¶ … evolution is in terms of physical anthropology .
Physical anthropology deals with the twin questions of how we became human and what it means to be human. To understand these questions, we need to turn to evolution and so evolution describes how synthesis of adaption to environment and mutation of genes, that transpired over the cause of millions of years, shaped the human race in a virtually all ways from physical, to psychological, to social and so forth.
Seeing our relatedness to the animal race makes us realize that we are not a distinct, or rather, separate species but that we are linked in relationship to all other genera in the world and it is these roots that shape our particular humanoid characteristics
Two concepts, in other words, shape the discipline of physical anthropology and both of these come from our understanding of the impact of evolution. The first is the concept of biological continuity; that we are an ongoing part of a chain that stretches millions of years. The second concept is that of uniformitarianism, i.e. Understanding that the same forces that shaped our lives in the past do so in the present too.
2) Define evolution (using textbook and lecture notes)
Evolution is the discussion of mutation of a specimen. There are two prime ways that a specimen can change or 'evolve': (a) via changes in the environment otherwise called adaptation, b) via changes / mutations in the genes.
In the first instance, changes in the environment cause individuals to react in response to those changes and slant themselves in a certain way so as to survive. This modifies certain attributes of the individual which genetic inheritance transmits as typological change.
Secondly, mutations in genes, such as intermarriage, introduces other evolutionary change with one hitherto specific pool becoming more distinct.
These two prime drives / mechanisms of evolution result in the global micro and macro diversity.
In short as Chapter 3 says, "the evolution of new species -- speciaiton -- is based, as is the modification of new species,...
Thus, in order to study a concept with which he or she is familiar with in some way, a physical anthropologist will most probably employ a typical anthropological analysis, which he or she uses every time they study a culture. Using physical anthropology as a form of studying evolutions means that you have to refrain from expressing biased opinions and treat the matter similarly to how you treat any
What was black in 1940 is different from what is black in 2000. Certainly, with the evolution of whiteness, what was white in 1920 - as a Jew I was not white then, but I'm white now, so white has changed tremendously" (Goodman 2003). The views of biological anthropologists on race have varied widely throughout the ages, almost as much as human physical differences of dress, skin, hair, and size.
The combination of this information, however, forms a firm foundation for scientific research. Archeology has long been a laboratory for evolutionary studies and the field of physical anthropology has relied heavily upon archeology for documenting much of its research into the lifestyles of the ancient people that they have investigated. With the advent of DNA technology, anthropologists have been able to use the archeological specimens to trace the domestication of
evolution of man from the earliest australopithecine through to the three branches of the "family tree" to the dead end species of neanderthalensis and finally to modern homo sapiens: The Ancestry of Man Modern man has only been active within the archaeological time scale for a relative short time. Yet anatomically modern man did not just spring up from nowhere, he comes from a long line or hominids that extends back
Anthropology Review and Critique: Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspectives The textbook by Brettell and Sargent on the myriad and diverse studies of gender is not only written with excellent scholarship and with a style that is engaging, but the subject selections - and their order of placement - contribute to a wholly informative presentation. Even the introductions to each section are interesting and informative; indeed, a bright, alert reader could digest just
Technological innovations were common as mankind learned to communicate with one another. Working in social groups early humans discovered tools, methods for controlling fire and using the wheel and eventual begin developing methods for "recording and communicating message" to one another, resulting in "the creation of larger societal units, hierarchical differentiation and specialized division of labor" (Laszlo, 2001: 654). Language communication and development have made possible faster growth, more complexity
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