loss of heat.  Male heidelbergensis averaged about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 136 pounds. Females averaged 5 feet 2 inches tall and 112 pounds. This is only slightly smaller than most people today. With an average of 1200 cm.3, heidelbergensis brains were only 10% smaller than people today as well, but their heads did not have a modern appearance.  They had large brow ridges and low foreheads.  Their brain cases also were more elongated from front to back than in Homo sapiens.  In these characteristics, heidelbergensis was still more like Homo erectus than us. http://www.google.com/search?q=heidelbergensis&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=tTi1T_2IC8aZ6AGz5NTyDw&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=tzi1T9jYA-L56QHHuNkO Comparative Anatomy -Vestigile: Humans -The vermiform appendix is a vestige of the cecum, an organ that would have been used to digest cellulose by humans' herbivorous ancestors. This organ in other animals similar to humans continue to perform that function, whereas other meat-eating animals may have similarly diminished appendices. Some research suggests that the appendix may guard against the loss of symbiotic bacteria that aid in digestion. An alternative explanation would be the possibility that natural selection selects for larger appendices because smaller and thinner appendices would be more susceptible to inflammation and disease. -Heidelbergensis -Loss of bulla in the Hyiod bone from Australopithecus afarensis -Analogous: Humans Vestigile, humans have that and it's an organ that would digest cellulose by humans'. -Heidelbergensis Lost of bulla in the Hyiod bone from Australopithecus afarensis -Embryology: Humans -preformation: the idea that semen contains an embryo — a preformed, miniature infant, or "homunculus" — that simply becomes larger during development. -Heidelbergensis: Because of the radiation of H. heidelbergensis out of Africa and into Europe, the two populations were mostly isolated. Neanderthals diverged from H. heidelbergensis 300,000 years ago in Europe, H. sapiens probably diverged between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago in Africa. Such fossils as the Atapuerca skull and the Kabwe skull bear witness to the two branches of the H. heidelbergensis tree. -Biochem(DNA): Humans -Carry out genetic information. -Heidelbergensis: