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Key Terms


Acheulean  relating to the type of stone tool that follows the Olduwan in the archaeological record, dating to about 1.5 million years ago and consisting of bifaced tools (flaked on both sides) that are more complex to make and allow more kinds of manipulation than the earlier types
biocultural evolution  evolutionary change and adaptation through both somatic (biological) and extrasomatic (material/cultural) means
Homo  the hominin genus to which humans belong; characterized by bipedal locomotion, large brains, and biocultural evolution
megadontia  he characteristic of having larger postcanine teeth than would be expected for body size
megadontia quotient (MQ)  measure of premolar/molar tooth area relative to body size
mosaic habitat  area that consists of two or more habitat types
occipital (or nuchal) torus  pronounced ridge at the rearmost point on the occipital bone
Olduwan  relating to the first stone tools in the archeological record, dating to about 2.5 million years ago and consisting of relatively simple flakes and choppers
Pleistocene  epoch dating from 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago
precision grip  ability to grip objects forcefully with the phalanges of the hand and yet exert finetuned control of the movement of the objects; includes the ability to grip items between the thumb and any of the fingers
sagittal crest  a ridge running between the parietal bones along the top of the cranium, usually representing increased bone area for the attachment of chewing muscles
sagittal keel  raised area, much less pronounced than a sagittal crest, where the parietals meet on top of the cranium







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