Table of contents

1. Introduction to Biology2h 42m
2. Chemistry3h 37m
3. Water1h 26m
4. Biomolecules2h 23m
5. Cell Components2h 26m
6. The Membrane2h 31m
7. Energy and Metabolism2h 0m
8. Respiration2h 40m
9. Photosynthesis2h 49m
10. Cell Signaling59m
11. Cell Division2h 47m
12. Meiosis2h 0m
13. Mendelian Genetics4h 44m
14. DNA Synthesis2h 27m
15. Gene Expression3h 6m
16. Regulation of Expression3h 31m
17. Viruses37m
- Viruses
  37m
18. Biotechnology2h 58m
19. Genomics17m
- Genomes
  17m
20. Development1h 5m
21. Evolution3h 1m
22. Evolution of Populations3h 53m
23. Speciation1h 37m
24. History of Life on Earth2h 6m
25. Phylogeny2h 31m
26. Prokaryotes4h 59m
27. Protists1h 12m
28. Plants1h 22m
29. Fungi36m
- Fungi
  19m
- Fungi Reproduction
  17m
30. Overview of Animals34m
- Overview of Animals
  34m
31. Invertebrates1h 2m
32. Vertebrates50m
33. Plant Anatomy1h 3m
34. Vascular Plant Transport1h 2m
- Water Potential
  1h 2m
35. Soil37m
- Soil and Nutrients
  20m
- Nitrogen Fixation
  16m
36. Plant Reproduction47m
- Flowers
  33m
- Seeds
  14m
37. Plant Sensation and Response1h 9m
38. Animal Form and Function1h 19m
39. Digestive System1h 10m
- Digestion
  1h 3m
- Blood Sugar Homeostasis
  7m
40. Circulatory System1h 49m
41. Immune System1h 12m
42. Osmoregulation and Excretion50m
- Osmoregulation and Excretion
  50m
43. Endocrine System1h 4m
- Endocrine System
  1h 4m
44. Animal Reproduction1h 2m
- Animal Reproduction
  1h 2m
45. Nervous System1h 55m
- Neurons and Action Potentials
  1h 8m
- Central and Peripheral Nervous System
  46m
46. Sensory Systems46m
- Sensory System
  46m
47. Muscle Systems23m
- Musculoskeletal System
  23m
48. Ecology3h 11m
49. Animal Behavior28m
- Animal Behavior
  28m
50. Population Ecology3h 41m
51. Community Ecology2h 46m
52. Ecosystems2h 36m
53. Conservation Biology24m
- Conservation Biology
  24m

32. Vertebrates

Primates and Homonids

General Biology

32. Vertebrates

Primates and Homonids

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1:18 minutes

Problem 13

Textbook Question

What adaptations inherited from our primate ancestors enable humans to make and use tools?

Verified step by step guidance

Identify the key physical adaptations: Discuss the physical traits inherited from primate ancestors that are crucial for tool making and usage. These include opposable thumbs, which allow for a precision grip, and enhanced hand-eye coordination, which is essential for manipulating objects.

Consider the cognitive adaptations: Highlight the cognitive abilities that have evolved in humans, such as advanced problem-solving skills and the capacity for complex thought. These cognitive skills are necessary for conceptualizing tools and understanding how they can be used to interact with the environment.

Examine the role of bipedalism: Explain how walking on two legs (bipedalism) has freed up the hands for other uses, such as carrying and using tools. This adaptation is significant as it allows humans to perform tasks while moving.

Discuss the importance of vision: Elaborate on how changes in the visual system, such as better depth perception and color vision, have supported tool use. These visual adaptations enable more precise handling and manipulation of tools.

Explore social learning and culture: Describe how the ability to learn from others and cultural transmission have played a role in the development and refinement of tool use. This includes the ability to observe and mimic the tool-making behaviors of others, which is a trait seen in many primates.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Opposable Thumbs

Opposable thumbs are a key adaptation inherited from primate ancestors that allow for a strong grip and precise manipulation of objects. This anatomical feature enables humans to grasp tools effectively, facilitating intricate movements necessary for tool-making and usage.

Cognitive Abilities

Humans possess advanced cognitive abilities, including problem-solving, planning, and abstract thinking, which are crucial for tool use. These cognitive skills allow individuals to conceptualize the function of tools, innovate new designs, and improve techniques over time, reflecting a significant evolutionary advantage.

Social Learning

Social learning is the process through which individuals acquire skills and knowledge by observing others. This adaptation, rooted in our primate heritage, enables humans to share and transmit tool-making techniques across generations, enhancing cultural evolution and the refinement of tool use.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

The earliest members of the genus Homo

a. Had a larger brain compared to other hominins.

b. Probably hunted dinosaurs.

c. Lived about 4 million years ago.

d. Were the first hominins to be bipedal.

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Textbook Question

Humans possess which of the following traits? Select True or False for each trait. T/F triploblasty T/F parthenogenesis T/F viviparity T/F metamorphosis

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Textbook Question

Genetic diversity in living human populations is highest in Africa and decreases as a function of distance traveled by the human migration that left Africa many millennia ago. Draw a graph to show this trend. (Hint: What is the independent variable? What is the dependent variable? What kind of graph is appropriate for this kind of data? Add a label where you would expect to find a data point for the Yanomamö tribe of the Amazon rain forest in South America. Why is it important to use indigenous people for this study?

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Textbook Question

One of the misconceptions about human evolution is expressed in the question 'If chimpanzees were our ancestors, then why do chimpanzees still exist?' Use Figure 19.10A to explain the answer.

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Textbook Question

Summarize the hypotheses that explain variation in human skin color as adaptations to variation in UV radiation.

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Textbook Question

Explain some of the reasons why the human species has been able to expand in number and distribution to a greater extent than most other animals.

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Textbook Question

Anthropologists are interested in locating areas in Africa where fossils 4–8 million years old might be found. Why?

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Textbook Question

By measuring the fossil remains of Homo floresiensis, scientists have estimated its weight to be around 32.5 kg and its brain volume to be roughly 420 cm³. Plot these values on the graph in Figure 19.13A. Which hominin has the most similar relationship of brain volume to body mass? Does this information support the hypothesis that H. floresiensis is a dwarf form of H. erectus, or an alternative hypothesis? Explain.

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