ANTH 2 Lecture Notes - Forensic Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Primatology
Document Summary
Anthropology is the study of humankind in the past and the present. Such a complex topic requires a holistic approach: biology, history, and culture are all important. There are four fields of specializations: biological: the study of humans as physical and biological entities. It focuses on genetic and physical features of humans. Human paleontology: analyses biological or chemical data from ancient human remains (fossils) to understand human origins (different than archeology because paleontology focuses on humans rather than objects). Forensic anthropology: analyses and identifies recent human remains to identify them and understand what happened. Primatology: a research on behavior of our closest animal relatives (primates) to better understand human behaviors, such as cooperation, competition, and mate selection. Researchers of contemporary human variation: they measure blood, body size, dna, health indicators, etc. to relate these things to mate selection, parental care, and fitness.
