Biological Anthropology

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Exploring Biological Anthropology:
The Essentials, 3rd Edition

CRAIG STANFORD

JOHN S. ALLEN

SUSAN C. ANTÓN

As you work through this set of chapter slides, keep in mind the notations that are included from your instructor. Open, read carefully, download if necessary, and use in conjunction with your reading and video lesson study. All these components supplement each other. The wise student will keep this in mind.

Introduction

What is Biological Anthropology?

Good question! So now let’s dig in and see what we will discover.

All life forms on earth, including humans, are connected by DNA. Consequently, during this course you will encounter this concept again and again.

Anthropology and Its Subfields

Cultural Anthropology

Archaeology

Linguistic Anthropology

Biological Anthropology

While these are the four major subfields of anthropology, a fifth one has evolved in approximately the last 40 or 50 years. That one is called “Applied Anthropology.”

Cultural Anthropology

The study of human societies,

especially in a cross-cultural context

Ethnology
Ethnography
Applied Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology is the study of human social organization & culture, especiallyrReligion, art, dance, social organization. Make sure to read and “know” the three areas of cultural anthropology listed here. “Know” translates to understanding rather than trying to memorize terms verbatim.

Archaeology

The study of the material culture of past peoples

Artifacts
Material Culture
Salvage Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the material remains of human activity, artifacts and the context of their discovery. See the chapter and video lesson for more on this.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of language, its history and use; also called anthropological linguistics

Linguistic form
Linguistic function
Social Context

Linguistic Anthropology is the study of the history, function, structure & physiology of language. Dig in...read the chapter & view the lesson.

Biological Anthropologist:

Any scientist studying evolution as it

relates to the human species

Studies humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework; biological anthropology is sometimes called physical anthropology.

The Scope of
Biological Anthropology

Paleoanthropology
Skeletal Biology and Osteology
Paleopathology and Bioarchaeology
Forensic Anthropology
Primatology
Human Biology

Biological Anthropology is sometimes referred to as Physical Anthropology. Things to remember:

(i) B.A’s work in many fields: medical, forensics, college & university teaching.

(ii) The focus of Biological Anthropology is evolution, especially the long journey of the primates all the way toward Homo sapiens. Also, in the study of evolution, the critical unit of study is the population…NOT the individual. With all this in mind, the theory of evolution is considered to be the unifying principle of the biological sciences.

(iii) A major key in understanding evolutionary processes is the role of genes. As we will see, the theory of evolution has had its own evolution, from the simpler 19th century “start up” all the way to the synthetic theory. Know the latter term well.

Paleoanthropology

The study of the fossil record of

ancestral humans and their primate kin

Study of ancestral fossils leading to Homo sapiens; the fossil record, the relationships & lines of descent.

Paleoanthropologists excavate at a South African site.

Skeletal Biology and Human Osteology

The study of the skeleton and the

patterns and processes of human growth,

physiology, and development

Skeletal Biology is the study of skeletal anatomy; the scientist will measure & relate parts to one another.

Osteology is the term for the study of patterns & processes of human growth, physiology & development. Read up on this in the chapter.

Paleopathology and Bioarchaeology

The study of the disease in ancient

human populations

Paleopathology deals with disease in human populations, recent or ancient (e.g., read up on how misunderstanding of the 1st Neandertal discovery resulted in the bumb rap they got!)

d. Bioarchaeology: Study of ancient human remains in their

archaeological context. Living style & arrangements;

garbage & excrement! Burial sites etc.

Forensic Anthropology

The study of human remains

applied to a legal context

Think CSI Miami “ “Bones” etc. but don’t go looking for a career based on these shows!; think also war crime and genocide scenes. Think about the gruesome work of the folks who had to investigate and catalog the remains found at the 911 scene in New York.

Forensic anthropologists excavating the skeletal remains and clothing of one of the victims of a civil war massacre in El Salvador.

Primatology

The study of the non-human primates and

their anatomy, genetics, behavior, and ecology

Primatology was/is the focus of study by Dianne Fossey, Jane Goodall, and many more scientists. It’s the study of non-human primates for the lessons they can provide us as to how evolution has shaped us. “Apes 24/humans 23” Hey, what’s up? What’s this? Well, some six million years ago something happened at the genetic level. One pair of chromosomes in some ape ancestor seemed to disappear. The key work here is “seemed,” for it actually moved over and connected up with an existing chromosome pair, thereby starting a long series of evolutionary steps that enabled “bipedalism.” Look up this term and know it.

Studying the primates can “drive you up a tree!”

Human Biology

Deals with human growth and development,

adaptation to environmental extremes,

and human genetics

Of course, there’s a huge amount of study called for here, but for now look up and learn about issues such as the following:

* Adaptation to our environment--living at high altitude in High Andes requires a certain body type…check it out. And what about what’s often referred to as

“Asian eyes”? Here we need to study the epicanthic fold. Look it up! What about skin color?

* Bio-medical—some ethnic groups are more prone to certain diseases than are other groups. Dig in. Learn.

Bio-cultural variation—we all look so different from each other! Life under the forest canopy---light skin! Life in open Arctic landscape---dark skin?

The Roots of Modern Biological Anthropology

Fossil hominid discoveries
Darwin
Physical anthropology
Sherwood Washburn’s Synthesis
Field studies
New dating techniques
Multidisciplinary approach

Read up on and consider these points of importance in our textbook:

a. In the news: 1856 Discovery of Neandertal Man!

1859 On the Origin of Species is published.

b. Polygenism vs Monogenism: The 19th century debate over a series of divine creations vs. a single creation of

human/life. “_Poly” was a sort of compromise to account for the discovery of “odd-looking” humans. Could this have

been the basis for much of the racism that follows even down into our own times?

c. Biological Anthropology begins in mid 19th when physicians teach anatomy in medical schools. Issues that arose were/are “Anthropometry” and craniometrics, all feeding the rise of racism and bigotry.

* Age of colonialism---new human populations are “discovered” by Christy Columbus and others. The New World, although never actually “lost,” was “found.”

d. The “new” science: Mid 20th century sees the “new” biological anthropology emerge at University of Chicago and at U.C.

Berkeley; a more dynamic view of nature takes root.

The Neo-Darwinian synthesis of the mid 20th century means the alignment of the disciplines of genetics, anatomy,

ecology and evolutionary theory.