Anthropology
The study of humankind, viewed from the perspective of all people and all times.
Cultural
__________ anthropology is typically the study of present-day societies in non-Western settings.
Linguistic
__________ anthropology is the study of the construction and use of language by human societies.
Biological
__________ anthropology is the study of all aspects of present and past human biology.
Forensics
The scientific study of crime scene evidence.
Skeletal Biology
The study of the human skeleton in relation to other tissues such as muscles and tendons.
Primatology
The study of nonhuman primates, the closest living relatives of human beings.
Paleoanthropology
Also called physical anthropology, the study of physical remains of ancient humans and hominids.
Somatic
_______ cells are diploid cells that form the organs, tissues, and other parts of an organism's body.
Gamete
Sexual reproductive cells, ova and sperm, that have a haploid number of chromosomes and that can unite with a gamete of the opposite type to form a new organism.
Nucleus
A membrane-bound structure in eukaryotic cells that contains the genetic material.
Mitochondria
Energy-producing (ATP) organelles in eukaryotic cells; they possess their own independent DNA.
Ribosomes
The organelles attached to the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum, located in the cytoplasm of a cell; they are the site of protein synthesis.
Mitosis
The process of cellular and nuclear division that creates two identical diploid daughter cells.
Meiosis
The production of gametes through one DNA replication and two call (and nuclear) divisions, creating four haploid gametic cells.
Haploid
A cell that has a single set of unpaired chromosomes.
Diploid
A cell that has a full complement of paired chromosomes.
Chromosomes
The strand of DNA found in the nucleus of eukaryotes that contains hundreds or thousands of genes.
Locus
The location on a chromosome of a specific gene.
Centromere
Region of a chromosome where the two sister chromatids attach.
Genes
The basic unit of inheritance; a sequence of DNA on a chromosome, coded to produce a specific protein.
DNA
A double-stranded molecule that provides the genetic code for an organism, consisting of phosphate, deoxyribose sugar, and four types of nitrogen bases.
Adenine
One of the four nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA; it pairs with thymine in DNA molecules and uracil in RNA molecules.
Cytosine - Guanine
One of the four nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA; it pairs with guanine.
Replication
The process of copying nuclear DNA prior to cell division, so that each new daughter cell receives a complete complement of DNA.
Protein synthesis
The formation of proteins by using information contained in DNA and carried by mRNA
mRNA
The molecules that are responsible for making a chemical copy of a gene needed for a specific protein, that is, for the transcription phase of protein synthesis.
tRNA
The molecules that are responsible for transporting amino acids to the ribosomes during protein synthesis.
Uracil
One of the four nitrogen bases that makes RNA; it pairs with adenine.
Polypeptide chain
Also know as a protein, a chain of amino acids held together by multiple peptide bonds.
Redundancy
Two or more genes are performing the same function and that inactivation of one of these genes has little or no effect on the biological phenotype.
Gregor Mendel
Augustinian monk and botanist whose experiments in breeding garden peas led to his eventual recognition as founder of the science of genetics.
Phenotype
The physical expression of the genotype; it may be influenced by the environment.
Genotype
The genetic makeup of an organism; the combination of alleles for a given gene.
Dominant
Refers to an allele that is expressed in an organism's phenotype and that simultaneously masks the effects of another allele, if another one is present.
Codominant
Refers to two different alleles that are equally dominant; both are fully expressed in a heterozygote's phenotype.
Recessive
An allele that is expressed in an organism's phenotype if two copies are present but is masked if the dominant allele is present.
Punnett Square
A chart that shows all the possible combinations of alleles that can result from a genetic cross.
Mendelian Inheritance
The basic principles associated with the transmission of genetic material, forming the basis of genetics, including the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment.
Law of Segregation
Mendel's First Law, which asserts that the two alleles for any given gene (or trait) are inherited , one from each parent; during gamete production. Only one of the two alleles will be present in each ovum or sperm.
Law of Independent Assortment
Mendel's Second Law, which asserts that the inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of other traits.
Polygenic
Refers to one phenotypic trait that is affected by two or more genes.
Pleiotropy
Refers to one gene that affects two or more phenotypic traits.
Four Forces of Evolution
Mutation, Gene Flow, Genetic Drift, Natural Selection
Mutation
The molecular change in genetic material.
Point mutation
______ _________ affects a single point in DNA.
Chromosomal mutation
___________ __________ affects the entire chromosome (nondisjunction).
increase
Does gene flow INCREASE or DECREASE variability within a population
decrease
Does gene flow INCREASE or DECREASE variability between populations?
Gene Flow
The movement of genes between populations.
The introduction of genes into an area where they may not have existed previously.
Genetic Drift
The random loss of genes due to chance.
smaller
Does genetic drift have a more significant impact on smaller or larger populations?
Founder effect
The random selection of genes to create the gene pool.
Natural Selection
The process by which some organisms, with features that enable them to adapt to the environment, preferentially survive and reproduce, thereby increasing the frequency of those features in the population.
James Ussher
He calculated that Earth was created in the year 4004 BC.
Linnaeus
Swedish naturalist and devout creationist. Introduced the Fixity of Species, "Great Chain of Being," and Binomial Nomenclature.
Binomial nomenclature (taxonomy)
The science of naming.
Fixity of Species
The notion that species, once created, can never change; an idea diametrically opposed to theories of biological evolution.
Great Chain of Being
The Aristotelian idea that everyone/ everything has a place in society. Also, the theory that if one link in the chain is messed up, all of the lower links are disrupted.
James Hutton
Geologist who was interested in the age of the Earth and demonstrated that Earth was millions of years old, not thousands.
Also introduced the concept of uniformitarianism.
Uniformitarianism
The concept that processes we see today are the same processes that have always been.
Lamarck
French naturalist who was the first to propose a mechanism for change in nature.
Introduced the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics and coined the term "biology.
Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics
The concept that animals changed through use or disuse of certain body parts and were influenced by environmental challenges.
Wrong, but still important as the first theory of evolution.
Biology
The science of living things.
Georges Cuvier
A creationist who studied fossils, saw change in nature over time, and opposed Lamarck's views.
He couldn't accept evolution because it violated Fixity of Species.
Introduced theory of Catastrophism and concept of Extinction.
Catastrophism
Theory that layers in the ground were evidence of multiple Biblical floods. Fossils found in those layers were animals killed/buried by the flood. The land was repopulated by migrations from neighboring areas. Repopulation could also happen from new Creat
Extinction
A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.
Thomas Malthus
English economist interested in population theory. He noted that food resources grow at a geometric rate and populations grow at an exponential rate.
Population theory
Populations grow faster than food supplies do, so populations will always be kept in check by lack of available food.
Charles Darwin
He introduced the theory of Natural Selection.
On the Origin of Species (1859)
Published by Charles Darwin and introduced the theory of Natural Selection.
Alfred R. Wallace
Independently developed an evolutionary theory similar to Darwin's, but Darwin published first.
variation
The theory of Natural Selection states that every living thing exhibits ___________.
faster
Does the theory of Natural Selection state that population size will increases FASTER or SLOWER than the food supply will?
competition (for resources)
The theory of Natural Selection states that because each population has more individuals than can survive, there is __________.
favorable traits
The theory of Natural Selection states that those individuals that have ___________ ________ will have an advantage and are more likely to survive.
environmental context
The theory of Natural Selection states that the _____________ _________ determines whether a particular trait is beneficial, and what is beneficial in one setting may be a liability in another.
inherited
The theory of Natural Selection states that favorable traits are ___________ and thereby passed on to the next generation.
new species
The theory of Natural Selection states that over long periods of time, successful traits accumulate in a population, so later generations may be distinct from ancestral ones. In time, this may lead to the appearance of _____ ________.
Homology
A similarity based on descent from a common ancestor.
Analogy
A similarity based on a common function with no assumed common evolutionary descent (ex: dolphin).
Homoplasy
Parallel evolution that can take place in a similar environment. It causes analogies.
Phylogeny
A system of evolutionary relationships.
primitive (ancestral)
A ____________ trait is a characteristic inherited unchanged by a group of organisms from the common ancestor.
derived
A __________ trait is a characteristic that is modified from the ancestral condition (ex: big toe).
generalized
A ____________ trait is a characteristic that has adapted to be used for many functions (usually primitive).
specialized
A __________ trait is a characteristic that has become modified to suit a particular narrow purpose really well (usually derived).
Evolutionary taxonomy
A form of biological classification where critters are grouped by overall similarity. It looks at both primitive and derived traits.
Cladistics
A form of biological classification where critters are arranged by splits dictated by differences. It only looks at derived traits.