Taung ChildThe Taung Child (or Taung Baby) is the fossilised skull of a young Australopithecus africanus. It was discovered in Taung, South Africa in 1924 and described as a new species and genus by Raymond Dart in 1925. The skull was one of the first early hominin fossils to be found in Africa, and the first evidence that humanity originated from the continent. The Taung skull is in repository at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Foramen magnumThe foramen magnum is a large, oval-shaped opening in the occipital bone of the skull. It is one of the several oval or circular openings (foramina) in the base of the skull. The spinal cord, an extension of the medulla oblongata, passes through the foramen magnum as it exits the cranial cavity.
Broca's areaBroca's area, or the Broca area (, alsoUK: , US: ), is a region in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere, usually the left, of the brain with functions linked to speech production. Language processing has been linked to Broca's area since Pierre Paul Broca reported impairments in two patients. They had lost the ability to speak after injury to the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pars triangularis) (BA45) of the brain.
Raymond DartRaymond Arthur Dart (4 February 1893 – 22 November 1988) was an Australian anatomist and anthropologist, best known for his involvement in the 1924 discovery of the first fossil found of Australopithecus africanus, an extincthominin closely related to humans, at Taung in the North of South Africa in the Northwest province. He also did extensive work on physical anthropology in the tradition of scientific racism.
AustralopithecusGenus of hominin ancestral to modern humansAustralopithecus (, ; or , , from Latin australis 'southern' and Ancient Greek πίθηκος (píthēkos) 'ape') is an extinct genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genera Homo (which includes modern humans), Paranthropus, and Kenyanthropus evolved from some Australopithecus species.
Wernicke's areaWernicke's area (; German:), sometimes referred to as Wernicke's speech region, is one of the two principal regions of the brain associated with language, the other being Broca's area. This region plays a major role in understanding both spoken and written language, while Broca's area is mainly responsible for producing speech.
SpeechSpeech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, such as informing, declaring, asking, persuading, directing; acts may vary in various aspects like enunciation, intonation, loudness, and tempo to convey meaning.
PaleoanthropologyPaleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as , through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinship lines within the family Hominidae, many of which are now extinct, working from biological evidence (such as petrified skeletal remains, bone fragments, footprints) and cultural evidence (such as stone tools, artifacts, and settlement localities).
NeurocraniumIn human anatomy, the neurocranium, also known as the braincase, brainpan, brain-pan, or brainbox, is the upper and back part of the skull, which forms a protective case around the brain. In the human skull, the neurocranium includes the calvaria or skullcap. The remainder of the skull is the facial skeleton. In comparative anatomy, neurocranium is sometimes used synonymously with endocranium or chondrocranium.
Cranial vaultThe cranial vault is the space in the skull within the neurocranium, occupied by the brain.
FossilPreserved remains or traces of organisms from a past geological ageExamples of animal fossils. Clockwise from top left: Onychocrinus, Palaeosinopa, Gryphaea, and HarpactocarcinusA fossil (from Classical Latinfossilis, lit. 'obtained by digging') is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age.
Natural rubberRubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, caucho, or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene that are used as natural rubbers are classified as elastomers. Currently, rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from the Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) or others.
AustralopithecineThe australopithecines (), formally Australopithecina or Hominina, are generally any species in the related genera of Australopithecus and Paranthropus. It may also include members of Kenyanthropus, Ardipithecus, and Praeanthropus. The term comes from a former classification as members of a distinct subfamily, the Australopithecinae. They are classified within the Australopithecina subtribe of the Homininitribe.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.