Describe the simplest stone tools, made from about 2.5 million years ago.

They were pebble tools, made by knocking flakes off one stone with another to leave a rough sharp edge.

Describe how hand axes made from about 1.5 million years ago differed from earlier pebble tools.

They were flaked on both faces into a symmetrical teardrop shape with a long, even cutting edge, and could be used for cutting meat, chopping wood and scraping hides.

Explain what the increasing complexity of stone tools suggests about the humans who made them.

Making more complex tools needs greater manual skill and forward planning, which suggests brain size and intelligence were increasing.

Describe how the rock layer a stone tool is found in can be used to judge its age.

Layers of rock build up in order, so a tool found in a deeper layer is older than one found in a layer above it.

Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Biology 1SC0

Key Concepts in Biology

Topic overview Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells Specialised cells and their adaptations Microscopes and magnification calculations Size, scale and units in cell biology Enzyme action and denaturation Factors affecting enzyme activity Enzymes in synthesis and digestion, and rate calculations Diffusion, osmosis and active transport Osmosis in potatoes and percentage change in mass

Cells and Control

Topic overview Mitosis and the cell cycle Why mitosis matters: growth, repair and cancer Growth, differentiation and percentile charts Stem cells and their use in medicine Neurones, receptors and the reflex arc

Genetics

Topic overview Meiosis and the formation of gametes DNA structure, genes and the genome Extracting DNA from fruit Alleles, genotype and phenotype Monohybrid crosses and sex determination Probability and ratios from genetic crosses Causes of variation: genes and environment The Human Genome Project Genetic variation and the effects of mutation

Natural Selection and Genetic Modification

Topic overview Natural selection and antibiotic resistance Fossil evidence for human evolution Stone tool evidence for human evolution Five kingdoms and the three domains Selective breeding Genetic engineering and modern agriculture The stages of genetic engineering

Health, Disease and the Development of Medicines

Topic overview Health, disease and susceptibility Pathogens and common infections How pathogens spread, and the virus life cycle Sexually transmitted infections Physical barriers and chemical defences The immune system, immunisation and herd immunity Antibiotics and developing new medicines Lifestyle factors and non-communicable disease Treatments for cardiovascular disease

Plant Structures and Their Functions

Topic overview Photosynthesis as an endothermic reaction Limiting factors in photosynthesis Light intensity and the rate of photosynthesis Root hair cells, xylem and phloem Transpiration and translocation Factors affecting the rate of transpiration

Animal Coordination, Control and Homeostasis

Topic overview Hormones, endocrine glands and homeostasis Adrenalin, thyroxine and negative feedback The menstrual cycle and its hormones Hormonal and barrier contraception Assisted reproductive technology and IVF Controlling blood glucose, and type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes and body mass

Exchange and Transport in Animals

Topic overview Why multicellular organisms need exchange surfaces Alveoli and gas exchange The blood and its components Arteries, veins and capillaries The heart and the circulatory system Cellular respiration as an exothermic reaction Aerobic and anaerobic respiration compared Investigating the rate of respiration Cardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate

Ecosystems and Material Cycles

Topic overview Levels of organisation and interdependence Abiotic and biotic factors in a community Parasitism and mutualism Sampling with quadrats and transects Estimating population size from field data Human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity The carbon cycle The water and nitrogen cycles

Natural Selection and Genetic Modification

Stone tool evidence for human evolution

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Pebble tools, hand axes, flint points and hafted tools across 2.5 million years, what growing complexity suggests about brain size, and dating tools by rock layers and radiometric methods.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Describe how stone tools became more complex, what that shows about the makers, and how a tool's age is judged from rock layers.

Key term

Describe the stone tools being made about 300 000 years ago.

Key term

What change in tool making had appeared by about 50 000 years ago?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Describe the simplest stone tools, made from about 2.5 million years ago.
Model answer
They were pebble tools, made by knocking flakes off one stone with another to leave a rough sharp edge.
2
Describe how hand axes made from about 1.5 million years ago differed from earlier pebble tools.
Model answer
They were flaked on both faces into a symmetrical teardrop shape with a long, even cutting edge, and could be used for cutting meat, chopping wood and scraping hides.
3
Describe the stone tools being made about 300 000 years ago.
Model answer
Flint was worked into a wider range of shaped tools, including pointed flakes used as spear tips, scrapers and knives.
4
What change in tool making had appeared by about 50 000 years ago?
Model answer
Sharpened flint pieces were fitted into wooden or bone handles, and delicate items such as needles and fish hooks were made.
5
Explain what the increasing complexity of stone tools suggests about the humans who made them.
Model answer
Making more complex tools needs greater manual skill and forward planning, which suggests brain size and intelligence were increasing.
6
Describe how the rock layer a stone tool is found in can be used to judge its age.
Model answer
Layers of rock build up in order, so a tool found in a deeper layer is older than one found in a layer above it.

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Key Concepts in Biology

Cells and Control

Genetics

Natural Selection and Genetic Modification

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ANitrates cause an algal bloom that blocks the light.

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