322Glossary
abduction Movement away from midline of the body or from the center of
the hand or foot.
absolute or chronometric dating In archaeology and paleoanthropology,
dates for recovered material based on solar years, centuries, or other
units of absolute time.
acclimatization Long-term physiological adjustments made in order to
attain an equilibrium with a specific environmental stimulus.
Acheulean tradition The tool-making tradition of Homo erectus in Africa,
Europe, and southwestern Asia in which hand-axes were developed from
the earlier Oldowan chopper.
action theory The theory that self-serving actions by forceful leaders play a
role in civilization’s emergence.
adaptation A series of beneficial adjustments to the environment.
adaptive radiation Rapid diversification of an evolving population as it
adapts to a variety of available niches.
adduction Movement toward the midline of the body or to the center of
the hand or foot.
affiliative Tending to promote social cohesion.
agriculture The cultivation of food plants in soil prepared and maintained
for crop production. Involves using technologies other than hand tools,
such as irrigation, fertilizers, and the wooden or metal plow pulled by
harnessed draft animals.
alleles Alternate forms of a single gene.
Allen’s rule The tendency for the bodies of mammals living in cold
climates to have shorter appendages (arms and legs) than members of the
same species living in warm climates.
altruism Concern for the welfare of others expressed as increased risk
undertaken by individuals for the good of the group.
anagenesis A sustained directional shift in a population’s average
characteristics.
analogies In biology, structures possessed by different organisms that are
superficially similar due to similar function; without sharing a common
developmental pathway or structure.
ancestral Characteristics that define a group of organisms that are due to
shared ancestry.
Anthropoidea A suborder of the primates that includes New World
monkeys, Old World monkeys, and apes (including humans).
anthropology The study of humankind in all times and places.
applied anthropology The use of anthropological knowledge and methods
to solve practical problems, often for a specific client.
arboreal Living in the trees.
arboreal hypothesis A theory for primate evolution that proposes that
life in the trees was responsible for enhanced visual acuity and manual
dexterity in primates.
archaeology The study of human cultures through the recovery and
analysis of material remains and environmental data.
Archaic cultures Term used to refer to Mesolithic cultures in the
Americas.
archaic Homo sapiens A loosely defined group within the genus Homo
that “lumpers” use for fossils with the combination of large brain size
and ancestral features on the skull.
Ardipithecus ramidus One of the earliest bipeds that lived in eastern
Africa about 4.4 million years ago.
artifact Any object fashioned or altered by humans.
Aurignacian tradition Tool-making tradition in Europe and western Asia
at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic.Australopithecus The genus including several species of early bipeds
from East, South, and Central Africa living between about 1.1 and
4.3 million years ago, one of whom was directly ancestral to humans.
Bergmann’s rule The tendency for the bodies of mammals living in cold
climates to be shorter and rounder than members of the same species
living in warm climates.
binocular vision Vision with increased depth perception from two eyes set
next to each other allowing their visual fields to overlap.
bioarchaeology The archaeological study of human remains emphasizing
the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton.
biocultural Focusing on the interaction of biology and culture.
bipedalism The mode of locomotion in which an organism walks upright
on its two hind legs characteristic of humans and their ancestors; also
called bipedality.
blade technique A technique of stone tool manufacture by which long,
parallel-sided flakes are struck off the edges of a specially prepared
core.
brachiation Using the arms to move from branch to branch, with the body
hanging suspended beneath the arms.
Bronze Age In the Old World, the period marked by the production of
tools and ornaments of bronze; began about 5,000 years ago in China
and Southwest Asia and about 500 years earlier in Southeast Asia.
burin A stone tool with chisel-like edges used for working bone and antler.
Catarrhini An anthropoid infraorder that includes Old World monkeys,
apes, and humans.
chromatid One half of the “X” shape of chromosomes visible once replica-
tion is complete. Sister chromatids are exact copies of each other.
chromosomes In the cell nucleus, the structures visible during cellular
division containing long strands of DNA combined with a protein.
civilization In anthropology, a type of society marked by the presence of
cities, social classes, and the state.
clade A taxonomic grouping that contains a single common ancestor and
all of its descendants.
cladogenesis Speciation through a branching mechanism whereby an
ancestral population gives rise to two or more descendant populations.
clavicle The collarbone connecting the sternum (breastbone) with the
scapula (shoulder blade).
clines Gradual changes in the frequency of an allele or trait over space.
codon Three-base sequence of a gene that specifies a particular amino acid
for inclusion in a protein.
cognitive capacity A broad concept including intelligence, educability,
concept formation, self-awareness, self-evaluation, attention span,
sensitivity in discrimination, and creativity.
community A unit of primate social organization composed of fifty or
more individuals who inhabit a large geographic area together.
continental drift According to the theory of plate tectonics, the movement
of continents embedded in underlying plates on the earth’s surface in
relation to one another over the history of life on earth.
convergent evolution In biological evolution, a process by which
unrelated populations develop similarities to one another due to similar
function rather than shared ancestry.
coprolites Preserved fecal material providing evidence of the diet and
health of past organisms.
cranium The braincase of the skull.12196_14_GLO_p322-326.indd 32212196_14_GLO_p322-326.indd 322 2/2/10 8:12:57 PM2/2/10 8:12:57 PM