Biological anthropology, or physical anthropology is a branch of anthropology that studies the mechanisms of biological evolution, genetic inheritance, human adaptability and variation, primatology, primate morphology, and the fossil record of human evolution.
Physical anthropology was developed in the 19th century, prior to the rise of Alfred Russel Wallace's and Charles Darwin's theories of natural selection and Gregor Mendel's work on genetics. Physical anthropology was so called because all of its data was physical (fossils, especially human bones). With the rise of Darwinian theory and the modern synthesis, anthropologists had access to new forms of data, and many began to call themselves "biological anthropologists."citation needed
Some of the early branches of physical anthropology, such as some of the early studies in anthropometry, have been criticised. Metrics such as the cephalic index were often used to derive behavioral characteristics.citation needed
Branches
- Primatology, the study of primates,
- Human adaptation, the study of human adaptive responses (physiological, developmental, and genetic) to environmental stress and variation (see also biomedical anthropology, human biology).
- Human biology, an interdisciplinary academic field of biology, biological anthropology, nutrition and medicine which focuses on international, population-level perspectives on health, and on human evolution, adaptation, and population genetics rather than individual diagnosis (see also biomedical anthropology, human adaptation).
- Human evolution including:
- Neuroanthropology, the study of the evolution of the human brain, and of culture as a neurological adaptation of the species to its environment.
The study of human evolution often involves other specializations:
- Human osteology, the study of skeletal material. Experts in osteology are able to apply their skills and knowledge to other areas:
- Paleopathology, which studies the traces of disease and injury in human skeletons
- Forensic anthropology, the analysis and identification of human remains in the service of coroners or medical examiners. This research often provides law enforcement with important evidence.
Renowned biological anthropologists
A head measuring instrument used by 19th century anthropologists to measure such parameters as
cephalic index.
Randy Skelton
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