1. Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Flashcards based on notes

Archaeologist Octavio del Rio

spotted bones while diving in caves along the Caribbean coast of Mexico

They were able to reconstruct 80% of a human structure that they named “Eve of Naharon”

dated to 13,600 years ago

In underwater caves - Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

archaeologists have found eight well-preserved skeletons dated between 9,000 to 13,000 years old

The four major areas that make up the discipline of anthropology

biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology

Biological anthropology

anthropologists study when and how human beings evolved

Cultural anthropologists

focus on similarities and differences among people and society

Cultural relativism

suspending judgment and seeking to understand another culture

Participant-observation

research method that involves living with, observing, and participating in the same activities as the people one studies

Anthropology

a discipline that explores human differences and similarities by investigating our biological and cultural complexity, past and present

Derived from Greek

anthropos means “human” and –logy refers to the “study of”

Margaret Mead

cultural anthropologist who argued that nurture (i.e., socialization) more than nature (i.e., biology) shaped adolescent development

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of Language and how it impacts humans / how it evolved alongside humans

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

the language you speak allows you to think about some things and not other things - aka. linguistic relativity hypothesis

Excavation

the method of carefully digging and removing sediment to uncover remains

Applied Anthropology

the application of anthropological theories, methods, and findings to solve real-world problems

Paul Farmer

An applied anthropologist who took action to help relieve the suffering of Haitians - founded a nonprofit organization that establishes health clinics in resource-poor countries

Anthropological Approaches

Holism, comparison, dynamism, and fieldwork

Holism

The idea that the parts of a system interconnect and interact to make up the whole

Comparison

Using comparative approaches to compare and contrast data within a population or from the same group overtime

Dynamism

Describes our abilities as humans and societies to be able to change both biologically and culturally

Fieldwork

Any form of data collection that is used to gain more knowledge

Physical Anthropology

An early discipline (18th century) that focused mostly on physical variation among humans

6 Subfields within Biological Anthropology

primatology, paleoanthropology, molecular anthropology, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and human biology

Primatology

the study of anatomy, behaviour, ecology, and genetics of living and extinct nonhuman primates

Paleoanthropology

the study of human ancestors to learn how they evolved

Paleoanthropologists

typically rely on fossilized remains, DNA, artifacts

Molecular Anthropology

the study of using molecular techniques (primarily genetics) to compare ancient and modern populations

Molecular anthropologists

can estimate how closely related two populations are and identify population events (ex. population decline) by examining DNA sequences

Bioarchaeology

the study of human skeletal remains to learn abojut enterie populations to reveal biological and cultural patterns

Bioarchaeology research methods

skeletal biology, mortuary studies, osteology, and archaeology

Forensic Anthropology

the study of developing a biological profile for unidentified individuals (estimating sex, age at death, height, ancestry etc) and they may go to a crime scene to assist law enforcement

Human Biology

Many biological anthropologists do work that falls under this label

Science is a body of knowledge and the process of learning that knowledge

4 sections of science

Science studies the physical and natural world and how it works

Scientific investigation is generally focused on natural phenomena and natural processes - excludes the supernatural

Scientific explanations must be testable and refutable

Scientific hypotheses rely on empirical evidence, are testable, and are able to be refuted

Science relies on empirical (observable) evidence

Empirical - observable evidence

Science involves the scientific community

Scientists pay attention to what others have done before them and present new ideas to each others

Theory

An explanation of observations that typically addresses a wide range of phenomena

Law

A prediction about what will happen given certain conditions; typically mathematical

Knowledge system

A unified way of knowing that is shared by a group of people and used to explain and predict phenomena

Scientific understanding

Knowledge accumulated by systematic scientific study

Belief

A firmly held opinion or conviction typically based on spiritual apprehension rather than empirical proof

Faith

Complete trust or confidence in religion - typically based on spiritual apprehension rather than empirical proof