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Discovering Physical Anthropology
Norton Media Library Our Origins Discovering Physical Anthropology First Edition by Clark Spencer Larsen
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DISCOVERING PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Chapter 1 Clark Spencer Larsen Our Origins DISCOVERING PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Chapter 1 What is Physical Anthropology? ©2008 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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FIGURE 1.1 Spanish Mission Sites
Spanish colonization relied on the establishment of missions north and west of St. Augustine, Florida, along the coast of Georgia and the panhandle of northern Florida. These sites, such as Mission Santa Catalina de Guale (on St. Catherines Island), provide insight into (inset) what the missions might have looked like. Researchers have reconstructed the lifestyles of the Indians and the Spanish colonizers who inhabited the sites: by studying their skeletons, the researchers assessed how the inhabitants changed biologically following colonization.
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Chapter One What Is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of humankind. Viewed from perspective of all peoples and all times Four subfields Cultural anthropology Studies present-day people Culture defined as transmitted, learned behavior Archaeology Studies past human societies Focuses on material remains and the processes behind them Humans are a result of a combination of inherited (biological) traits and cultural (learned) traits. Anthropology focuses on a broad, comparative (holistic) approach.
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Chapter One What Is Anthropology? (cont’d) Four subfields (cont’d)
Linguistic anthropology Studies the construction and use of language by human societies Language defined as a set of written or spoken symbols that refer to things Physical or biological anthropology Studies all aspects of present and past human biology Deals with the evolution of and variation among human beings and their relatives
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Chapter One What Is Anthropology? (cont’d) Four subfields (cont’d)
No anthropologist is an expert in all four branches of anthropology. All anthropology acknowledges the diversity of humans in all contexts. Within the field there is a commitment to the notion that humans are both cultural and biological beings. Biocultural approach
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Chapter One What Is Physical Anthropology?
The study of human biological evolution and human biocultural variation Two key concepts: Each person is a product of evolutionary history. Includes all biological changes that have brought humans to present form Each person is a product of an individual life history. Combination of genetics and environment (including social and cultural factors)
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Chapter One What Do Physical Anthropologists Do?
Physical anthropologists have different research foci. Study of living people Study of other primates Study of past people and past societies Attempts to answer questions surrounding central tenet: What does it mean to be human? Application of anthropology to societal issues or concerns Forensic anthropology Study of all aspects of human biology
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Chapter One What Do Physical Anthropologists Do? (cont’d)
Physical anthropologists have different research foci. (cont’d) A biological science as well as a cultural science Biology is studied within the context of culture and biology. Interdisciplinary science Utilizes theories and methods from a wide variety of other fields
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals The upright, bipedal (two-footed) gait was the first hallmark feature of our hominid ancestors.
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals Humans’ nonhoning chewing complex (left) lacks large, projecting canines in the upper jaw and a diastema, or gap, between the lower canine and the first premolar. The chewing complex of apes such as gorillas (right) has large, projecting upper canines and a diastema in the lower jaw to accommodate them.
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals Although other animals use noises and calls to communicate basic ideas, only humans can speak and, through speech, express complex thoughts and ideas. The shape of the hyoid bone is unique to hominids and reflects their ability to speak.
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals Humans’ production and use of stone tools is one example of complex material culture. The tools of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, do not approach the complexity and diversity of modern and ancestral humans’ tools.
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals Humans’ relatively large brains require lots of energy to develop and function. Animal protein is an ideal source of that energy, and humans obtain it by eating animals they hunt. To increase their chances of success in hunting, humans often employ tools and cooperative strategies.
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FIGURE 1.4 The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech, Hunting, and Domestication of Plants and Animals Humans domesticate a wide variety of plants and animals, controlling their life cycles, using them as food.
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Chapter One What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals?: The Six Steps to Humanness Humans differ from other animals in several important ways. Bipedalism Defined as walking on two feet Nonhoning chewing Loss of a large canine as the other apes have Complex material culture and tool use Humans depend completely on culture for day-to-day living and species survival. Other apes exhibit some forms of cultural behavior. Hunting Group pursuit of animals for food
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Chapter One What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals?: The Six Steps to Humanness (cont’d) Humans differ from other animals in several important ways. (cont’d) Speech The only animal that communicates by talking Dependence on domesticated foods Development of ability to raise domesticated plants and animals
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Chapter One How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method
Systematic observation of the world Observations form the basis for the rest of the process. Identifying problems, developing questions, and gathering evidence (data) Data are used to test hypotheses. Hypotheses explain, predict, and can be refuted. This process is called the scientific method. A way of acquiring knowledge Results in an ever-expanding knowledge base Empirical, or based on observation
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TABLE 1.1 The Scientific Method: How We Know What We Know
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Chapter One How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method (cont’d)
Theory is developed through the process of the scientific method. Theories are explanations of the way things work. Theories can be modified by new evidence. If a theory proves absolutely true, it becomes scientific law. Examples: gravity, thermodynamics, and motion
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Google Earth AnthroTours
Our Origins StudySpace Quizzes Ebook Links Outlines FlashCards Google Earth AnthroTours
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Norton Media Library Independent and Employee Owned
This concludes the Norton Media Library Slide Set for Chapter 1 Our Origins Discovering Physical Anthropology by Clark Spencer Larsen
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