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examining not only their anatomy and physiology but also their reproduction and the
effects of social status and other factors on their growth and development.
Shrichakradhar.com
Biological anthropology (also called physical anthropology), then, is an interesting
mixture of social studies and biological studies; several other ingredients make it even
more fascinating. The two primary concept areas that tend to hold biological
anthropology together are human evolution and human biosocial variation; there are
many topics that can be studied within these two concept areas.
In order to grasp how humans evolved from earlier life forms, we can look at our closest
relatives, the primates. Primates include us (Homo sapiens), the apes, the monkeys, and
prosimians, such as the lemur. We can learn about primate behavior by studying them
in the wild, as Jane Goodall did with chimpanzees in Africa, or by studying them in
small captive colonies. These studies by primatologists are particularly important now
because many primates are endangered animals, and our knowledge of their behavior
and environment may help them and us to survive in the future.
However, since the late 1950s with the breakthrough in the fields of genetics and
molecular biology, the interest of the physical anthropologists has shifted to
understanding biological aspects in terms of human genetics, nutrition, physiological
adaptation, growth and development etc. Because of the rapidly growing interest in
biologically oriented topics, many prefer to call the subject biological anthropology.
However, the American Association of Physical Anthropologists still use the term
physical anthropology in their journals. Some anthropologists prefer to name the
subject physical/biological anthropology, covering both the aspects of focus areas of
human beings. 9958947060

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