DESCRIPTION AND CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE COURSE

Compulsory course in the 3rd year of the Degree in Biology of the Faculty of Science and Technology, UPV/EHU. 6 ECTS credits.

There is no administrative prerequisites to enroll in this course. The contents of this course are integrated in and related to several optional subjects of the area of Physical Anthropology (such as Human Evolution and Anthropogenetics) and to other areas such as Genetics, and Molecular Biology.

Although this subject is of interest to all students in the Biosciences degree program, it is especially pertinent to those students who wish to develop a career in the fields of Biodiversity, Evolution, Biomedicine and Forensic Analysis.

COMPETENCES / LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE SUBJECT

The general objective of the course is to gain a solid knowledge on the evolution of humans, which involves not only knowing the ultimate origins of human variability, understanding how it has been shaped by adaptive, demographic and random mechanisms, or how these mechanisms explain the present geographical distribution of human diversity, but also to understand that this variability influences our current susceptibility to disease, and even our behavior. In summary, to understand that our diversity is the result of evolutionary processes that have allowed our survival as a species.

Specific competences:

1. Analyze the way in which the mechanisms of inheritance and general evolutionary models act to know and understand the human evolutionary process.

2. Analyze the information related to the fossil record of hominins to understand the phylogenetic relationships between the various species of this taxon.

3. Characterize the current human genetic diversity, its geographic distribution and the evolutionary processes that explain it, with the objective of understanding the origin and history of our species.

4. Identify the biological, cultural and environmental processes that affect our species.

Transversal competences:

1.Develop the capacity of analysis, synthesis, organization and planning for the elaboration and transmission of acquired knowledge.

2.To transmit ideas orally and in writing in a precise and coherent manner, using the appropriate scientific-technical language.

To develop skills in interpersonal relationships that favor teamwork and to progress in critical reasoning and ethical commitment that allows the establishment of human and environmental values for the welfare of society.

4.- To develop competences in information technology for the dissemination of scientific knowledge.

THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL CONTENTS

THEORY PROGRAM

I. EVOLUTIONARY PRINCIPLES IN PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Topic 1.- The study of Physical Anthropology: variation, evolution and adaptation. Development of Evolutionary Theory. Lamarckism, Darwinism, Punctuated Equilibrium, Sociobiology. Social Darwinism. Competition versus cooperation. Development of Biological or Physical Anthropology.

Topic 2.- Introduction to Human Population Genetics. Allelic and genotypic frequencies. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium law: rationale, applications and factors that break the equilibrium. Statistical test of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Topic 3.- Evolutionary Forces (I): Mutation, Genetic Drift and Gene Flow. Mutation and its effect on human diversity. Genetic drift. Bottleneck effect and founder effect. Non-random human mating and inbreeding. Biological consequences of inbreeding in human populations. Gene flow and migration. Mutation-genetic drift balance.

Topic 4.- Evolutionary Forces (II): Natural Selection. Types and models of natural selection. Adaptive value and selection coefficient. Examples of directional selection in humans: pigmentation, lactose tolerance and other examples. Selection in favor of the heterozygote: the case of malaria and sickle cell anemia. Heterozygote disadvantage: feto-maternal incompatibility.

Topic 5.- Speciation and Systematics. Macroevolutionary processes: synthetic theory of evolution and theory of punctuated equilibria. Cladism and phylogeny in primates. Construction of phylogenetic trees. Evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo).

II. THE HISTORY OF THE HUMAN LINEAGE

Topic 6.- Methods of analysis of the fossil record. Dating methods: relative dating and chronometric methods. Paleoclimate study. Taphonomy. Reconstruction of the paleoenvironment of an archaeological site.

Topic 7.- Evolutionary adaptations of Hominins: Bipedia and encephalization. Anatomical changes and origin and evolution of Bipedia. Evolutionary analysis of encephalization in the human lineage.

Topic 8.- The emergence of the hominin lineage. The fossil record in Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene: nomenclature, dating and taxonomy. The earliest hominins. Gracile and robust forms of Australopithecus.

Topic 9.- The diversification of the genus Homo. Homo habilis. Homo erectus: distribution in space and time. Phylogenies of the Plio-Pleistocene hominins.

Topic 10. The “archaic” Humans: taxonomic nomenclature and evolutionary implications. Atapuerca and the first Europeans. Homo antecessor. Homo heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis. The Neanderthals. Contribution of the Neanderthal genome and the Denisovan genome to the genome of Homo sapiens. Homo floresiensis.

Topic 11. The origin of Homo sapiens. Morphological and cultural characteristics of modern Homo sapiens. Classical theories on the origin and expansion of modern Homo sapiens: “Out of Africa” vs. “Multiregionalism”. Paleontological and genetic evidence. Revisiting the theories on the origin and evolution of Homo sapiens in the light of recent genetic and paleogenetic evidence.

III. DIVERSITY OF CURRENT HUMAN POPULATIONS: PRINCIPLES FOR THEIR STUDY.

Topic 12. Human genetic diversity. Measures of genetic diversity. Classification of human diversity: biological variability (morphological and genetic). The human genome and its variation.

Topic 13. Distribution of human genetic diversity. Genetic relationships between human populations. Case example: European populations and the population of the Basque Country.

PROGRAM OF THE PRACTICAL CLASSES

I.- Anatomy and morphology of the human skeleton.

Practical 1. The human skull: anatomical and morphological description. Evolutionary changes

Practical 2. The postcranial skeleton: anatomical and morphological description. Evolutionary changes

II.- Osteological methods of analysis of human remains.

Practical 3. Sex estimation and age estimation at skeletal level.

Practical 4. Application of skeletal analysis at forensic level.

III.- Human Paleontology

Practical 5. Taxonomy and phylogeny of fossil hominins through analysis of cast replicas of the most relevant fossils.

METHODOLOGY

In this subject, several teaching methods are used:

- Lectures: where theoretical concepts and their application to problem-solving are worked on.

- Laboratory practicals: where students work in teams. In these teaching modality, the student is initiated in experimental design and in the elaboration of hypotheses, in the resolution of practical cases of human anatomical identification, forensic analysis and identification of human fossils.

-Classroom practicals: will consist of various exercises oriented to the resolution of theoretical questions and problems, and the critical viewing of videos related to the theoretical topics.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 55
  • Multiple-Choice Test (%): 25
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 10
  • Individual works (%): 5
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 5

EXAMS

ORDINARY CALL: ORIENTATIONS AND WAIVER

The evaluation methods are those indicated in the BOPV of March 13, 2017 “AGREEMENT of December 15, 2016 of the Governing Council of the University of the Basque Country /Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea approving the Rules regulating the Evaluation of students in the official degrees”.

The evaluation of the course will be continuous (as stated in Chapter II, Art. 8, paragraph 2a) and will consist of the following sections:

- Written test to evaluate theoretical and practical contents (80%).

- Laboratory Practicals: group report of the exercises performed (10%).

- Individual and team work: exercises and questions of periodical delivery based on the contents of the course (10%).

In the written test as a whole it will be necessary to get at least a 4 points (out of 10) in order to add the score obtained in the continuous evaluation in the final score of the course.

In the multiple-choice test, at least half of the questions must be answered correctly in order to pass. A fail in the test will be non-compensable and, therefore, eliminatory.



WAIVER

Application of current regulations (Chapter II, Article 8, Section 3):

“In any case, students will have the right to be evaluated through the final evaluation system, regardless of whether or not they have participated in the continuous evaluation system. To this end, students must submit in writing to the faculty responsible for the subject the waiver of continuous assessment, for which they will have a period of 9 weeks from the beginning of the term in accordance with the academic calendar of the Center”.

All students not sitting the final exam, subject to continuous or final evaluation, will not get any score and will instead receive a “not presented” grade.

During the development of the exam the use of books or any type of lecture-notes will not be allowed. Also, the use of mobiles, computers, tablets or other electronic devices, by students will not be allowed. Exception include a non-programmable calculator. In the event of dishonest or fraudulent behaviour, the provisions of the protocol on academic ethics and prevention of dishonest or fraudulent practices in evaluation tests and academic work at the UPV/EHU will be applied.

EXTRAORDINARY CALL: GUIDELINES

“The evaluation of the subject in the extraordinary call will be carried out exclusively through the final evaluation system” (Application of the current regulations, Chapter II, Article 9, Section 2).

The evaluation will consist of a theoretical exam (80% of the grade will correspond to the knowledge imparted in class and 20% to the knowledge acquired in the laboratory practices).

Waiver of the exam:

Not sitting the exam on the official date will result in the waiver of the corresponding call (Application of the current regulations, Chapter II, Article 12, Section 3).

For students, subject to both continuous and final evaluation, it will be enough not to sit the final exam for the final grade of the course to be “not presented”

MATERIALS OF OBLIGATORY USE
PROTOCOL OF LABORATORY PRACTICES: it includes the objectives of each activity, its theoretical basis, the technical development of the same and some questions to which each student must answer during or after the completion of the corresponding practice. It is obligatory to read the protocol before the realization of the corresponding practice.
PRESENTATIONS, SCHEMES AND SLIDES of the lecture classes.
All this documentation will be available in advance to students in the virtual classroom of the course (egela)

Basic bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

General Text books

Physical Anthropology. PL Stein & BM Rowe. McGraw Hill (2019)

The Human Species. An introduction to Biological Anthropology. JH Relethford. Mayfield (2006)

Introduction to Physical Anthropology. R. Jurmain, L. Kilgore, W. Trevathan, H. Nelson. 15th Ed. Thomson & Wadsworth (2017)

How Humans Evolved. R. Boyd & JB Silk. Norton (2008)

Human Evolution. J. Lewin. Blackwell Publishing (2005)

Essentials of Biological Anthropology. C.S. Larsen (2021)

Biological Anthropology: A New Synthesis. JA Rush (2023)

Biological Anthropology: The Natural History of Humankind (4th Ed) C. Stanford, JS. Allen, SC. Antón. Ed Pearson (2019)

Essentials of Physical Anthropology. R. Jurmain, L. Kilgore, W. Trevathan, E. Bartelink. Cengage Learning; 10th ed. (2016)

In-depth bibliography

Specialized text books
Human Evolutionary Genetics. Origins, People & Disease. MA Jobling, ME Hurles & C. Tyler-Smith. GS Garland Science (2014)
Genes, Culture and Human evolution. J. Stone & PF Lurquin. Blackwell Publishing (2007)
The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins. R. Klein. The University of Chicago Press (2009)
Human Evolutionary Anatomy. L. Aiello & C. Dean. Academic Press (2002)
Human Biological Diversity. R. Jurmain, L. Kilgore, W. Trevathan, L. Ciochon. Thomson & Wadsworth (2008)

Dissemination bibliography:

The first hominins. A. Rosas. Ed. Catarata (2015)
The evolution of the genus Homo. A. Rosas. Ed. La Catarata (2016)
Brief history of all who have ever lived. A. Rutherford. Ed. Past and Present (2017)
Who We Are and How We Got Here. D . Penguin Random House ed. (2018)
Humans. Ll. Quintana-Murci. Ed Deusto (2022)
A bordo de tu curiosidad. Un viaje por las preguntas y retos de la Ciencia actual. C. Briones. Ed. Crítica. (2024)
El primate que quería volar. Ignacio Martínez. Ed Espasa. (2012).
Orígenes. El Universo, la vida, los humanos. C. Briones, A. Fdz Soto y JM Bermudez de Castro- Ed. Crítica (2016).
Dioses y Mendigos. JM Bermudez de Castro. Ed. Crítica (2021)

Journals

Scientific Journals of interest
Nature
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Current Anthropology
Proceedings of National Academic of Sciences
Evolutionary Anthropology
Journal of Human Evolution
Human Biology
Annals of Human Genetics
American Journal of Human Genetics

Web addresses

Web sites of interest

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/humanorigins/
http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/j.html
http://www.becominghuman.org
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
http://johnhawks.net/
https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources?keyword=evolution