paleoanthropology
Ancient human science
Paleoanthropology is the study of human origins and evolution through fossil evidence.
The field combines physical anthropology with archaeology and geology to reconstruct how early humans and their ancestors lived, migrated, and developed.
A paleoanthropologist might spend years excavating a single site in East Africa, piecing together fragments of ancient hominid skulls.
Extinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- Homo sapiensScientific name for humans
- LucyFeminine name meaning light
Ardipithecus · Homo heidelbergensis · bipedalism · hominin · hominid
Scientific study of bones
- bioarchaeologyScience of excavated remains
- anthropometryScience of body measurements
- craniologyStudy of skull characteristics
- bone structureSkeletal anatomy and arrangement
dentition · cranial capacity · biomechanics · histology · bone density · musculoskeletal · growth patterns
Archaeological excavation location
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
- dating methodsWays to determine age
- radiometricMeasuring by radiation
carbon-14 · potassium-argon · trowel · fieldwork · sieving · grid system · in situ · provenience
Skull bone structure
- mandibleLower facial bone
- femurUpper leg bone
- teethEnamel-covered chewing structures
- skeletal remainsPreserved framework of deceased
osteology · morphology · fragmentary · articulated · fossilization · reconstruction · casts · comparative anatomy
Ancient glacial geological period
- PlioceneLate Neogene epoch
- MiocenePre-Pliocene geological epoch
- Ice AgeExtended global freeze
- glacialOf frozen rivers
interglacial · Holocene · prehistoric · deep time · chronology · megafauna · paleoclimate
Shaped rocks for tasks
- handaxeKnapped stone implement
- flakeThin detached fragment
- coreCentral essential portion
- knappingFracturing stone for tools
choppers · scrapers · toolmaking · raw material · quartzite · obsidian
Evolutionary relationships among organisms
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- common ancestorOrigin point of descendants
evolutionary tree · convergence · radiation · extinction · gene flow · hybridization · migration · Out of Africa
Australopithecus
Extinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- Homo sapiensScientific name for humans
Lucy · Ardipithecus · Homo heidelbergensis · bipedalism · hominin · hominid
osteology
Scientific study of bones
- bioarchaeologyScience of excavated remains
- anthropometryScience of body measurements
- craniologyStudy of skull characteristics
bone structure · dentition · cranial capacity · biomechanics · histology · bone density · musculoskeletal · growth patterns
dig site
Archaeological excavation location
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
- dating methodsWays to determine age
radiometric · carbon-14 · potassium-argon · trowel · fieldwork · sieving · grid system · in situ · provenience · survey
cranium
Skull bone structure
skeletal remains · osteology · morphology · fragmentary · articulated · fossilization · reconstruction · casts · comparative anatomy
Pleistocene
Ancient glacial geological period
glacial · interglacial · Holocene · prehistoric · deep time · chronology · megafauna · paleoclimate
stone tools
Shaped rocks for tasks
knapping · choppers · scrapers · toolmaking · raw material · quartzite · obsidian
phylogeny
Evolutionary relationships among organisms
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
common ancestor · evolutionary tree · convergence · radiation · extinction · gene flow · hybridization · migration · Out of Africa · multiregional
- anthropologyfieldwork, ethnography, ethnology, archaeology, Margaret Mead
- human evolutionhuman evolution, hominid, hominids, hominins, hominin
- paleosciencespaleobiology, paleobotany, paleoecology, paleogeography, fossil record
- archaeologyexcavation, dig site, archaeologist, dig, archaeological digs
- human biologygenetics, DNA analysis, nutrition, human evolution, human origins
- osteologyosteology, bone structure, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, ossification
paleoanthropologyastrophysics
Physics of celestial bodies
botany · Egyptology · geology · mathematics · computer science
anthropology, paleontology, anthropoid, anthropomorphic, anthropologist, anthropological, paleolithic, anthropocentric, paleontological