Introduction to Physical Anthropology

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Chapter 1

• Introduction to Physical Anthropology

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Hominids

• Humans are hominids, belonging to the taxonomic
  family Hominidae.
• Bipedalism, walking on two legs, is a critical
  feature of the hominids.
• Humans are members of the Order Primates, the
  group of mammals that includes prosimians,
  monkeys and apes.

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Early Hominid Footprints - Laetoli, Tanzania

• The tracks to the left were made by one
  individual, while those to the right appear to
  have been formed by two individuals, the second
  stepping in the tracks of the first.

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Species

• A group of organisms that can interbreed to
  produce fertile offspring.

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Evolution

• A change in the genetic structure of a
  population.

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Adaptation

• An anatomical, physiological, or behavioral
  response of organisms or populations to the
  environment.

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Evolution

• Microevolution
• Macroevolution

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Culture

• Culture is the strategy by which humans adapt to
  the natural environment.
• Culture is learned

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Biocultural Evolution

• Over time, culture and biology interacted so that
  humans are said to be the result of biocultural
  evolution.

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Culture

• Strategies humans use to adapt to their
  environment

• technologies
• subsistence patterns
• housing types
• clothing

• religion
• marriage and family
• values
• gender roles

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Worldview

• General cultural orientation or perspective
  shared by members of a society.

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Behavior

• Anything organisms do that involves action in
  response to internal or external stimuli.
• The response of an individual, group, or species
  to its environment.

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What Is Anthropology?

• The study of humankind.
• Integrates sociology, economics, history,
  psychology, and biology.
• Comprises four subfields
• Cultural anthropology
• Linguistics
• Archaeology
• Physical (or biological) anthropology

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Cultural Anthropology

• The study of all aspects of contemporary human
  behavior.
• Ethnography
• Traditional cultures
• Modern/western cultures

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Archaeology

• Study and interpretation of material remains
  recovered from earlier cultures.
• Information about culture comes from artifacts
  and material culture left by humans.

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Linguistic Anthropology

• Study of the origin of language and speech.
• The use of language is a unique human
  characteristic.

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Physical Anthropology

• Study of human biology in the framework of
  evolution.
• Subfields
• Paleoanthropology - human evolution
• Anthropometry - measurement of body parts
• Primatology study of nonhuman primates
• Osteology study of skeletons

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Paleoanthropology

• Paleoanthropologists excavating at the Drimolen
  site, South Africa.

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Primate paleontology

• The study of the primate fossil record that
  extends back to the beginning of primate
  evolution some 60 million years ago (mya).
• Virtually every year, fossil-bearing beds in
  North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe yield new
  discoveries.
• By studying fossil primates and comparing them
  with anatomically similar living species, primate
  paleontologists are learning a great deal about
  factors such as diet or locomotion in earlier
  forms.

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Anthropometry

• Anthropology student using spreading to measure
  cranial length.

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Modern Population Studies

• This researcher is using a treadmill test to
  assess a subjects heart rate, blood pressure,
  and oxygen consumption.

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Modern Population Studies

• Dr. Kathleen Galvin measures upper arm
  circumference in a young Maasai boy in Tanzania.
• Data derived from various body measurements,
  including height and weight, were used in a
  health and nutrition study of groups of Maasai
  cattle herders.

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Genetics and DNA

• Genetics is the study of gene structure and
  action and the patterns of inheritance of traits
  from parent to offspring.
• Genetic mechanisms are the foundation for
  evolutionary change.
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the
  double-stranded molecule that contains the
  genetic code.
• DNA is a main component of chromosomes.

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Cloning

• Cloning and sequencing methods are frequently
  used to identify genes in humans and nonhuman
  primates.
• This graduate student identifies a genetically
  modified bacterial clone.

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Primatology

• The study of nonhuman primates.

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Primatology

• Yahaya Alamasi, a member of the senior field
  staff at Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
• Alamasi is recording behaviors in free-ranging
  chimpanzees.

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Osteology

• The study of the skeleton.
• A thorough knowledge of skeletal structure and
  function is critical to the interpretation of
  fossil material.
• Paleopathology

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Forensic Anthropology

• An applied anthropological approach
• Forensic anthropologists identify and analyze
  human remains.

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Forensic Anthropology

• Physical anthropologists Lorna Pierce (left) and
  Judy Suchey (center) working as forensic
  consultants.
• The dog has just located a concealed human
  cranium during a training session.

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Forensic Anthropology

• Forensic anthropologists at the location on
  Staten Island where all materials from the World
  Trade Center were taken for investigation after
  September 11, 2001.
• The scientists are wearing HAZMAT (hazardous
  materials) suits for protection.

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Human Anatomy

• Dr. Linda Levitch teaching a human anatomy class
  at the University of North Carolina School of
  Medicine.

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Science

• A body of knowledge gained through observation
  and experimentation from the Latin scientia,
  meaning knowledge.
• A hypotheses is a provisional explanation of a
  phenomenon.
• Hypotheses require verification or falsification
  through testing.
• Empirical means to rely on experiment or
  observation.

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Western Science Methods

• Analysis
• Inductive
• Deductive

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Scientific Method

• Data
• Hypothesis
• Theory/Law
• Publish
• Methods
• Empirical observations
• Objective
• Subjective

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Scientific Testing

• The 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.

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Physical Anthropologyand the Scientific Method

1. State the research problem.
2. Develop a hypothesis.
3. Test the hypothesis through data collection and
   analysis.
4. If the hypothesis is verified, it becomes a
   theory.

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Anthropological Perspective

• A broad perspective that helps us understand the
  diversity of the human experience within the
  context of biological and behavioral continuity
  with other species.
• By learning about cultures other than our own, we
  can avoid an ethnocentric view of other cultures.
  
• By recognizing that we have similarities with
  other animals, we may recognize that they have a
  place in nature just as we do.

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Ethnocentric

• Viewing other cultures from the inherently biased
  perspective of ones own culture.
• Ethnocentrism often results in other cultures
  being seen as inferior to ones own.

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• For Next Week Read Chapters 2 and 3