ANTH 1500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Lomekwi, Thumb, Hominini
Document Summary
Range: 100,000 to over 5 million years ago. Setting the radiopotassium clock: heating event releases the argon from the molten lava, once the lava solidifies , constant decay of radioactive potassium (40k) into stable argon (40ar) leads to its (40ar) destruction. Used with stratigraphy, can provide date range for non volcanic sediments that are underneath volcanic sediments. Receive a range of dates the date of the volcanic layer underneath and above the object. Most common thing to find is teeth. Thomas huzley (anatomist: 1863: man"s place in nature, similarities between human and ape skeletons, concept of the missing link fossil ancestor not yet found of the intermediate species between ape and human. Apes: non obligatory, bipedal, small brain, thumb has limited mobility, divergent toe. Humans: obligatory, bipedal, large brain, highly dexterous hands, opposable thumb, non-divergent toe, enhanced verbal communication and tool use.
