Chapter 1, Introduction

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Chapter 1, Introduction

• Key Terms

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• Hominidae The taxonomic family to which humans
  belong also includes other, now extinct, bipedal
  relatives.
• Hominids Members of the family Hominidae.

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• BipedallyOn two feet. Walking habitually on two
  legs is the single most distinctive feature of
  the family Hominidae.
• Species A group of organisms that can interbreed
  to produce fertile offspring. Members of one
  species cannot mate with members of other species
  to produce fertile offspring.

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• Primate A member of the order of mammals
  Primates which includes prosimians, monkeys,
  apes, and humans.
• Culture All aspects of human adaptation,
  including technology, traditions, language,
  religion, marriage patterns, and social roles. A
  set of learned behaviors transmitted from one
  generation to the next by nonbiological means.

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• Evolution A change in the genetic structure of a
  population. The term is also frequently used to
  refer to the appearance of a new species.
• World view General cultural orientation or
  perspective shared by members of a society.

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• Biocultural evolutionThe mutual, interactive
  evolution of human biology and culture the
  concept that biology makes culture possible and
  that developing culture influences the direction
  of biological evolution.
• Adaptation Functional response of organisms or
  populations to the environment. Adaptation
  results from evolutionary change, specifically as
  a result of natural selection.

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• AnthropologyThe field of inquiry that studies
  human culture and evolutionary aspects of human
  biology includes cultural anthropology,
  archaeology, linguistics, and physical (or
  biological) anthropology.
• Ethnographies Detailed descriptive studies of
  human societies. In cultural anthropology, an
  ethnography is traditionally the study of a
  non-Western society.

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• Artifacts Objects or materials made or modified
  for use by hominids. The earliest artifacts tend
  to be tools made of stone or, occasionally,
  bone.
• Material culture The physical manifestations of
  human activities includes tools, art, and
  structures.

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• Paleoanthropology The interdisciplinary approach
  to the study of earlier hominidstheir
  chronology, physical structure, archaeological
  remains, habitats, etc.
• Anthropometry Measurement of human body parts.
  When osteologists measure skeletal elements, the
  term osteometry is often used.

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• Genetics The study of gene structure and action
  and the patterns of inheritance of traits from
  parent to offspring. Genetic mechanisms are the
  underlying foundation for evolutionary change.
• Primatology The study of the biology and
  behavior of nonhuman primates (prosimians,
  monkeys, and apes).

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• Osteology The study of skeletal material. Human
  osteology focuses on the interpretation of the
  skeletal remains of past groups.
• Forensic anthropology An applied anthropological
  approach dealing with legal matters. Physical
  anthropologists work with coroners and others in
  the identification and analysis of human remains.

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• Paleopathology The branch of osteology that
  studies the evidence of disease and injury in
  human skeletal (or, occasionally, mummified)
  remains.
• Science A body of knowledge gained through
  observation and experimentation from the Latin
  scientia, meaning knowledge.

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• Empirical Relying on experiment or observation
  from the Latin empiricus, meaning experienced.
• Scientific method A research method whereby a
  problem is identified, a hypothesis is stated,
  and that hypothesis is tested through collection
  and analysis of data. If the hypothesis is
  verified, it becomes a theory.

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• Data Facts from which conclusions can be drawn
  scientific information. Quantitatively In a
  manner involving measurements of quantity and
  including such properties as size, number, and
  capacity.
• Hypothesis A provisional explanation of a
  phenomenon. Hypotheses require verification.

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• Scientific testingThe precise repetition of an
  experiment or expansion of observed data to
  provide verification the procedure by which
  hypotheses and theories are verified, modified,
  or discarded.
• Theory A broad statement of scientific
  relationships or underlying principles that has
  been at least partially verified.

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• Ethnocentric Viewing other cultures from the
  inherently biased perspective of ones own
  culture. Ethnocentrism often results in cultures
  being seen as inferior to ones own.
• Continuum A set of relationships in which all
  components fall along a single integrated
  spectrum. All life respects a single biological
  continuum.