Abrigo do Lagar Velho is a rock-shelter in the Portuguese valley that is famous for the stratigraphic range of the Upper Paleolithic human occupations within that area.
Absolute dating technique (chronometric dating) refers to the process of revealing the age on a certain time scale.
Acclimatization is the response of an organism to a gradual change in environmental conditions by adjusting and sustaining within these changes.
Acheulian (Acheulean) is a tool made of stone that had round cutting edges and was used during the Lower Palaeolithic era.
Adolescent growth spurt refers to the sharp growth in height and weight rates t during adolescence.
Aegyptopithecus refers to the extinct primate of the Oligocene Period, resembling a modern-day lemur, whose fossils were found in Egypt.
Afar Triangle is the region that is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, that is considered to be the cradle of the evolution of human beings, since the earliest hominin fossils have been discovered in this area.
African Eve is the the hypothesis suggesting that all human beings have a common female African ancestor who lived more than 200,000 years ago.
Allen’s rule refers to the claim that warm-blooded animals have different body proportions depending on whether they live in cold or warm climates, namely in cold climates they have shorter bodies. On the other hand, Bergmann’s rule is the opposite: the body size of warm-blooded animals that reside in cold climates is larger than in animals living in warm climates.
Angiosperm radiation hypothesis says that primates experienced adaptive radiation of angiosperms, or in other words flowering plants.
Anthropocene is the epoch starting from the Industrial Revolution onwards, when people has started to have a considerable influence on the environment.
Arago refers to human remains of Homo erectus that was found in the French cave in the Pyrenees somewhere in the middle Pleistocene Epoch.
Arboreal hypothesis suggests that the evolution of early primates occurred in order to meet the needs of the arboreal life.
Aramis is the area of in the Awash River valley in Ethiopia, where during anthropological excavations, extremely ancient fossils of Ardipithecus ramidus were found.
“Ardi” refers to the skeletal remains of the early human-like female Ardipithecus ramidus that date back 4.4 million years.
Ardipithecus ramidus is the early hominid specimen which skull, teeth, pelvis, hands and feet are 4.4 million year old.
Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba is the early human species whose body and brain size correspond to a modern chimpanzee.
Atlatl spear thrower is the tool that contains a bearing surface in order to store energy during the throw, using leverage so that to ensure greater velocity.
Australopithecus afarensis is the extinct and one of the longest-lived human species.
Australopithecus africanus is the extinct species of the australopithecines that date back 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago. Interestingly, it is the first of ape-form species that was classified as hominin.
Australopithecus anamensis is the stem-human species that combines traits both of apes and humans.
Australopithecus bahrelghazali is the fossil hominin that lived around 3 million years ago; teeth remains were found in Chad.
Australopithecus garhi refers to a 2.5-million-year-old human australopithecine species, that is believed to be the direct ancestor to Homo.
Australopithecus sediba is species whose fossil remains contain six skeletons: juvenile male, adult female, adult male, and three infants that date back to 2 million years ago.
Awash River is the river in eastern part of Ethiopia
Bifacial hand axes is the longest-used tool made of stone that was popular during the lower Acheulean as well as middle Palaeolithic periods.
Bilophodont molars are characteristic of Catarrhine monkeys, as they have 4 cusps.
Biocultural evolution refers to the process that was the result of interconnections between various cultures and biological factors during the human evolution.
Biological determinism refers to the idea that human behavior is controlled merely by individual's genes and physiological peculiarities.
Biological race is the taxonomic hierarchy, namely a population of human beings
Biostratigraphy (Faunal Correlation) is the study that uses the fossil assemblages of rock strata and deals with correlating relative ages of these strata.
Blade tools are of stone tools that were made as the result of striking a long flake from a stone core.
Blombos Cave is the archaeological area that is located in Blombosfontein Nature Reserve in South Africa where Middle Stone Age and Late Stone deposits were discovered.
Bodo is the archaeological site in the Awash River valley of Ethiopia where animal fossils and Stone Age tools were found.
Border Cave is a rock shelter located in the Lebombo Mountains near the border of South Africa and Swaziland where Homo sapiens skeletons and some stone tools were found.
Broca’s area refers to the part of brain that is related to the production of speech.
Carpolestes is the extinct mammals that looked like primates and existed about 58 million years ago In North America.
Cave art refers to cave painting and other decorations on the walls of rockshelters.
Cerebral cortex is the outer layer of neural tissue both in humans and mammals.
Chauvet Cave is the oldest rock art site in the world that dates back to 30,000-32,000 years ago.
Chopper tool is the pebble tool that contains slightly irregular cutting edge and is believed to be almost 2 million years old.
Clinal distribution is the distribution of frequencies that demonstrates a systematic gradation over space.
Cline is the steady change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of adjacent populations of the same species.
Close-knee stance refers to the knee-chest position.
Cro-Magnon is the a common term that is used with regard to the early Homo sapiens sapiens.
Dali is the fossilized skull that seems to refer to the early Archaic Homo sapiens of the Late Middle Pleistocene period.
Debitage is the material that is produced as the result of chipped stone tools and lithic reduction.
Denisova Cave is located in the Altai mountains in Russian Siberia and is known for bone fragments of the Denisova hominin.
Denisova human genome refers to s an extinct species of human in the genus Homo.
Developmental Adjustment refers to genetic change of biological responses.
Diastema is a gap between teeth in a jaw.
Dikika Baby (Selam) refers to the fossilized skull along with skeletal remains of a three-year-old female hominin that was found in Dikika, Ethiopia.
Dmanisi is the archaeological site in Georgia that contributed to the idea that early Homo species were one.
Dragon bones refer to the fossil bones as well as teeth from Chinese apothecary.
Dryomomys is species found in eastern Europe, the Balkans and western Central Asia.
Dryopithecus is the extinct apes that lived during the late Miocene period.
Early Homo are considered to be modern humans.
Early Stone Age is the onset of the Stone Age that is characterized by the use of stone tools.
Encephalization is the size of brain mass that is related to an animal's total body mass.
Endocast is a cast of fossil skull, that is related to the way of determining brain shape and size in humans and other organisms.
Endogamy refers to marriage within certain ethnic group.
Eocene is the epoch in the in the Tertiary Period that is famous for mammalian orders.
Epigenetics is the study that explores the chemical reactions of how an organism grows and develops.
Epigenome refers to a set of chemical compounds that surround genome and conduct regulation of the genes.
Ethnicity refers to the ethnic group that has a common culture, language, religion, etc.
Eugenics is the philosophical movement that focuses on enhancing genetic qualities of human species.
Euprimates is the order of primates that entails human beings, apes, monkeys as well as lemurs.
Evaporative cooling refers to the process of cooling through evaporation of when energy is lost from the air, thereby reducing the temperature.
Evolutionary medicine refers to the application of the concept of evolution to the study of diseases and efficient treatment.
Evolutionary psychology is the study that endeavours to explore mental and psychological peculiarities, for example language, perception or memory as the process of adaptation.
Exogamy is the custom that allowed people to marry only outside a social group.
Flake tool is the stone tool that was made of a prepared stone core and was popular in the Stone Age.
Folate and sunlight - Folic acid tends to decompose by the action of sunlight at room temperature.
Foramen magnum is a big oval opening in the human skull.
FOXP2 is the gene that is responsible for the development of speech and language in humans.
Gigantopithecus refers to the extinct apes that lived nine million years ago on current Chinese territory.
Gona is the archaeological site in Ethiopia where Oldowan tools dating back to 2.5 million years ago were found.
Gracile refers to being somewhat small slender australopithecine.
Gran Dolina is a cave in central Spain that contains around 19 meters of archaeological deposits.
Habitual bipedalism is the process of walking or running on 2 legs that has become a habit.
Hadar refers to a fossil site in the eastern Ethiopia that is known for Australopithecus afarensis remains.
Hardy-Weinberg theory of genetic equilibrium suggests that if there are no disruptive factors, the genetic variation in a population is likely to be constant from one generation to the next.
Herto refers to the region in Ethiopia, where the modern human fossils were discovered.
Holocene is the epoch that started right after the Pleistocene and continues to the present days.Home bases refers to the territory that is defended against any kind of assault.
Homeostasis is the system that control internal conditions so that they remain rather constant and stable.
Homo antecessor is the term that relates to an extinct human that existed up to 800,000 years ago.
Homo erectus is the fossil species of people, which is considered as a direct ancestor of modern humans.
Homo ergaster is the fossil species that appeared in Africa 1.8 million years ago, as the result of the evolution of Homo habilis.
Homo floresiensis is hypothetical fossil of dwarfs that were found in Indonesia.
Homo habilis is the highly Australopithecus and the first representative of the genus Homo.
Homo heidelbergensis is the extinct species of European Homo erectus that existed in Europe and western Asia and is considered a forerunner of Neanderthals.
Homo naledi is the extinct species of hominin.
Homo neanderthalensis is the fossil human species of Upper Pleistocene that inhabited western Asia and Europe about 28,000 years ago.
Homo rudolfensis is the early species of the genus Homo that is transition from Homo habilis to Homo erectus.
Homo sapiens is the only extant human species.
Human behavioral ecology refers to the study of human behavior and cultural diversity in terms of an adaptive perspective.
Humerofemoral Index is the variable that makes a comparison between the length of arm bones and leg bones in order to find out whether some primates were ground dwelling, bipedal or arboreal.
Hyoid bone is the bone with the shape of is horseshoe that is located in the neck somewhere between the thyroid cartilage and the chin.
Hypodescent refers to the classification of the race of children from mixed-race couples where one of the parents is African.
Hypoxia refers to the condition when the body is deprived of sufficient oxygen supply.
Java refers to the early human fossils, namely a tooth, a skullcap, and a thighbone that were found on the island Java in Indonesia.
Kabwe (Broken Hill) is the archaeological spot in Zambia, where Rhodesian fossil species were discovered in a cave near the city of Broken Hill.
Katanda refers to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where artefacts of bone industry dating back to Middle Stone Age were discovered.
Kebara is the Israeli cave that is known for the excavated findings of hominid remains.
Kenyanthropus platyops is the type of fossil hominids that are 3,2 to 3,5 million years old.
Klasies River Mouth is the site where excavations were carried out and the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens was discovered.
Koobi Fora is the area in northern Kenya where more than 160 species of ancient hominid remains were detected.
Lactase persistence is the process of the enzyme lactase in humans.
La Ferrassie is the archaeological spot in France that includes rather bid and deep cave along with two rock shelters and a limestone cliff where the artifacts of Aurignacian, Mousterian, and Perigordian cultures were discovered.
Laetoli is the area in Tanzania where bipedal hominid footprints that are 3.6 million years old were discovered.
Lake Turkana is the lake located on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia within the Great Rift Valley.
Larynx is located in the neck of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that helps them to breathe and produce sound.
Later Stone Age is the period in African prehistory that was around 50,000 years ago.
Law of Stratigraphic Superposition is the axiom stating that the oldest strata in undeformed stratigraphic sequences is likely to be at the bottom of the sequence.
Levallois technique refers to the style of stone knapping that was developed during the Palaeolithic period.
Lower Paleolithic is the period that starts from the time when first evidence for stone tool production was found until the Oldowan industry; basically, it is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age.
“Lucy” (AL 288-1) fossil refers to the bone fossils containing about 40 percent of the female skeleton of the hominin species.
Lumbar curve is located between the lowest ribs and the hipbones.
Makapansgat is the archaeological site in South Africa where Australopithecus deposits that are 3.0 and 2.6 million years old were found.
Malapa Cave is the cave in South Africa that contains rich fossil sites.
Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology is the German institute that focuses on exploring the history of humankind by conducting comparative analyses of various genes, cultures or languages.
Menarche refers to the first the first menstrual period in female humans.
Microliths is rather a small tool made of stone that is about centimetre long and half a centimetre wide.
Microwear refers to the study of the microscopic scratches on stone tools.
Middle Awash River region is the archaeological area in Ethiopia where fossils of the earliest hominins, such as the Australopithecines, together with Olduwan stone artifacts were discovered.
Middle Paleolithic is the period when Homo sapiens neanderthalensis appeared and lived all around the world.
Middle Stone Age is the period between the Early Stone Age and the Later Stone Age, the onset of which was around 280,000 years ago and it came to its end about 50–25,000 years ago.
Mid-facial prognathism is the skeletal base that distinctive for The Neanderthal face.
Miocene is the first epoch of the Neogene period.
Molecular clock is the process that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules in order to estimate the time in prehistory when several life forms diverged.
Mousterian Movius line is the line that was drawn across northern India in order to show the difference between the early prehistoric tool technologies in the eastern and western parts the Old World.
mtDNA is the the DNA that is situated in mitochondria and is involved in the process of converting chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use.
Nariokotome refers to the Turkana Boy, namely the skeleton of the boy from Turkana whose body size and shape represent Homo erectus.
Neander Valley, Germany is the archaeological site where the remains of Neanderthals, including a human skeleton and stone tools were discovered.
Obligate bipedalism refers to the term that means adapted for walking merely on two legs, thus not able to walk on four.
Occipital bun is the occipital bone at the back of the skull of Neanderthal.
Occipital torus refers to a protrusion in the back of the skull.
Oldowan refers to the earliest stone tool, when in order to get a sharp edge, stone was just split without further elaboration.
Olduvai Gorge is the paleoanthropological site in Tanzania and it is believed that Homo habilis is the first early human species that lived in Olduvai Gorge about 1.9 million years ago.
Oligocene is the epoch of the Paleogene Period that was around 33.9 million to 23 million years ago.
Olorgesailie is the region in the southern Kenya where Acheulean hand axes related to animal butchering were found.
Omo Kibish is the East African rock formation famous for the earliest stone tools as well as fossilised human and australopithecine remains.
Omomyidae (omomyids, omomyoids) refers to the family of early primates that existed around 55 to 34 million years ago.
Oreopithecus is the fossil species of primates of the Miocene epoch, whose remains were discovered in Italy and in East Africa.
Orrorin tugenensis is the hominid species that existed about 6 million years ago and are considered to be the oldest known hominid ancestors of modern humans.
Out of Africa model for anatomically modern human origins Paleoanthropology Paleoprimatology Paleocene Paleoecology Paleomagnetism Paranthropus aethiopicus Paranthropus boisei Paranthropus robustus Parapithecids Pathogens “Peking Man” fossil Petralona Pharynx Plesiadapiforms (Plesiadapiformes) Pleiotropic genes Pleistocene Plesiadapis Pliocene Plio-Pleistocene Polymorphisms Polytypic Population genetics Postcranial Post-orbital constriction Potassium Argon dating (K/Ar dating) Prepared core technique Prognathic (prognathism) Propliopithecids Punctuated equilibrium Purgatorius Qafzeh Radiocarbon dating (C14) Replacement models of anatomically modern humans Regional Continuity model (multiregional model) of modern humans
Relative dating technique is the technique that defines the relative order of past events without providing the exact age.
Retromolar gap is the gap at the rear of a mandible.
Rift Valley refers to the geographic trench in South Eastern Africa that is about 6,000 kilometres long.
Rising Star Cave Robust is the cave system in South Africa where extinct species of hominin, namely Homo naledi were found.
Sagittal cresting refers to a bone that runs lengthwise together with the midline of the top of the skull that is common to numerous reptilian and mammalian skulls.
Sagittal keel refers to the process of thickening of bone.
Sahel is the area in the Sahara desert that stretches across 6 countries, namely from Senegal to Chad.
Sahelanthropus tchadensis refers to one of the oldest species within the human family tree that existed approximately 7 or 6 million years ago.
Sectorial is related to a sector.
Sedimentary rock is one of the rock groups that was formed by the deposition and subsequent cementation on the Earth's surface.
Seed Eating Hypothesis claims that small seeds need a constant two-handed picking activity in order to ensure a reasonable rate of ingestion.
“Selam” fossil is the is the fossilized skull together with other bones of a three-year-old female Australopithecus afarensis hominin.
Senescence is the gradual process of biological aging.
Shanidar is the cave in Iraq where remains of Neanderthal of 50-70 thousand years old were discovered.
Sima de los Huesos is the archaeological site located in Spain where there are numeorus unique paleontological and archaeological findings that shed light on human evolution.
Sivapithecus refers to a genus of extinct apes that existed 12.2million years ago in the Miocene.
Skhül refers to the rock shelter in Israel where partial skeletons of early modern humans were discovered.
Social race refers to groups of people with both similarities and differences in terms of biological traits.
Sterkfontein is a set of six archaeological caves that are 40 meters deep and are located near Johannesburg.
Supraorbital torus refers to the anatomical region that is located above the eye sockets, exactly where there are the eyebrows in human beings.
Tabun refers to the area of paleoanthropological excavations in the rock shelter in northern Israel where stone tools from the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods were discovered.
Taphonomy is the paleontological study that deals with the processes when an organism becomes part of the fossil record.
“Taung Child” fossil is the skull of a young Australopithecus africanus that was found in South Africa.
The “First Family” refers to the bones and teeth of 13 Australopithecus afarensis who were buried approximately 3.2 million years ago.
Thermoluminescence is the process of emission of light from certain types of minerals and crystalline materials.
“Toumai skull” fossil refers to the skull fossil primate that is rather close to the chimpanzee divergence hominins.
Transvall is the region near the Vaal River that is located in current South Africa.
Turkana Boy (WT 15000) fossil is the skeleton of the boy from Turkana whose body size and shape represent Homo erectus.
Type specimen is the original specimen that was used in order to name and describe a species.
Upper Paleolithic is the period around 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, or in other words the last part of Old Stone Age.
Vasoconstriction is the process of narrowing of blood vessels due to contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels.
Vasodilation is the term that refers to the widening of blood vessels because of relaxation of smooth muscle cells.
Vectors are organisms that do not cause any disease, but spread infection.
Venus figurines refers to the Upper Paleolithic statuette that represents the human female form.
Visual predation hypothesis suggests that the evolution of primates occurred due to the pressure to forage fruits and insects nocturnally.
Vitamin D and sunlight – The African ancestors with black skin synthesised way higher levels of vitamin D than most humans get nowadays.
West Turkana is the archaeological project in Kenya that is aimed exploring the behavioral evolution as well as the adaptation of Australopithecus and early Homo.
Xenophobia is the overwhelming fear the fear of foreigners and strangers.
Y-5 molar is the pattern of the lower molar teeth of apes and humans with five cusps.
Zhoukoudian is the cave in Beijing that is well-known for its archaeological discoveries, namely the first specimens of Homo erectus.
Zoonotic refers to a disease that has a tendency to be spread between animals and humans.
