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Biological anthropology

Biological anthropology. Humans have: 1. an evolutionary history: phylogeny All heritable changes that have brought humans to present form Biological evolution is not progressive e.g., not always simple to complex 2. an individual life history: ontogeny

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Biological anthropology

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  1. Biological anthropology Humans have: 1. an evolutionary history: phylogeny All heritable changes that have brought humans to present form Biological evolution is not progressive e.g., not always simple to complex 2. an individual life history: ontogeny Phenotypic expression of traits & attributes Based on genetic and environment factors

  2. Two Basic Ways of explaining natural phenomena • 1. Supernatural • Immune from evidence • Immune from hypothesis testing • Explanations can’t be proved or disproved • Belief systems • Accepted on faith. • superstitions, myths, religions, philosophies • Important in social structuring • ethics, morals, laws • Affect the way individuals behave toward one another • Can hold groups of individuals together OR • can keep groups of individuals apart. • enhance the psychological well-being of individuals. • provide hope and purpose to life • Beliefs are transmitted by teaching

  3. Ca. 42,000 religions

  4. 2. Scientific explanations • Science= a process for acquiring information about the natural world • Gotten through our senses • Empirical evidence • Observations and experiments are repeatable • Facts are supported by evidence.

  5. Scientific investigations • 1. Something unusual is observed. • 2. Leads to a question: does this skull represent a biped? • 3. One or more hypotheses are developed. • hypothesis: a testable tentative explanation for a phenomenon. • A null hypothesis: (H0) • An alternative hypothesIs (H1) • Approach: collect data (evidence) and attempt to reject (refute, falsify) each hypothesis. • Bias is removed by attempting to reject hypotheses. They can’t be proven.

  6. Accumulations of verifiable facts lead to the discovery of fundamental truths = theories • Theory: means something different to different groups of people. • Science: willing to modify conclusions if new evidence falsifies previous evidence.

  7. Cultural anthropology Effects of isolation on diversity

  8. Cultural vs. biological evolution • Culture: non-biological adaptations • Sum total of learned traditions, beliefs, values, and inventions used by a particular society. • Transmission between generations is non-genetic: teaching • Cultural evolution is progressive • Predictable, sequential improvements in a particular direction can be made through time.

  9. Reconstructing the recent past Olsen-Chubbuck site Discovered in 1957

  10. Cross-section of anancient arroyo Long-buried by wind-borne deposits.

  11. Part of the excavated arroyo. Arroyo was 170 feet long Remains of 193 bison Bison occidentalis not Bison bison Bones in three layers: Bottom: complete skeletons of 13 individual bison. Middle: bones of partially butchered individuals Top layer: individual bones and partially articulated bones in similar piles. Dated at 8,500 ybp Holocene epoch

  12. Projectile points associated with the bison bones. Material culture

  13. The reconstruction of events 1. Time of year. 2. Wind direction 3. The stampede.

  14. 75% of the bison were completely burchered. Based on numbers of mature bulls, immature bulls, mature cows, immature cows, and calves The butchered bison estimated to have produiced 56,640 pounds of fresh meat 4,000 pounds of edible internal organs 5,400 pounds of fat. 100 people could have completed the butchering in half a day. Enough meat, internal organs, and fat to feed a group of 150 for 23 days.

  15. Example of Prehistoric cultural evolution • e.g. projectile points • Stone industry • traditions • ca. 11,200 years ago • Dent site - 43 miles NE of Denver • Mammoth hunters: Clovis points • ca. 7,000 years ago • E Colorado: Scottsbluff points • SE New Mexico: Plainview points • Bison hunters

  16. Plainview point Clovis point

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