Biology
12th Edition
ISBN: 9780134813448
Author: Audesirk, Teresa, Gerald, Byers, Bruce E.
Publisher: Pearson,
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Chapter 15.3, Problem 1HYEW
Between 70% and 85% of people will experience lower back pain at some point in life, and for many people, the condition is chronic. This state of affairs is an unfortunately painful consequence of the evolutionary process. We walk upright on two legs, but our distant ancestors walked on all fours. Thus, natural selection formed our vertically oriented spine by remodeling one whose normal orientation was parallel to the ground. Our spinal anatomy evolved some modifications in response to its new posture, but as is often the case with evolution, the changes involved some trade-offs. The arrangements of bone and muscle that permit our smooth, bipedal gait also generate vertical compression of the spine, and the resulting pressure can, and frequently does, cause painful damage to muscle and nerve tissues.
Why Backaches Are So Common?
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On the back of the human skull, there is a small bump, below which is an opening where the spinal cord enters the skull. Which of the following statements provides the best
evolutionary explanation for the location of the opening near the base of the skull?
It is associated with the change to a bipedal stance.
It provided greater protection for the spinal cord.
It allowed for the hominin brain to grow much larger than other primates.
This change was necessary for the increase in size from prosimian forms to anthropoid forms.
Certain genes influence the probability of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that occur mostly in old age. Given that the genes controlling old age have their onset long after people have stopped having children, how could evolution have any effect on such genes?
In many ways, modern human lifestyles are at odds with our bipedal locomotion. At no point in history have humans been as inactive as today (especially in developing nations), which has led to a number of physical ailments, such as obesity, loss of mobility, and low back pain. What are some other impacts of evolution on our species? What are some ways we can alleviate these problems?
Chapter 15 Solutions
Biology
Ch. 15.1 - identify some of the thinkers whose ideas set the...Ch. 15.1 - Prob. 2CYLCh. 15.1 - define evolution?Ch. 15.2 - A recent study found that Galpagos mockingbirds on...Ch. 15.2 - Prob. 2TCCh. 15.2 - explain how natural selection works and how it...Ch. 15.2 - describe the logic, based on four postulates, by...Ch. 15.3 - The fossil history of some kinds of modem...Ch. 15.3 - What Good Are Wisdom Teeth and Ostrich Wings?...Ch. 15.3 - Are a peacocks tail and a dogs tail homologous...
Ch. 15.3 - Between 70% and 85% of people will experience...Ch. 15.3 - describe the evidence that evolution has occurred?Ch. 15.3 - explain the difference between similarity due to...Ch. 15.3 - What Good Are Wisdom Teeth and Ostrich Wings? Just...Ch. 15.4 - To reduce the incidence of pesticide resistance,...Ch. 15.4 - describe some observations and experiments that...Ch. 15.4 - Some advocates of the view that all organisms were...Ch. 15 - Whale skeletons contain nonfunctional pelvic bones...Ch. 15 - Darwin was influenced by Malthuss thinking about...Ch. 15 - Prob. 3MCCh. 15 - Which of the following is not required for...Ch. 15 - Prob. 5MCCh. 15 - The flipper of a seal is homologous with the _____...Ch. 15 - Prob. 2FIBCh. 15 - Georges Cuvier espoused a concept called ______ to...Ch. 15 - Prob. 4FIBCh. 15 - Prob. 5FIBCh. 15 - Darwin's postulate 2 states that ______. The work...Ch. 15 - Prob. 1RQCh. 15 - Distinguish between catastrophism and...Ch. 15 - Describe Lamarcks theory of inheritance of...Ch. 15 - What is natural selection? Describe how natural...Ch. 15 - Describe how evolution occurs. In your...Ch. 15 - What is convergent evolution? Give an example.Ch. 15 - How do biochemistry and molecular genetics...Ch. 15 - In what sense are humans currently acting as...Ch. 15 - In discussions of untapped human potential, It is...Ch. 15 - Does evolution through natural selection produce...
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- Some human traits may have arisen by sexual selection. Over thousands of years, women attracted to charming, witty men perhaps prompted the development of human intellect beyond what was necessary for mere survival. Men attracted to women with juvenile features may have shifted the species as a whole to be less hairy and softer featured than any of our simian relatives. Can you think of a way to test this hypothesis?arrow_forwardThe erliest hominid fossil “Lucy,” is estimated to be 32 million years old. This early human like species shares an important characteristic with modern humans bipedalism. Which of the following would favor selection of bipedal posture over walking on all fours?arrow_forwardSome people think that many of our uniquely human traits arose by sexual selection. Over thousands of years, women attracted to charming, witty men perhaps prompted the development of human intellect beyond what was necessary for mere survival. Men attracted to women with juvenile features may have shifted the species as a whole to be less hairy and softer featured than any of our simian relatives. Can you think of a way to test these hypotheses?arrow_forward
- There is no concrete evidence of which early hominin was our direct ancestor, as fossils do not contain genetics. Overall, the Australopithecines are the "missing link" bridging our ape to human transition. Each species, and there are a few, includes a combination of traits considered more ape-like or more human-like. How does this affect society feelings/views/ideas about early human evolution and what the "missing link" should or should not be.arrow_forwardWe have discussed the role of meat consumption in hominin evolution as an important source of fuel for our larger and metabolically costly brains. Do you think this hypothesis for why we have such large brains has merit? Why or why not? Can you think of any alternative hypotheses to explain the trend toward larger brain size over the past 2.5 mya?arrow_forwardThe ancestors of extant tetrapods first evolved the ability to live out of water over 350 million years ago. Which of the following had to have been true for natural selection to have favored the original evolution of limbs? A) Closely related lineages that remained in the ocean must have gone extinct. There must have been differences in survival and or/reproduction based on size, musculature, bones or other (B functional aspects of early limbs. Large predators must have been a major source of mortality for populations that spent more time in the water and less on land. The ability of some ancestral fish-tetrapod transitional forms to move from one body of water to another during D droughts must have led to decreased mortality. E There must have been less competition for food on land.arrow_forward
- Some human traits may have arisen by sexual selection. Over thousands of years, women attracted to charming, witty men perhaps prompted the development of human intellect beyond what was necessary for mere survival. Men attracted to women with juvenile features may have shifted the species as a whole to be less hairy and softer featured than any of our simian relatives. Can you think of a way to test this hypotheses?arrow_forwardA case can be made that the sedentary way of life characteristicof many people today is a very recent development in humanhistory, dating from at most a century or so ago. According to thisline of argument, physical exertion was a regular part of daily lifefor most people during most of human evolution. From this pointof view, in what way do recent gene-transcription data suggestthat physical exertion is in fact probably essential for full health?arrow_forwardChimpanzees and humans obviously look and act very differently, but their genomes are remarkably similar. What types of mechanisms could explain how small differences in genotype can result in such large differences in phenotype?arrow_forward
- Anatomical Definition: Anatomical evidence for evolution is... How evidence supports evolution: This evidence shows that living things change over time (evolution) because... Real-World Example: An animal that you can see this evidence for evolution in is... Picture/Diagram rces ofarrow_forwardWhat is Neil Shubin (the narrator) looking for? 2.What job does Neil have? 3.Fish were the first creatures with what trait? 4.When did the first mammals show up? 5.Sir Richard Owen was the first scientist to notice what skeletal pattern? 6.Instead of limbs fish have what? 7.Where did the paleontologists go for their first expedition? 8.What type of environment was the Canadian Arctic hundreds of millions of years ago? 9.In the early stages of development, all animals begin as what? 10. If you look at a fish and human embryo side by side, how similar do they look?arrow_forwardExplain the following: discuss how language played as a vital part in human evolution. what development shows a big difference between homo sapiens and earlier homini species? discuss.arrow_forward
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