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Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656)
- Proponent of a young earth
- Used chronologies, genealogies, and the ages of Biblical figures
- Earth was created October 23, 4004 BC
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Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778)
- Received plant and animal specimens from his “disciples”
- Systema Natura (System of Nature) (1735)
- Hierarchical classification system
- Classified humans, apes, and monkeys in the same order
- Accepted fixity of species
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Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)
- Argued that life is dynamic, not static
- Referred to this as evolution
- Life forms change over time because…
- 1. Life is striving for its ideal form
- 2. Inheritance of acquired traits
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James Hutton (1726-1797)
- Proposed the idea of Uniformatarianism
- Earth’s features were formed by everyday occurrences
- Argued for a much older earth
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Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)
- Opponent of biological evolution
- Believed the earth was very ancient
- Proposed the idea of Catastrophism
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Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)
- An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798)
- Three main points:
- 1. Within species there is variation
- 2. Inheritance of traits
- 3. Species produce more offspring than will survive - Superfecundity
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Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
- Studied medicine and theology
- BA degree from Cambridge University (1831)
- Professor John Henslow recommended him for the post of naturalist (H.M.S. Beale)
- Voyage of the Beagle (1831 – 1836)
- Observe biological and geological phenomena; collect samples
- Read Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology which introduced him to Uniformatarianism
- Earthquake in South America
- Galapagos Island animals were similar to mainland SA animals, yet, with subtle differences
- Suspected that these animals came from the mainland and changed over time
- Evolved
- Convinced of the idea of evolution, but was unsure of the mechanism
- Read Malthus’ book on population
- EUREKA!
- Finches lay many, many eggs (superfecundity)
- Some survive because they have certain physical advantages while the others die
- Natural Selection (nature “selects” better suited variations to survive)
- He came up with this idea in 1838
- On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)
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Raymond Dart (1893-1988) & A. Africanus
- Discovered in 1925
- The first Australopithecine discovered
- “Southern ape of Africa”
- First evidence of an early hominid
- 3mya — 2mya
- Once thought to be ancestral to Homo
- 1 almost complete cranium
- Several partial skulls
- 100s of teeth
- Dozens of jaws
- 4 partial skeletons
- Dart thought he discovered earliest evidence of culture (Osteodontokeratic culture)
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Donald Johanson (1943-present) & A. afarensis
~65 specimens discovered
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Louis (1903-1972) & Mary Leakey (1913-1996) and A. boisei
- Discovered in 1959
- 2.3mya — 1.3mya
- First evidence of hominids in eastern Africa
- 2 nearly complete skulls
- Several partial skulls
- Many jaw fragments
- Dozens of teeth
- Some long bones
- Sagittal Crest
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Christian Thomsen (1786-1865) & The Three Age System
- 1. Lower Paleolithic: 2.3mya - 200,000 BP
- 2. Middle Paleolithic: 200,000 BP - 40,000 BP
- 3. Upper Paleolithic: 40,000 BP - 12,000 BP
- 4. Mesolithic: began 12,000 BP
- 5. Neolithic: began 10,000 BP
- 6. Bronze Age: began 5,000 BP
- 7. Iron Age: began 3,000 BP
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Louis & Richard Leakey and Homo habillis
- Discovered in 1961 at Olduvai Gorge (eastern Africa)
- “handy man”
- Earliest species in our genus (~2.3mya)
- Larger brain: 600cc
- Brain hemispheres show asymmetry and more complexity
- Teeth and bones look Australopithecine
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Eugene Dubois (1858-1940) & Homo erectus
- Discovered in 1891
- Cranium and thigh bone fragment first found
- Earliest finds from ~1.8mya
- First hominid species to be widely distributed around the world
- Physical Characteristics:
- 1. Occipital torus
- 2. Sagittal keel
- 3. Squat, thick-walled cranium (900-1040 cc)
- 4. Dentition: modern humans
- 5. Slightfacial prognathism
- 6. Prominent brow ridges
- 7. Projecting nose
- 8. Size: modern humans
- 9. Sexual dimorphism: modern humans
- 10. Neck down = modern human looking
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