Kimbrough_Pre Lab Footsteps in Time Spring

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University of Kansas *

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102

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Biology

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Feb 20, 2024

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Pre Lab-Activity BIOL 102 Pre-Lab Activity Tracing Footsteps in Time Learning Objectives Explain how current biometric data of a species can be used to estimate traits of extinct species. Explain how anatomical features and the fossil record are used to support the theory of evolution. Create a scatter plot and a “best fit line” Question: Can we use a human’s foot length to predict the height of modern humans? Can we predict the height of ancient hominids using the relationship between foot length and height of modern humans? Summary: In this lab, you will study the relationship between foot length and height of modern humans. Applying this relationship to footprints left by ancient hominids, we will estimate their height. Can we accurately predict their height or have modern humans evolved and the relationship between foot length and height changed? Materials Needed for Lab Ruler Calculator / Computer Photographic diagram of Laetoli Footprints (Appendix) Source Foot Steps in Time. Evolution & the Nature of Science Institutes) www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb Masao, T. et al. 2016. New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins. eLife 2016;5:e19568. 1 Pre-Lab Activity Tracing Footsteps in Time Spring 2024-1
Pre Lab-Activity BIOL 102 Background An important goal in paleoanthropology with regards to hominin evolution is documenting body size variation. It is a common belief that body size is a fundamental property of an organism and impacts its behavior, life history, anatomy, and ecology. As such, paleontologists commonly try to estimate the body size associated with the fossils they have found to compare them with living species. Estimating body size from a fossil seems like a straightforward process, however there are many aspects that make this process difficult. Are modern humans the best predictors of body size in early bipedal hominins? The Human Lineage This is a select few of the species in the evolution of humans. Australopithecus afarensis: one of the earliest human species. Lived approximately 3.85-2.95 million years ago. Homo habilis: one of the earliest members of the Homo species. Lived approximately 2.4 million to 1.4 million years ago. Homo erectus: earliest known human to possess longer arms and legs. Lived approximately 1.89 million to 143,000 years ago. Homo neanderthalensis: disappeared nearly 40, 000 years ago. Homo sapiens: (this is us) developed 300,000 years ago. 2 Pre-Lab Activity Tracing Footsteps in Time Spring 2024-1
Pre Lab-Activity BIOL 102 Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution#/media/1/275670/141800 While it may be difficult to estimate body size, due to the limited number of fossils for each species, fossil footprints are extremely useful tools in the paleontological record. Their physical features can help identify their makers but can also be used to infer biological information. How did the track-maker move? What was the foot shape? How large was the track-maker? How fast was it going? Footprints of hominins (namely the group to which humans and our ancestors belong) are rare. Nearly all the hominin footprints discovered so far are attributed to species of the genus Homo , to which modern humans belong. The only exceptions are footprints that were discovered in the 1970’s by Mary Leakey’s expedition team in Laetoli, in northern Tanzania. Laetoli is a well-known paleontological locality where the earliest hominin footprints in the world (3.66 million years old) are located. These footprints have provided evidence for understanding the members of the early hominin species Australopithecus afarensis (Figure 2) and the environment in which they lived. Mary Leakey’s team discovered the tracks of three bipedal hominin individuals (G1, G2, and G3 footprints are shown in Figure 1). These footprints have provided evidence for understanding the members of the early hominin species Australopithecus afarensis (Figure 1) and the environment in which they lived. 3 Pre-Lab Activity Tracing Footsteps in Time Spring 2024-1
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