Glossary
Choose a letter:
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U
V - W - X - Y - Z
Glossary Terms for letter: P
paleogenetics The application of genetics to the past, especially in anthropology and paleontology; the study of genetics in past organisms.
Paleoindians The earliest hominid inhabitants of the Americas; they likely migrated from Asia and are associated with the Clovis and Folsom stone tool cultures in North America and comparable tools in South America.
paleomagnetic dating An absolute dating method based on the random reversals of Earth's magnetic field.
paleontology The study of extinct life-forms through the analysis of fossils.
Paleozoic The first major era of geologic time, 570-230 mya, during which fish, reptiles, and insects first appeared.
Pangaea A hypothetical landmass in which all the continents were joined, approximately 300-200 mya.
parapithecids Anthropoid ancestors from the Oligocene, found in Fayum, Egypt.
Parapithecus A genus of later parapithecids from the Oligocene, found in Fayum, Egypt.
parental investment The time and energy parents expend for their offspring's benefit.
patriline DNA whose inheritance can be traced from father to daughter or son, such as the Y-chromosome, which passes from father to son.
pebble tools The earliest stone tools, in which simple flakes were knocked off to produce an edge used for cutting and scraping.
peptide bond Chemical bond that joins amino acids into a protein chain.
periosteal reactions Inflammatory responses of the bones' outer covering due to bacterial infection or to trauma.
phenotype The physical expression of the genotype; it may be influenced by the environment.
phylogeny The evolutionary relationships of a group of organisms.
physical anthropology The original term for biological anthropology.
Pithecanthropus erectus The name first proposed by Ernst Haeckel for the oldest hominid; Dubois later used this name for his first fossil discovery, which later became known as Homo erectus.
pleiotropy Refers to one gene that affects more than one phenotypic trait.
plesiadapiforms Paleocene organisms that may have been the first primates, originating from an adaptive radiation of mammals.
point mutations Replacements of a single nitrogen base with another base, which may or may not affect the amino acid for which the triplet codes.
polarized light A kind of light used in amino acid dating because it allows amino acid changes to be observed and measured.
polyandrous Refers to a social group that includes one reproductively active female, several adult males, and their offspring.
polygenic Refers to one phenotypic trait that is affected by two or more genes.
polygynous Refers to a social group that includes one adult male, several adult females, and their offspring.
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) A technique that amplifies a small sample of DNA into a larger amount that can be used for various genetic tests.
polymorphism Refers to the presence of two or more separate phenotypes for a certain gene in the population.
polypeptide Also known as a protein, a chain of amino acids held together by multiple peptide bonds.
population genetics A specialty within the field of genetics; it focuses on the changes in gene frequencies and the effects of those changes on adaptation and evolution.
porotic hyperostosis Expansion and porosity of cranial bones due to anemia caused by an iron-deficient diet, parasitic infection, or genetic disease.
positive selection Process in which advantageous genetic variants quickly increase in frequency in a population.
postnatal stage The second stage of life, beginning with birth, terminating with the shift to the adult stage, and involving substantial increases in height, weight, and brain growth and development.
power grip A fistlike grip in which the fingers and thumbs wrap around an object in opposite directions.
preadaptation An organism's use of an anatomical feature in a way unrelated to the feature's original function.
precision grip A precise grip in which the tips of the fingers and thumbs come together, enabling fine manipulation.
prehensile tail A tail that acts as a kind of a hand for support in trees, common in New World monkeys.
prenatal stage The first stage of life, beginning with the zygote in utero, terminating with birth, and involving multiple mitotic events and the differentiation of the body into the appropriate segments and regions.
primates A group of mammals in the order Primates that have complex behavior, varied forms of locomotion, and a unique suite of traits, including larger brains, forward-facing eyes, fingernails, and reduced snouts.
primatologists Researchers that study nonhuman primates.
Proconsul A genus of early Miocene proconsulids from Africa, ancestral to catarrhines.
proconsulids Early Miocene apes found in East Africa.
prokaryotes Single-celled organisms with no nuclear membranes or organelles and with their genetic material as a single strand in the cytoplasm.
propliopithecids Anthropoid ancestors from the Oligocene, found in Africa.
Proprimates A separate order of early primate ancestors from the Paleocene, such as the plesiadapiforms.
Section Menu
Organize
Learn
Connect
Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.
Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.