Lesson 1 & 2

• STS is the interplay between science, technology and society, focusing on how each element affects all the others.
• Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.
• Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.
• A primary aim of science is to collect facts (data).
• the early hominids are austrolopithecines, homo habilis, homo erectus, and homo sapiens
• austrolopithecine name means Southern ape
• austrolopithecine appeared 4 to 5 million years ago and stood upright and walked on two legs
• austrolopithecine's brain was about 1/3 the size of modern humans
• homo habilis name means handy man
• homo habilis appeared in Africa about 2.4 million years ago
• homo habilis used crude stone tools for chopping and scraping
• homo habilis' brain was about half the size of modern humans
• homo erectus name means upright man
• homo erectus appeared in Africa about 2 to 1.5 million years ago
• homo erectus used early stone tools such as the hand ax
• homo erectus learned to control fire
• homo erectus migrated out of Africa
• homo sapiens name means wise man
• homo sapiens appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago
• homo sapiens migrated around the world
• hominids were the early proto-humans
• hominid is the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes
• hominin is the group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species, and all our immediate ancestors
• Australopithecus afarensis had both ape and human characteristics: had ape-like face proportions, braincase (~brain is about 1/3 of modern humans), long and strong arms and fingers adapted for climbing trees, small canine teeth and stood on two legs and walked upright.
• Australopithecus africanus was anatomically similar to Au. afarensis, but with rounder cranium (bigger brain) and small teeth. They also had long arms, strongly sloping face and a pronounced jaw. They walked bipedally but also adapted to climbing.
• homo rudolfensis has one really critical feature: a braincase size of 775 cubic centimeters, which is considerably above the upper end of H. habilis braincase size
• homo heidelbergensis had a very large browridge, and a larger braincase and flatter face than older early human species. It was the first to live in colder climates
• homo neanderthalensis are our closest extinct human relative.
• Two groups of Homo sapiens migrated: neanderthals and cro-magnons
• paleolithic period is also called old stone age
• the 4 fundamental tool traditions are pebble tool tradition, flake tool tradition, bifacial or handaxe tool tradition, and blade tool tradition