Physical anthropology “is in large part, human biology seen from an evolutionary perspective” (Jurmaln, Kilgore & Trevathan, 2011). By this statement, I believe the authors mean that physical anthropology studies human biology with an evolutionary viewpoint rather than a scientific or medical viewpoint. Anthropology, as a broader science, is concerned with and studies human culture and the evolutionary aspects of human biology. Since culture affects human beings and human beings affect culture, the two are intertwined, and it therefore, makes sense to study them together. There are other types of anthropology (cultural anthropology, applied anthropology, archeology, forensic anthropology, and linguistic anthropology), but physical anthropology is the specific area that focuses on the biological link between humans and their culture. One of the common links among all areas of anthropology is genetics. But, because it specifically studies human beings, physical anthropology is the primary vehicle for the study of evolution.
Physical anthropology delineated from the nineteenth-century naturalists and natural historians. The naturalists, although rooted in religious beliefs and explanations of the world, were the pioneers of evolutionary science because they began to look for explanations that were not found in religious texts. They explored the natural world. In today’s world, physical anthropologists focus on human variation in order to determine what factors into the physical and genetic variation of humans. Because the human anatomy is a large part of our biological makeup, some physical anthropologists specialize in just studying the human anatomy and physical anthropology is a good basis for other career choices s...
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...generations. If it is a beneficial mutation, then it will likely not only pass on through reproduction, but those offspring will have better odds of reproducing in order to “spread” that trait onto future offspring. This is the process of natural selection. If there are enough changes or the change is drastic enough, a new species can evolve. So, evolution comes about as a result of changes to DNA and some of those changes to DNA can come from external factors such as environment, climate, and culture.
So, physical anthropology incorporates many factors into its' studies. It looks to biology for answers and clues about evolution, but also at humanity overall, which includes culture and environmental factors.
Works Cited
Jurmaln, R., Kilgore, L., & Trevathan, W. (2011). Essentials of physical anthropology. (9th ed., p. 5). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Anthropologists, who study humans and their origins, generally accept that the human species can be categorized into races based on physical and genetic makeup. For example, many slaves had physical differences from their counterpart white race, such as dark skin and wiry hair. Throughout history, the study of Sociology has had a significant impacted the `nature versus nurture' debate. Social Darwinism based its theory on genetic determinism and natural selection, advocating a capitalist economy, promoting racism and the inherent inequality of such as society. Karl Marx, also an advocate for capitalism and slavery, applied the Marxist philosophy to the practice of science, emphasizing environmental influences determined behavior. Max Weber is known his ...
Biological evolution is a change in the characteristics of living organisms over generations (Scott, 2017). A basic mechanism of evolution, the genetic drift, and mutation is natural selection. According to Darwin's theory of evolution, natural selection is a process in nature in which only the organisms best adapted to their environmental surroundings have a higher chance of surviving and transmitting their genetic characters in increasing numbers to succeeding generations while those less adapted tend to be eliminated. There has been many experimental research projects that relate to the topic of natural selection and evolution.
Anthropology is the study of humans through the ages. It aims to understand different cultures and practices that have existed from the origins of mankind as well. It differs from sociology in that it takes into account humans and cultures that no longer exist.
Forensic anthropology is adapted from forensic science and anthropology. Anthropology studies how an entire culture lived its life. It also pertains to the skeletal remains of a person, in order to obtain historical data on the individual
The DNA code, that forms our genes, was the missing key for Darwin to understand how things evolved. DNA does not stay the same, it can be changed by mutations. Mutations are needed to generate variations. Without the mutations things would stay the same generation after generation. Pieces of DNA called a switch can turn certain genes on or off. Genetic Switches helps to create mutations which are sometimes responsible for an entire new species spawning from another. This is how a snake can evolve from a four legged animal, and how a whale 's front flippers has bones inside that resembles
In order to understand Forensic Anthropology we must break it down into the components. According to Oxford American Dictionary the term Forensic is significant to the use of scientific methods to investigate a crime. Anthropology is defined by Oxford American Dictionary as the study of societies, cultures, and human origins. The combination of both, Forensic and Anthropology, consists of applying the principles which are introduced by Anthropologists to solving a crime. Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field but is expected to grow in the upcoming years due how it is being portrayed in books, television shows, classes, and many other resources. The usage of this field is becoming crucial because of how gruesome the crimes being committed by criminals are becoming. Although Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field it requires a lot of education, carries plenty of job responsibilities, and continues to aid in the solving of crimes.
Raybeck, D. (1992). "Getting Below the Surface." In P. R. DeVita (Ed.), The Naked Anthropologist: Tales from Around the World (pp. 73-8). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
Natural selection is driven by reproductive success. If a species can reproduce and its offspring survive than any traits in its genotype that assisted in its survival will be passed on from generation to generation and ensure that the species will live on. Around the time the Theory of Evolution was suggested, society was very religious and very pressed on the Theory of Creation, so the publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection caused a lot of controversy. Darwin gave the world strong evidence that natural selection and evolution played a major role in the development of the species that we see today. Of course natural selection is not the only process driving evolution.
Forensics Anthropology is the study that goes beyond the human skeleton. A forensics anthropologist can find out. How a person lived, the food that person ate, and the overall make-up of a human. The use of forensics has grown in recent years, it is used to solve crimes and locate missing persons. Snow, (1982) Forensics anthropology is not a new science. The first case forensics anthropology was used on was the Jezebel case, dating back to the nineteenth century. This case involved a person, who was thrown from a window. Snow, (1982) The remains found in this case were the skull, feet, and the palm of the victim’s hands.
Mutation happens when the DNA gene gets changed, moves, or is damaged. When this happens it causes the genetic message to be carried by that gene to be different. This process can occur in somatic cells. The somatic cells are all the cells that are a living organism except the reproductive cells, meaning the body. For example, the skin cells on your legs are and will not be passed on to ones offsprings. In addition those leg cells will not effect the evolution. Another occurrence is called gametic mutations, which is in a woman's eggs and or in a man's sperm. These are cells that are and can be passed on to ones offsprings, and they are the essentials for the evolution. There are three effects mutation causes to a species. Species can only takes on one of the three. The three effects are bad, neutral, and good. Having a bad mutation can cause one to have a harder time being able to survive. Having a neutral mutation will not change or help one to survive. Having a good mutation will help one to survive and have a better chance of survival. However, mutation is random in the evolution, and provides raw material for natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow...
Kedia, Satish, and Willigen J. Van (2005). Applied Anthropology: Domains of Application. Westport, Conn: Praeger. pp. 16, 150.
Like physiology, anatomy and biology, evolutionary psychology examines human behaviour from a Darwinian perspective. That is, like physical traits, psychological ...
Evolution is the process through which the genetic makeup of a population changes over generations and is the key focus of paleoanthropologists who specialize in the study of human evolution. Random forces surrounding a particular population have been known to contribute substantially to evolutionary change, not to undermine the impact that adaptation, “a series of beneficial adjustments of organisms to their environment”, has on evolutionary processes. Adaptation is deeply tied to the theory of evolution through a process called natural selection, first theorized by Charles Darwin during his observation of various ecosystems around the world between 1831 and 1836. Natural selection is “the principle or mechanism by which individuals having biological characteristics best suited to a particular environment survive and reproduce with greater frequency than individuals without those characteristics”. Humans are unique in their ability to adapt to changes in their environment both biologically and culturally. As humans developed and continued to expand their territories of inhabitation, an increased
According to the book titled "Anthropology: The Human Challenge", anthropology is the study of humankind in all times and places. Anthropologists research things from the past to the present and for the future (Hayiland, Prins, Walrath & McBride, 2016). An anthropologist uses archives of information for research but more commonly go directly into the field to study and observe. For example, ethnolinguistic goes into the field to study the relationships between language and culture and how they mutually influence and inform each other. An anthropologist is not biased, does not stereotype, but instead looks for facts.
Another mechanism is a hereditable type of evolution is mutations. Mutations are alterations to a gene. Mutation can be harmful, beneficial or neutral. Mutations are the origin of the source of genetic diversity (9).Mutation that are harmful, hinders the chances of the organism chances of survival and are likely to die along with the mutations. Beneficial mutations increase the chances of the individual to survive in its environment, and they will be more likely to reproduce and pass on the gene to future generations (9).