ANTH M01 – Biological Anthropology – John Baker – Moorpark College
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Anthropology
answer
The study of humankind, viewed from the perspective of all people and all times
question
Adaptation
answer
Changes in physical stature, function, or behavior that allows an organism or species to survive and reproduce in a given enviornment
question
Primatology
answer
Researchers that study nonhuman primates
question
Theory
answer
A set of hypotheses that have been rigorously tested and validated, leading to their establishment and generally accepted explanation of specific phenomenon.
question
Uniformitarianism
answer
The theory that processes that occurred in geologic past are still at work today
question
Genus
answer
A group of related species
question
Natural Selection
answer
The process by which some organisms, with features that enable them to adapt to the environment, preferentially survive an reproduce, thereby increasing the frequency of those features in the population
question
Macroevolution
answer
Large-scale evolution, such as speculation event, that occurs after hundreds or thousands of generations
question
Stem Cell
answer
an undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism that is capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type, and from which certain other kinds of cell arise by differentiation.
question
Genome
answer
The complete set of chromosomes for an organism or species that represents all the inheritable traits
question
Recombination
answer
The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes, resulting from a cross-over event
question
Homozygous
answer
Refers to the condition in which a pair alleles at a single locus on homologous chromosomes are the same
question
Genotype
answer
The genetic makeup of an organism; the combination of alleles for a given gene
question
DNA
answer
deoxyribonucleic acid Double-stranded molecule that that provides the genetic code for an organism, consisting of phosphate, deoxyribose sugar, and four types of nitrogen bases
question
DNA Replication
answer
deoxyribonucleic acid the process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules. Replication is an essential process because, whenever a cell divides, the two new daughter cells must contain the same genetic information, or DNA, as the parent cell
question
Translation
answer
The second step of protein synthesis, involving the transfer of amino acids by tRNA to the ribosomes, which are then added to the protein chain
question
Locus
answer
The location of an allele, or gene, on a chromosome
question
Mitosis
answer
The process of cellular and nuclear division that creates two identical diploid daughter cells
question
Polymorphism
answer
Refers to the presence of two or more separate phenotypes for a certain gene in the population
question
Deme
answer
A local population of organisms that have similar genes, interbreed, and produce offspring
question
Founder Effect
answer
The accumulation of random genetic changes in a small population that has become isolated from the parent population due to the genetic input of only a few colonizers
question
Culture
answer
Learned behavior that is transmitted from person to person
question
Hominidae
answer
The natural family of primates including modern man and the extinct immediate ancestors of man
question
Hominid
answer
A group of extinct and living bipedal primates in the family HOMINIDAE. Includes all human-like beings that postdate the split between the evolutionary lineage that led to modern humans (Homo) and lineage that to living chimpanzees (Pan)
question
Hypothesis
answer
Testable statements that potentially explain specific phenomena observed in the natural world
question
Scientific Method
answer
An empirical research method that in which data is gathered from observations of phenomena, hypotheses are formulated and tested, and conclusions are drawn that validate or modify the original hypotheses
question
Catastrophism
answer
The doctrine asserting that cataclysmic events (such as; volcanoes, earthquakes, and floods) rather than evolutionary processes, are responsible for geological changes throughout earth's history
question
Species
answer
A group of related organisms that can be interbreed and produce fertile, viable offspring
question
Artificial Selection
answer
The breeding of plants and animals to produce desirable traits. Organisms with the desired traits, such as size or taste, are artificially mated or cross-pollinated with organisms with similar desired traits
question
Morphology
answer
Physical shape and appearance
question
Mutation
answer
A random change in a gene or chromosome, creating a new trait that may be adventurous, deleterious, or neutral in its effects on the organism
question
Haploid
answer
A cell that has a single set of unpaired chromosomes, half of the genetic material
question
Dominant
answer
Refers to an allele that is expressed in an organism's phenotype and that simultaneously makes the effects of another allele, if another one is present
question
Heterozygous
answer
Refers to the condition in which a pair of alleles at a single locus on homologous chromosomes are different
question
Phenotype
answer
The physical expression of the genotype; it may be influenced by the environment
question
RNA
answer
Ribonucleic Acid A single-stranded molecule involved in protein synthesis, consisting of a phosphate, ribose sugar, and one of four nitrogen bases
question
Protein
answer
Any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.
question
Amino Acids
answer
Organic molecules combined in a specific sequence to form a protein
question
Karyotype
answer
The characteristics of the chromosomes for an individual organism or a species, such as number, size, and type
question
Meiosis
answer
The production of gametes through one DNA replication and two cell (and nuclear) divisions, creating four haploid gametic cells
question
Antigens
answer
Substances, such as bacteria, foreign blood cells, and enzymes, that stimulate the the immune system's antibody production
question
Gene Pool
answer
All the genetic information in the breeding population
question
Fitness
answer
Average number of offspring produced by parents with a particular genotype compared to the number of offspring produced by parents with another genotype
question
Evolution
answer
Unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection; A change in a species over time
question
Paleoanthropology
answer
The branch of anthropology concerned with fossil hominids.The study of human origins and evolution
question
Data
answer
Evidence gathered to help answer questions, solve problems, and fill gaps in scientific knowledge
question
Anomaly
answer
Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
question
Lamarckism
answer
First proposed by Lamarck, the theory of evolution through the inheritance of acquired characteristics in which an organism can pass on features acquired during its lifetime
question
Taxonomy
answer
The classification of organisms onto a system that reflects degree relatedness
question
Adaptive Radiation
answer
The diversification of an ancestral group of organisms into new forms that are adapted to specific environmental niches
question
Gametes
answer
Sexual reproductive cells, ova and sperm, that have a haploid number of chromosomes and that can unite with a gamete of the opposite sex to form a new organism
question
Genetics
answer
The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
question
Diploid
answer
A cell that has a full compliment of paired chromosomes
question
Recessive
answer
An allele that is expressed in an organism's phenotype if two copies are present, but is masked if the dominant allele is present
question
Chromosomes
answer
A threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes
question
Segregation
answer
Law of Segregation : Mendel's First Law, which asserts that the two alleles for any given gene (or trait) are inherited, one form each parent; during gamete production, only one of the two alleles will be present in each ovum or sperm The separation of pairs of alleles at meiosis and their independent transmission via separate gametes
question
mRNA
answer
Messenger RNA The molecules that are responsible for making a chemical copy of a gene needed for a specific protein, that is, for the transcription phase of protein synthesis
question
Protein Synthesis
answer
A transcription in the nucleus when the process by which amino acids are linearly arranged into proteins through the involvement of ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, messenger RNA, and various enzymes
question
Triplets
answer
Sequences of three nitrogen bases each in DNA, known as codons in mRNA
question
Autosome
answer
All chromosomes, except the sex chromosomes, that occur in pairs in all somatic cells (not the gametes)
question
Monogenic Trait ;;;;;;ask Baker
answer
A trait produced by the effect of a gene or an allele
question
Antibodies
answer
Molecules that form as part of the primary immune response to the presence of foreign substances; they attach to foreign antigens
question
Gene Flow
answer
Admixture, or exchange of alleles between two populations
question
Sickle-Cell Anemia
answer
A genetic blood disease in which the red blood cells become deformed, and sickle shaped, decreasing their ability to carry oxygen to tissues
question
Variation;;;;;; Baker
answer
Biocultural : Envirnmental : Mechanisims : Polygenetic : Refers to one phenotypic trait that is affected by two or more genes Genetic : Mutations create genetic variation Pleiotropy : Refers to one gene that effects more than one phenotypic trait
question
Forensic Anthropology
answer
The scientific examination of skeletons in hope of identifying the people whose bodies they came from
question
Empirical
answer
Verified through observation and experiment
question
Falsifiable
answer
A statement is called falsifiable if it is possible to conceive an observation or an argument which proves the statement in question to be false. In this sense, falsify is synonymous with nullify, meaning not \"to commit fraud\" but \"show to be false\"
question
Binomial Nomenclature
answer
A formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages
question
Population genetics
answer
A specialty within the field of genetics; it focuses on the changes in gene frequencies and the effects of those changes on adaptation and evolution Population: A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
question
Microevolution
answer
Small-scale evolution, such as changes in allele frequency, that occurs from one generation to the next
question
Somatic Cell
answer
Diploid cells that form the organs, tissues, and other parts of an organism's body
question
Gene
answer
The basic unit of inheritance; a sequence of DNA on a chromosome, coded to produce a specific protein
question
Allele
answer
One or more alternative forms of a gene
question
Codominance
answer
Refers to two different alleles that are equally dominant; both are fully expressed in heterozygote's phenotype
question
Homologous Chromosome
answer
A pair of chromosomes that contain the same gene sequences, each derived from one parent
question
Homologous
answer
Refers to each set of paired chromosomes in the genome
question
Independent Assortment
answer
Law of Independent Assortment: Independent inheritance ; Each physical unit passes from parent to offspring independent of other physical units
question
tRNA
answer
Transfer Ribonucleic Acid The molecules that are responsible for transporting amino acids to the ribosomes during protein synthesis
question
Transcription
answer
The first step of protein synthesis, involving the creation mRNA (Messenger RNA) based on the DNA template
question
Codons
answer
The sequences of three nitrogen bases carried by mRNA that are coded to produce specific amino acids in protein synthesis
question
Sex Chromosome
answer
The pair of chromosomes that determine an organism's biological sex
question
Polygenic Trait
answer
A trait that is effected by two ore more genetic genes
question
Sexual Dimorphism
answer
A difference in a physical attribute between the males and females of a species
question
Genetic Drift
answer
The random change in allele frequency from one generation to the next, with greater effect in small populations
question
Balanced Polymorphism
answer
Situation in which selection maintains two or more phenotypes for a specific gene in a population
