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BiologicalanthropologyFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Biologicalanthropology,alsoknownasphysicalanthropology,isascientificdisciplineconcernedwiththebiologicalandbehavioralaspectsofhumanbeings,theirrelatednonhumanprimatesandtheirextincthomininancestors.[1]Itisasubfieldofanthropologythatprovidesabiologicalperspectivetothesystematicstudyofhumanbeings.

Contents

1Branches2History3Humanbiology4Biomedicalanthropology5Seealso6Notablebiologicalanthropologists7References8Furtherreading9Externallinks

Branches

Asasubfieldofanthropology,biologicalanthropologyitselfisfurtherdividedintoseveralbranches.Allbranchesareunitedintheircommonapplicationofevolutionarytheorytounderstandinghumanmorphologyandbehavior.

Paleoanthropology,thestudyoffossilevidenceforhumanevolution,studyingextincthominidandotherprimatespeciestodeterminetheenvironmentintowhichmodernhumansevolved,andhowourspeciesdispersedtoeventuallycovermuchoftheearth'slandmass.Primatology,thestudyofnonhumanprimatebehavior,morphology,andgenetics.Reasonsviahomologyandanalogytoinferhowandwhysimilarhumantraitsevolved.Humanbehavioralecology,thestudyofbehavioraladaptations(foraging,reproduction,ontogeny)fromtheevolutionaryandecologicperspectives,(seebehavioralecology).Humanadaptation,thestudyofhumanadaptiveresponses(physiologic,developmental,genetic)toenvironmentalstressesandvariation.Humanbiology,aninterdisciplinaryfieldofbiology,biologicalanthropology,nutritionandmedicine,concentratesuponinternational,populationlevelperspectivesonhealth,evolution,adaptationandpopulationgenetics.

Bioarchaeology,thestudyofpasthumanculturesthroughexaminationofhumanremainsrecoveredinanarchaeologicalcontext.Theexaminedhumanremainsusuallycomprisesbones,butmayincludepreservedsofttissue.Researchersinbioarchaeologycombinetheskillsetsofhumanosteology,paleopathology,andarchaeology,andoftenconsiderthemortuarycontextoftheremainsinthefinalanalysis.

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JohannFriedrichBlumenbach

FranzBoas

AleHrdlika

Paleopathologyisthestudyofdiseaseinantiquity.Thisstudyfocusesnotonlyonpathogenicconditionsobservableinbonesormummifiedsofttissue,butalsoonnutritionaldisorders,variationinstatureorthemorphologyofbonesovertime,evidenceofphysicaltrauma,orevidenceofoccupationallyderivedbiomechanicstress.

Forensicanthropology,theapplicationofosteology,paleopathology,archaeology,andotheranthropologicaltechniquesfortheidentificationofmodernhumanremainsorthereconstructionofeventssurroundingaperson'sdeath.

History

Scientificphysicalanthropologybeganinthe18thcenturywiththestudyofracialclassification.[2]Inthe1830sand1840s,physicalanthropologywasprominentinthedebateaboutslavery,withthescientific,monogenistworksoftheBritishabolitionistJamesCowlesPrichard(17861848)opposingthoseoftheAmericanpolygenistSamuelGeorgeMorton(17991851).Thefirstprominentphysicalanthropologist,theGermanphysicianJohannFriedrichBlumenbach(17521840)ofGttingen,amassedalargecollectionofhumanskulls.

Inthelatter19thcenturyFrenchphysicalanthropologists,ledbyPaulBroca(18241880),focusedoncraniometrywhiletheGermantradition,ledbyRudolfVirchow(18211902),emphasizedtheinfluenceofenvironmentanddiseaseuponthehumanbody.Americanthoughthasevolvedduringthefourfieldapproach,skeletons,artifacts,languageandcultureandmany(waysoflife),baseduponstudy'sontheremainsoftheNorthAmericanhomininclade.

In1897ColumbiaUniversityappointedFranzBoas(18581942)asaphysicalanthropologistforhisexpertiseinmeasuringschoolchildrenandcollectingInuitskeletons.FromhisGermaneducationandtraining,Boasemphasizedthemutabilityofthehumanformandminimizedrace(thenabiologysynonym)infavorofculture.AlesHrdlicka(18691943),aphysician,studiedphysicalanthropologyinFranceunderLeonceManouvrierbeforeworkingattheSmithsonianInstitutionfrom1902.

EarnestHooton(18871954),aClassicsPhDfromtheUniversityofWisconsin,enteredanthropologyasanOxfordRhodesScholarunderR.R.MarettandtheanatomistArthurKeith.HarvardUniversityhiredHootonin1913hetrainedmostAmericanphysicalanthropologistsofthecomingdecades,beginningwithHarryL.ShapiroandCarletonS.Coon,andstruggledtodifferentiatephysicalanthropologyfromracism.[3]TherewasmuchintellectualcontinuitywithGermanssuchasEugenFischer,FritzLenzandErwinBaur.[4]

In1951SherwoodWashburn,aHootonalumnus,introduceda"newphysicalanthropology."[5]Hechangedthefocusfromracialtypologytoconcentrateuponthestudyofhumanevolution,movingawayfromclassificationtowardsevolutionaryprocess.Anthropologyexpandedtocomprehendpaleoanthropologyandprimatology.[6]

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Humanbiology

Humanbiologyisaninterdisciplinaryacademicfieldconsistingofcontributionsfrombiology,anthropology,andmedicinewhichfocusesonhumansitiscloselyrelatedtoprimatebiology,andanumberofotherfields.

Biomedicalanthropology

Biomedicalanthropologyisasubfieldofanthropology,predominantlyfoundinUSacademicandpublichealthsettings,thatincorporatesperspectivesfromthebiologicalandmedicalanthropologysubfields.Incontrasttomuchofmedicalanthropology,itdoesnotgenerallytakeacriticalapproachtobiomedicineandWesternmedicine.Instead,itseekstoimprovemedicalpracticeandbiomedicalsciencethroughtheholisticintegrationofcrossculturalorbiocultural,behavioral,andepidemiologicalperspectivesonhealth.Asanacademicdiscipline,biomedicalanthropologyiscloselyrelatedtohumanbiology.

Currently,theonlyaccrediteddegreeprograminbiomedicalanthropologyisatBinghamtonUniversity[1](http://biomedical.binghamton.edu).Otheranthropologydepartments,suchasthatoftheUniversityofWashington,[7]offerbiomedicaltrackswithinmoretraditionalbiologicalorbioculturalanthropologyprograms.

Seealso

EthologyEvolutionarybiologyPaleontologyEvolutionarypsychologyPrimatologyPhysiognomySociobiologyCraniometry

Notablebiologicalanthropologists

JohnLawrenceAngelGeorgeJ.Armelagos(born1936)WilliamM.BassJaneE.Buikstra(born1945)RobertCorrucciniRaymondDartEgonFreiherrvonEickstedtLindaFediganA.RobertoFrisancho(born1939)JaneGoodallColinGrovesYohannesHaileSelassieRalphHolloway(born1935)DonaldJohansonRobertJurmain

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References1. Jurmain,R,etal(2013),IntroductiontoPhysicalAnthropology,Belmont,CA:CengageLearning.2. Marks,J.(1995)HumanBiodiversity:Genes,Race,andHistory.NewYork:AldinedeGruyter.3. Hooton,E.A.(1936)PlainStatementsAboutRace,Science,83:511513.4. Baur,E.,Fischer,E.,andLenz,F.(1931)HumanHeredity,EdenPaulandCedarPaul,translators.NewYork:

Macmillan,5. Washburn,S.L.(1951)TheNewPhysicalAnthropology,TransactionsoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciences,

SeriesII,13:298304.6. Haraway,D.(1988)RemodellingtheHumanWayofLife:SherwoodWashburnandtheNewPhysical

Anthropology,19501980,inBones,Bodies,Behavior:EssaysonBiologicalAnthropology,oftheHistoryofAnthropology,v.5,G.Stocking,ed.,Madison,Wisc.,UniversityofWisconsinPress,pp.206259.

7. "Anthropology:AcademicPrograms:AdditionalSpecialtyAreas:MedicalAnthropologyandGlobalHealth"(http://depts.washington.edu/anthweb/programs/medical.php).Depts.washington.edu.Retrieved20120813.

Furtherreading

MichaelA.LittleandKennethA.R.Kennedy,eds.HistoriesofAmericanPhysicalAnthropologyintheTwentiethCentury,(LexingtonBooks2010)259pagesessaysonthefieldfromthelate19thtothelate20thcenturytopicsincludeSherwoodL.Washburn(19112000)andthe"newphysicalanthropology"Brown,RyanAandArmelagos,George,"ApportionmentofRacialDiversity:AReview",EvolutionaryAnthropology10:34402001(http://www.stanford.edu/class/ihum62/pdf/brown_armelagos2001.pdf)ModernHumanVariation:ModelsofClassification(http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/vary_2.htm)

Externallinks

RobertJurmainLouisLeakeyMaryLeakeyRichardLeakey(born1944)FrankB.Livingstone(19282005)OwenLovejoyRussellMittermeierDouglasW.Owsley(born1951)DavidPilbeamKathyReichs(KathleenJoanToelleReichs)PardisSabeti(born1975)EugenieC.Scott(born1945)MeredithSmallPhillipV.Tobias(born1925)DouglasH.Ubelaker(born1946)SherwoodWashburn(19112000)DavidWattsTimWhite(born1950)MilfordH.Wolpoff(born1942)RichardWrangham

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LookupsomatotypesinWiktionary,thefreedictionary.

AmericanAssociationofPhysicalAnthropologists(http://www.physanth.org/)BritishAssociationofBiologicalAnthropologistsandOsteoarchaeologists(http://www.babao.org.uk/)HumanBiologyAssociation(http://www.humbio.org/)CanadianAssociationforPhysicalAnthropology(http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~chan/capa/)HomoerectusandHomoneanderthalensisreconstructions(http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/research/recon_wiki.htm)ElectronicarticlespublishedbytheDivisionofAnthropology,AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory.IstitutoItalianodiAntropologia(http://www.isitaorg.com/isita/index.htm)JournalofAnthropologicalSciences(http://www.isitaorg.com/jass/)freefulltextreviewarticlesavailableMappingTransdisciplinarityinAnthropology(http://homepage.uibk.ac.at/~c720126/humanethologie/ws/medicus/block1/MappingISBN1594542120.pdf)pdfFundamentalTheoryofHumanSciences(http://homepage.uibk.ac.at/~c720126/humanethologie/ws/medicus/block1/TheoryHumanSci.ppt)pptHumanBiologyAssociation(http://www.humbio.org/)AmericanJournalofHumanBiology(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%2915206300)HumanBiology,TheInternationalJournalofPopulationGeneticsandAnthropology(http://www.humbiol.com/)EconomicsandHumanBiology(http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/622964/editorialboard)LaboratoryforHumanBiologyResearchatNorthwesternUniversity(http://groups.anthropology.northwestern.edu/lhbr/)ThePrograminHumanBiologyatStanford(http://humbio.stanford.edu)SocietyfortheStudyofHumanBiologySymposiumSeries(http://www.cambridge.org/uk/series/sSeries.asp?code=SSHB)ScottishQualificationsAuthority(http://www.sqa.org.uk)SocietyforNordishPhysicalAnthropology(http://www.theapricity.com/snpa/index2.htm)

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