Evolution And History

326 Glossary

tool An object used to facilitate some task or activity. Although tool

making involves intentional modification of the material of which it is

made, tool use may involve objects either modified for some particular

purpose or completely unmodified.

transcription Process of conversion of instructions from DNA into RNA.

translation Process of conversion of RNA instructions into proteins.

Upper Paleolithic The last part (10,000 to 40,000 years ago) of the Old

Stone Age, featuring tool industries characterized by long slim blades

and an explosion of creative symbolic forms.

vegeculture The cultivation of domesticated root crops, such as yams

and taro.

vertebrate An animal with a backbone, including fish, amphibians,

reptiles, birds, and mammals.

visual predation hypothesis A theory for primate evolution that proposes

that hunting behavior in tree-dwelling primates was responsible for their

enhanced visual acuity and manual dexterity.

Sunda The combined landmass of the contemporary islands of Java,

Sumatra, Borneo, and Bali that was continuous with mainland

Southeast Asia at times of low sea levels corresponding to maximum

glaciation.

suspensory hanging apparatus The broad powerful shoulder joints and

muscles found in all the hominoids, allowing these large-bodied primates

to hang suspended below the tree branches.

taphonomy The study of how bones and other materials come to be

preserved in the earth as fossils.

taxonomy The science of classification.

tertiary scavenger In a food chain, the third animal group (second to

scavenge) to obtain meat from a kill made by a predator.

theory In science, an explanation of natural phenomena, supported by a

reliable body of data.

thrifty genotype Human genotype that permits efficient storage of fat

to draw on in times of food shortage and conservation of glucose and

nitrogen.

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