ARCH 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Homo Sapiens, Molecular Clock, Nuclear Dna

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Archaeology
• Course: ARCH 100
• Professor: Francesco Berna

Document Summary

Homo sapiens: all living humans are a member of this species! Species: a group of intimately related and physically similar organisms that can produce fertile offspring, and that share the same dna ! Genetic code (genome): nuclear dna and mitochondrial dna (maternal)! Random mutations in genetic code passed to offspring (advantageous and disadvantageous)! Splitting (branching) process: from common ancestors ! Phylogenics:: genetic evidence: sequencing dna, mutations rates (molecular clock), fossil record: paleoanthropology (primates and humans), stratigraphy (ages)! gorilla > homo sapiens:! Cultural evolution:! culture = learned behaviour (not instinct/genetic), developments in culture build on themselves (see: ratchet effect)! Ratchet effect: a ratchet effect is an instance of the restrained ability of human processes to be reversed once a speci c thing has happened! Uniqueness of human behaviour: capability to recognize others as beings like themselves who have intentional and mental worlds like their own ! Humans learn by identifying with each other rather than just observing!