ANTH 118 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Catastrophism, Continental Drift, Mammary Gland
20 Sep 2016
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Biological anthropology is an evolutionary science focused on human biological origins, evolution, and variation. Evolution is both fact and theory: a fact is simply a verifiable truth, a theory is a set of hypotheses that have been tested repeatedly and that have not been rejected. John ray (1627-1705): argued for a scientific system of comparisons among organisms and was first to define and use the terms genus and species. Carolus linnaeus (1707-1778): compiled a massive formal classification of all living things: taxonomy: the science of describing and classifying organisms, used a variety of traits to place creatures into various categories. Ie: bats are mammals b/c of mammary gland, but not birds b/c of wings: species: a group of pop. Whose members can interbreed and produce fertile offspring: genus: a group of similar species, often sharing certain common forms of adaption. Georges cuvier (1769-1832): analyzed many of the fossil remains found in quarries: catastrophism theory to explain the extinction of animals.
