BIO 5055 Human Biology & Evolution
What is human? When and where did our ancestors originate? How old is Homo sapiens? Are Neanderthals our ancestors or cousins? How many hominid species are there? These are the questions of evolution and human ancestry. This course will cover the study of humans in their evolutionary, ecological and adaptational setting. Laboratory exercises will include an introduction to the human skeleton, a survey of modern human variation, adaptation and human genetics; a survey of the primate fossil record as well as study of the living primates; and a detailed examination of the evolutionary history of hominids and humans with particular emphasis on the biology of human evolution.