Homo sapiens Latin "wise man" Species to which all modem human beings belong. The oldest known fossil remains date to c. 120,000 years ago—or much earlier (c. 400,000 years ago) if evidence of certain archaic varieties is included. Homo sapiens is distinguished from earlier hominin species by characteristics and habits such as bipedal stance and gait, brain capacity averaging about 1,350 cc, high forehead, small teeth and jaw, defined chin, construction and use of tools, and ability to use symbols. Most scholars believe that modern humans developed in Africa c. 150,000 years ago and spread to the Middle East c. 100,000 years ago and to other parts of Eurasia c. 40,000-50,000 years ago (this is known as the “single-origin” model). Others contend that modern humans devel¬ oped from various regional populations of archaic H. sapiens or even other species of Homo in Eurasia beginning c. 250,000 years ago (the “multiregional” model). In the first model the genetic differences that exist between the peoples of the world would not be very old; in the second model they would be significantly older. In any case, by c. 11,000 bc modern H. sapiens had peopled virtually the entire globe. See also Cro- Magnon; culture; human evolution; Neanderthal.
homology Similarity of the structure, physiology, or development of different species of organisms based on their descent from a common evolutionary ancestor. Analogy, by contrast, is a functional similarity of structure that is based not on common evolutionary origins but on mere similarity of use. The forelimbs of such widely differing mammals as
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humans, bats, and deer are homologous; the form of construction and the number of bones in each are practically identical and represent adaptive modifications of the forelimb structure of their shared ancestor. The wings of birds and insects, on the other hand, are merely analogous; they are used for flight in both types of organisms but do not share a common ancestral origin.
homosexual rights movement See gay rights movement
homosexuality Sexual interest in and attraction to members of one’s own sex. Female homosexuality is frequently referred to as lesbianism; the word gay is often used as an alternative for both “homosexual” and “les¬ bian,” though it may refer specifically to male homosexuality. At differ¬ ent times and in different cultures, homosexual behaviour has variously been encouraged, approved of, tolerated, punished, and banned. Homo¬ sexuality was not uncommon in ancient Greece and Rome, particularly between adult and adolescent males. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cul¬ tures have generally viewed it as sinful, although many religious leaders have said it is the act, and not the inclination, that their faiths proscribe. Attitudes toward homosexuality are generally in flux, partly because of increased political activism (see gay rights movement). Until the early 1970s many medical organizations, such as the American Psychiatric Association, classified homosexuality as a mental illness, but that desig¬ nation was widely dropped in subsequent years. Longstanding beliefs about homosexuals (including the stereotype that gay men are weak and effeminate and lesbians aggressive and masculine) have also largely faded; some countries, cultures, and religious groups, however, continue to view homosexuality as deviant. Homosexual orientation, like sexual¬ ity in general, apparently results from a combination of hereditary factors and social or environmental influences, and it tends to coexist with het¬ erosexual feelings in varying degrees in different individuals.
homozygote and heterozygote Two genetic possibilities for a fertilized egg. If the two sex cells (gametes) that fuse during fertilization carry the same form of a gene for a specific trait, the organism is said to be a homozygote for that trait. If the gametes carry differing forms of the gene, the result is a heterozygote. Because genes may be either dominant or recessive (see dominance and recessiveness), the genetic composition (genotype) of an organism cannot always be determined by the organism’s physical appearance (phenotype).
Homs See Hims
Homyel \ko-'myel\ Russian Homel \ho-'mel\ City (pop., 2001 est.: 490,000), capital of Homyel province, southeastern Belarus. First men¬ tioned in ad 1142 as Gomy, it passed to Lithuania in the 14th century and later to Poland; it was acquired by Russia in 1772. In the late 19th cen¬ tury it developed as a major railway junction, and industries began to flourish. The city, on the Sozh River, is an important port, with river con¬ nections to towns on the Dnieper (Dnyapro) River. It is also an industrial centre.
Honan See Henan
Honda Motor Co, Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles and auto¬ mobiles. Founded as a maker of small, efficient engines by the engineer Honda Soichiro in 1946, the company was incorporated as Honda Motor Co. in 1948. The Honda C-100, a small-engine motorcycle, was intro¬ duced in 1953 and by 1959 was the largest-selling motorcycle in the world. In 1959 the company established a U.S. subsidiary. The compa¬ ny’s sales now come largely from automobiles, which it began manufac¬ turing in 1963. Especially known for lightweight, fuel-efficient passenger cars such as the Civic and Accord, it is today one of the largest automo¬ bile companies in the world. Its headquarters are in Tokyo.
Honduras officially Republic of Honduras Country, Central America. Area: 43,433 sq mi (112,492 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 7,187,000. Capitaclass="underline" Tegucigalpa. The great majority of the population are mestizos. Language: Spanish (official). Religion: Christianity (predomi¬ nantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant). Currency: Honduran lempira. The second largest country in Central America, Honduras has an almost 400-mi (645-km) coastline on the Caribbean Sea to the north and a 45-mi (72-km) coast centred on the Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific Ocean side of the isthmus. More than three-fourths of Honduras is mountainous and wooded. The eastern lowlands include part of the Mosquito Coast. Most of the people live in isolated communities in the mountainous interior, where the climate is hot and rainy. The economy is primarily agricultural; bananas, coffee, and sugar are the main export crops, and corn is the chief
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domestic staple. Honduras is a multiparty republic with one legislative house, and the head of state and government is the presi¬ dent. The Maya civilization flourished in the region in the 1st millennium ad. There
are architectural and sculptural remains of a ceremonial centre at Copan, which was in use from c. 465 to c. 800. Christopher Columbus reached Honduras in 1502, and Spanish settlement followed. A major war between the Spaniards and the Indians broke out in 1537; the conflict ended in the decimation of the Indian population through disease and enslavement. After 1570 Honduras was part of the captaincy general of Guatemala, until Central American independence in 1821. It was then part of the United Provinces of Central America but withdrew in 1838 and declared its inde¬ pendence. In the 20th century, under military rule, there was nearly con¬ stant civil war. A civilian government was elected in 1981. The military remained influential, however, as the activity of leftist guerrillas increased. Flooding caused by a hurricane in 1998 devastated the coun¬ try, killing several thousand people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. In 2001 Honduras was hit by a severe drought.