Biological Anthropology

May 1, 2024

4 Views 3 comments

SaveSavedRemoved 0

Biological Anthropology

1. Introduction to Biological Anthropology

This text will be on the high broad perspective of anthropology, biological anthropology, and the reasons for studying in the world today. A) The study of the type of living human or animal known as variation. Within this field, we are looking at different types of people, something that has been a very important topic worldwide for centuries, though no one talks about it today. We also look at the relationships between what we eat and our health, and the same for animals. We research the diet and how it affects behavior. This can be very relevant to what’s going on in the world today since the diet of the western world has changed and could be getting worse in generations to come. Next, we look into the causes and effects of biological underdevelopment in humans and animals. One example that can be used for humans is the death of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen, where recent studies and x-rays show that the king was just a teenager when he passed away. In our search toward answering these questions, we combine the use of lab and field methodologies to examine the skeletal remains and living populations of humans and non-human primates. This study into the differences between animals and humans today is known as the 2) looking for a comparison of pattern and process in human evolution and non-human primates. There are still many differences between the two, and by studying today’s primates, we can have a better understanding of how things were for early man.

2. Human Evolution

There was much initial confusion about their relationships and their status in early primate evolution, but much of this has been resolved by the use of molecular techniques and the sequencing of primate genomes. This has resulted in a variety of macaque species becoming the favored target for bridging the results found in laboratory mice and those in Homo sapiens.

From the Late Eocene Epoch to the present, the Prosimii, which was created to include the tarsiers and various lower primate groups, is no longer an official order because it is now considered paraphyletic. These groups have been subsumed into the new higher primate (Euprimates) orders, the Strepsirhini (lemurs, lorises, and related fossil species), and the Haplorhini, which includes Tarsiiformes and the rest of the Euprimates. These orders exhibit ecological diversity but still have notable regional specializations. During Homer Montgomery’s 1949 study of primate evolution, he noted that the skeletal complexities found in the feet and hands of primates signaled an evolution towards varied and highly specialized locomotion.

Evolution of primates during the Tertiary has been considered paraphyletic, as it excludes some extinct groups related to the included clades. One alternative definition posits that a paraphyletic group is one that is inadequately distinct, in other words, not diagnosable. According to this definition, the primates are a true group based on the characteristics of the fossils and supported by the molecular evidence.

3. Primatology and Primate Behavior

Adaptations for life With the study of primates, we can look at many different behaviors and traits to help us understand where and how they evolved. In a process termed adaptation, a trait or behavior is adopted by a group of animals to make them better suited for survival and reproduction. A particular set of behaviors is well-suited to a function in the context of evolutionary theory revealed through observations of threats to survival and/or reproduction. For example, the concept of dominance hierarchy is greatly applicable to many primate species and can likely give us insights into the behaviors of early hominids and human history. Kin selection is also a concept that is exhibited in primate behavior and can help us understand altruism and ways of thinking in relation to natural human behavior. By understanding particular behaviors and traits we can assume to be beneficial for survival and reproduction, we can better understand how they evolved and led to the diversification of species.

Introduction Primates are an order of animals including prosimians, monkeys, apes, and anthropoids, including modern man. These groups of animals are considered the closest relatives to humans. Within Biological Anthropology, it has been extremely beneficial to study primatology. The study of these animals has led to findings that have helped anthropologists better understand human behaviors and thought processes. Primatology is beneficial because we can study many behaviors and ways of life often thought to be similar to our own in both controlled and wild environments.

4. Human Variation and Adaptation

Skin color is a result of adaptation to UV light. Light skin is the result of selection against skin cancer, osteoporosis, and other conditions caused by depigmentation of the skin with the spread of hominid and agriculture. UV light catalyzes the production of vitamin D, a nutrient essential for proper development of the skeletal system and the maintenance of dental health. In order for people living in areas with low UV light to synthesize enough vitamin D, they must compensate for the lack of UV light. This is done by consuming dietary vitamin D and/or increased exposure to UV light. With the spread of agriculture and hominid, dietary vitamin D became the primary source because the darkly pigmented skin of these people impeded the synthesis of vitamin D.

Dark skin is advantageous in protecting one against the harmful effects of the sun. Dark skin reflects strong selective pressure, thus an expected relationship should exist between skin color and climate. People living closer to the equator should have more heavily pigmented skin while those living in northern, more temperate climates should have lighter skin. This basic trend holds true, but there are many exceptions. For example, there are darkly pigmented people living in areas with temperate climates and lighter pigmented people living in tropical areas.

On the skin chart, one must also be cautious because it does not take into account too many of the variations found in human skin color. Skin color is the least reliable characteristic to be used to classify human groups. One should not assume that just because two individuals share the same skin color, they then belong to the same human group. Skin color, as well as most other physical features in humans, exhibit a clinal variation, thus making it very difficult to classify groups of humans according to their physical differences. Clinal variation refers to the fact that a trait changes gradually over a geographic area. In the case of skin color, skin pigmentation ranges from complete depigmentation to very darkly pigmented skin, with many shades in between.

5. Forensic Anthropology

Forensic anthropology encompasses the application of the science of physical or biological anthropology to the legal process. It is probably the single subfield of anthropology that is best known by the general public. This can be attributed partly to the popularity of television series such as Bones, Law & Order, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation—all of which feature the capability of forensic anthropologists to create detailed types of biological profiles from skeletal remains (age, sex, stature, ancestry, unique features), identify the skeletal remains and determine cause of death, and provide invaluable information in terms of testimony that can be used in the court of law.

Popular cases that have been tried in court by forensic anthropologists include the investigation and subsequent trial of war crimes (Yugoslavia, Rwanda, etc.), the recovery of remains and identification of victims at mass disasters/combat situations (September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, etc.) and modern murder cases (Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, etc.). This popularity is also probably due to sensationalism attributed to the nature of forensic work and its portrayal in the media.