Biological anthropology

Biological anthropology studies human evolution, biological variation, and the biology and behavior of humans and other primates.

Human evolution: The evolutionary history of humans and their ancestors. It provides the historical framework for biological anthropology’s study of our species.
Natural selection: A process in which heritable traits that improve reproductive success become more common. It helps explain adaptations in human and primate populations.
Forensic anthropology: The application of skeletal analysis to legal investigations, especially human identification. It applies biological anthropological methods to unidentified human remains.
Cultural anthropology: The study of human cultures, social life, and meaning across communities. It emphasizes cultural and social processes rather than biological evidence.
Charles Darwin: An English naturalist whose work established evolution by natural selection as a scientific explanation. His evolutionary framework transformed the study of human origins.
Primatology: The scientific study of living and extinct primates. Comparisons with other primates help explain human biology and behavior.
Genetic drift: Random changes in allele frequencies across generations, especially in small populations. It can shape human genetic variation independently of adaptation.
Osteology: The study of the structure and function of bones. Skeletal evidence helps estimate age, sex, health, and activity in past populations.
Archaeology: The study of past human societies through material remains. It centers artifacts and sites, though it often overlaps with biological anthropology.
Raymond Dart: A South African anatomist who described the Taung Child fossil in 1925. His interpretation of an early hominin fossil influenced debates about human evolution.

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