Review of unit 4

REVIEW OF UNIT 4
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(19, October, 2010)
Review of Unit 4
The paper is a clarification of major themes which are; early hominid evolution, dating methods, origin of human locomotion, function morphology, evolutionary morphology biomechanical loading; the physiological response of bones.
Early hominid evolution is studied from geologic timescale, studying australopithecine, dating method, timing primate and human evolution and in the context of paleoenvironmental. The various geologic time scales include Holocene, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Oligocene, Eocene and Paleocene. Dating method used in study of evolution includes fission track, radiocarbon, potassium/argon and argon/argon, electronspin resonance, uranium series disequilibrium, rubidium/strontium, cosmogenic nuclides (these is based on radioactive decay) (Johanson & Maitland, 1981). Others include amino acid racemization faunal correlation, paleomagnetism, guessing and tephrostretigraphy.
Concerning the origin of human locomotion, scientists have traced it back to how Australopithecus walked. They walked in two limbs but not exactly the ways human are walking. According to Stern et al, the first primate that used two rear legs to move evolved in Africa five-six million years ago. Ardipithecus ramidus is the ancestor that bipedalism evolved (Daniel, 2003).
Through evolution man has developed distinct characteristic such as head balancing on vertebral column, the ribcage is barrel shaped, rearranged pelvic with iliac blade that ran sagittally, lowered center of gravity, knee being medially positioned and the big toe is not opposable providing base to support the body.
According to Ashley-Ross & Gillis 2002, functional morphology tries to give a description as well as a quantification of a a link or association between the form of an organism and its functions. In considering form and function, it is assumed that function precedes functions; similarly, the morphological features are seen as being an adaption or feature that foster survival of an organism in a certain set of behavior or activities. Indeed if the features are adaptation, then this means that they must have underwent some sort of selective pressure in the past and currently.
Evolutionary morphology is an integration of functions, adaptation as well as historic aspects examination of anatomical characters. The concept investigates morphology from a functional as well as phylogenetic angle. Functional and evolutionary morphology in anthropology is primarily engrossed in reconstructing behavior from fossil recor...