CHAT!
| 
DISCUSSION FORUM! |
Please leave your comments, etc. in my Guestbook!
Please feel welcome to view my Guestbook!
Number of visitors since January 10, 1999:
Acheulean tool industry: The tool industry used by Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, and Homo heidelbergensis.
Alan Walker: Friend and colleague of Richard Leakey. Discoverer of the Black Skull.
Ardipithecus ramidus: The oldest missing link found thus far. Discovered in 1994 by Tim White in Aramis. Semi-bipedal mode of locomotion.
Australopithecus afarensis: The successor of Australopithecus anamensis. Discovered in 1973 by Donald Johanson at Hadar.
Australopithecus africanus: The successor of Australopithecus anamensis. Discovered in 1924 by Raymond Dart. Omnivorous.
Australopithecus anamensis: The successor of Ardipithecus ramidus. Discovered in 1995 by Meave Leakey at Alia Bay. Fully bipedal.
Biped: Noun used to describe an organism that habitually walks upright.
Bipedal: Adjective used to indicate habitual two-legged, or upright, locomotion.
Bipedalism: Noun indicating habitual two-legged, or upright, locomotion.
Broca's area: Part of the brain responsible for language. It can be seen in fossils by a bulge in the skull in that particular area.
Cerebral rubicon: The border line brain size between apes and humans. Originally set at 700 cc; now it is 600 cc.
Chatelperronian tool industry: The tool industry used by the late Neanderthals.
Cranial capacity: The largest brain size a particular skull can hold.
Dental arcade: The two whole rows of teeth.
Diastema: Gap between the incisors in which a large and protruding canine is fitted.
Dimorphic: An adjective used to indicate sexual dimorphism. Refer to Sexual dimorphism
Donald C. Johanson: Famous American paleoanthropologist. Extremely well-known due to discovery of "Lucy."
External auditory meatus: Outer ear opening.
Eugene Dubois: Paleoanthropologist famous for his discovery of the first Homo erectus specimens.
Foramen magnum: Hole at the base of the skull in which the spinal cord connects to the brain.
Fibula: A leg bone that is located directly behind the tibia. Smaller than the tibia.
Gracile australopithecines: Former designation for Australopithecus anamensis, Australopithecus afarensis, and Australopithecus africanus; the lightly-built australopithecines.
Hominid: An organism that belongs in the family Hominidae. Hominids are generally recognized using the criterion of upright locomotion (bipedalism).
Honing facet: A smooth, flat characteristic of a tooth.
Humerus: The upper arm bone. Where you see the muscles bulge.
Hyoid bone: The bone supporting the tongue.
Kanapoi: A fossil site near Lake Turkana, in East Africa.
KNM-ER 1470: Hominid skull of a Homo rudolfensis individual, with a large brain, discovered by Bernard Ngeneo.
KNM-ER 15000: Commonly known as the Nariokotome boy or Turkana boy. Homo ergaster individual discovered in 1986.
Koobi Fora: A fossil site in East Africa.
Lake Turkana: Lake in central Africal; mostly located in northwestern Kenya. Site of many major fossil discoveries.
Larynx: Hollow chamber in which sound is produced.
Louis Leakey: Famous Kenyan paleoanthropologist. Discovered Proconsul africanus and Homo habilis.
Lucy: 3.2 million-year-old, 40% complete, skeleton. Discovered at Hadar by Donald Johanson.
"Lumpers": Scientists who tend to regard different features as geographical variations of the same species.
Mandible: Jaw
Manganese salts: In actuality, sodium and potassium permaganate, formed through a process from manganese, which is a brittle metal that is used in the manufacture of alloys.
Mary Leakey: Famous British paleoanthropologist, famous for the discovery of Zinjanthropus and the Laetoli footprints.
Maurice Taieb: French paleontologist who frequently took part in American-French expeditions.
Meave Leakey: Famous paleoanthropologist. Wife and colleague of Richard Leakey. Discovered Australopithecus anamensis.
Mousterian tool industry: The tool industry used by the early Neanderthals.
Occipital bun: A bun-shaped feature at the back of the skull. Features prominently in Neanderthals.
Oldowan tool industry: The very oldest and most primitive tool industry. Started around 2.5 million years ago. Divided into 3 sections: Lower Oldowan, Middle Oldowan, and Advanced Oldowan.
Omnivorous: An adjective indicating that an animal eats both flesh and vegetable matter.
Parabolic: An arched shape.
Paraustralopithecus aethiopicus: Name formerly designated to the the species now represented by the Black Skull.
Phalanges: Finger bones. Also called digital bones. 2 in the thumb and 3 in each of all other fingers.
Polygamy: Form of bonding in which one individual has more than one mate.
Prognathic: Flat rather than curved.
Raymond Dart: Famous South African paleoanthropologist. Gained recognition with the discovery of the Taung Skull.
Robust australopithecines: Former designation for Paranthropus aethiopicus, Paranthropus robustus, and Paranthropus boisei; the heavily-built australopithecines.
Sagittal crest: A bony crest running along the top of the skull. It provides greater surface area for jaw muscle attachments; thus, more massive jaws and more chewing power.
"Splitters": Scientists who tend to emphasize stronly on the differential characteristics between fossils.
Thorax: A bone located between the neck and the abdomen.
Tibia: A leg bone that is located directly below the knee cap (patella). Commonly referred to as the shinbone.
Zygomatics: Cheekbones.
|
CHAT!
|
DISCUSSION FORUM! |
Please leave your comments, etc. in my Guestbook!
Please feel welcome to view my Guestbook!
Number of visitors since January 10, 1999: