Pre-history :: essays research papers

Pre-HistoryAnthropologists Anthropologists study the skeletal remains of prehistoric life. Two examples of famousanthropologists are Mary Leaky and Donald Johanson. Donald Johanson was the anthropologist who discovered Lucy. Lucyis the first known sign of humanity. The technical name for Lucy isAustralopithecus. The odd thing about Lucy is that she was both modern and pre-historic, having armslonger that her legs, and being bipedal was a strange combination for a creature said to be three millionyears old. Anthropologists study all over the world, but Lucy was found in Africa.Radiocarbon Dating Radio Carbon dating is a dating method in which the amount of carbon14 in anobject is measured. The bodies carbons start to decay at death so they measure how old something is bymeasuring its amount of carbon. There are two major problems with this method though. 1) Thespecimen heap only date back about 100,000 years. 2) If the original amount of carbon was distorted forany reason that will mess up the date given. For those reasons scientists unquestionable other methods thathelp date things more accurately. These methods include the stardust theory and the river delta theory.Ice Age Glaciers large, slowly moving masses of snow and ice. Each of the four refrigerating weather periodslasted from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago. The Ice Age. Scientists believe that the age we live in startedafter the 4th period Ice Age sone25,000 years ago. Today 1/2 the earth is covered in ice. During thethird period 1/3 of the world was covered in ice. The ice age made animals either migrate or disappearentirely. (Saber Tooth Tiger, Woolly Mammoth) It also shaped the continents we live on today. Therewere also land bridges in the Ice age.paleolithic Age Paleolithic means old stone we called it the stone age. 1974 Ethiopia Donald Johansona well known anthropologist discovered female skeletal remains that might cast off been as old as 3 millionyears. Cro-Magnon People When neanders disappe ared cros appeared in Europe. Better tools and weaponswere made, the 1st spear and paintings were made in this age.