Biological Anthropology Supplementary Materials

What Is Anthropology? ANTH 2301 Biological Anthropology The field of biological anthropology is concerned with the biological variety of modern people as well as the early stages of human development, both socioculturally and biologically. Stated differently, the field of biological anthropology investigates the genesis, progression, and variety of human species. Some biological anthropologists investigate the global distribution of human features, including blood type or dairy digestibility, using genetic data. Some people research fossils to understand the evolution and migration of humans. To learn more about the biological and social similarities between humans and primates, as well as the characteristics that set humans apart from other animals, several researchers have focused on studying these closest animal cousins. After six years of research in Sumatra, Dutch primatologist Carel van Schaik found that orangutans are far more gregarious than previously believed (2004). Van Schaik also noted that orangutans teach their offspring how to utilise a wide range of tools. Van Schaik and other biological anthropologists can learn more about the beginnings of human intelligence, technology, and culture by researching these primates. The existence of our interesting ape cousins is threatened by habitat degradation, illicit poaching, and the exotic pet trade, these experts caution. To address concerns about human evolution, biological anthropologists often integrate findings from monkey research with information from the human fossil record, genetics, neurology, and geography. Their observations might occasionally come as a shock and surprise. According to anthropologist Lynne Isbell, snakes were crucial in the development of human biology, especially our acute sense of vision and our capacity for verbal communication (Isabell, 2009). According to Isbell's "snake detection theory," primates evolved specialised visual perception and the capacity to convey what they saw in order to warn other animals about the danger that poisonous snakes posed to them in their surroundings. She draws attention to the nearly universal dread of snakes that all primates and humans have, and she has compiled evidence of how common snake phobia is in human myth and folklore. Isbell's study demonstrates how the relationship between humans and animals is fundamental to mankind, influencing both biology and culture. Biological anthropologists do not all work with primates. The evolution of early hominins, the evolutionary progenitors of modern humans, is studied by many biological anthropologists through the analysis of fossilised bones. Anthropologists in this field of research take into account the conditions that favoured particular biological and cultural qualities, as well as the development and migration of the many species in the human family tree. A subset of biological anthropologists studies the genetic composition of modern people to understand the distribution of specific genes and characteristics in human populations in various situations. Others study human genetics in an attempt to learn more about the connections between Neanderthals and early modern humans. To solve crimes, forensic anthropology applies biological anthropology's methods. Forensic anthropologists collect and analyse human remains, such as skeletons or decomposing bodies, or tissue samples, such as skin or hair, to learn as much as possible about the individuals and circumstances surrounding a crime. Who died, how they died, and when they died are the important questions. Forensic anthropologists can frequently ascertain the victims' and offenders' ages, sexes, and other distinguishing characteristics. By attentively examining physical injuries and bullet or blood pattern patterns, they are able to put together the crime's narrative. Alongside law enforcement officials and medical specialists in ballistics, toxicology, and other fields, they are used in investigation teams. In murder prosecutions, forensic anthropologists frequently testify about their research. These crimes are not exclusively modern. Forensic anthropology is occasionally utilised to comprehend historical occurrences. William Kelso, an archaeologist, discovered a human skull among food remnants while excavating the famous Jamestown settlement, which was founded by early English immigrants in North America. Upon observing peculiar incisions on the skull, he sought the assistance of Douglas Owsley, a forensic anthropologist employed by the Smithsonian Institution, to interpret the markings. Owsley concluded that the patterns were proof of deliberate, sharp-bladed skull cutting. He came to the conclusion that the 14-year-old girl whose skeleton was found there had been eaten by other settlers after she passed away. This perspective supports historical evidence that the colony experienced acute famine during the hard winter of 1609–1610.