Human Variation and Adaptation

1
Human Variation and Adaptation
Research Areas inPhysical Anthropology
2
Modern Humans - Physical Differences

• differences in genes
• growing up in a particular environment
• interaction between genes and environment
• adaptation
• mutations, natural selection
• e.g. skin color, body build
• acclimatization
• physiologic adjustments in individuals to
  environmental conditions
• e.g. tanning
• cultural environment
• changing situation around you, not your genes

3
Physical Variation in Humans

• body build and facial construction
• skin color
• adaptation to high altitude
• height
• susceptibility to disease
• sickle-cell anemia
• lactase deficiency

4
Race - Definition

• In biological terms, a race is a geographically
  isolated subdivision of a species that can
  reproduce with individuals from other subspecies
  of the same species, but does not because of its
  geographic isolation.
• Human populations vary biologically, but there
  are no sharp breaks between populations.
• Human biological variation is distributed
  gradually between populations along clines.
• Ethnicity and race are not synonymous, although
  American culture does not discriminate between
  the two terms racism is the belief that some
  races are innately inferior to others

5
Race - Biological

• Many biological anthropologists do not use race
  as a term or a classification system because
• misuse and misunderstanding of the term race and
  association with racism
• humans have interbred such that races are not
  distinct in terms of presence or absence of
  biological traits
• sometimes there is more variation within a
  geographic group than between them and another
  population
• Race is a social category.
• Goodman article - Makes some good points, mostly
  full of crap.
• Biologically, however, there are some distinct
  physical (skeletal) characteristics that forensic
  anthropologists use in their work - 80 to 90
  correct

6
Explaining Skin Color
The distribution of human skin color before A.D.
1400
7
Subfields of Physical Anthropology

• Physical anthropologists are generally concerned
  with questions in the following areas
• Primatology
• Skeletal Biology
• Bioarchaeology
• Palaeoanthropology
• Palaeopathology
• Trauma
• Dental Anthropology
• Demography
• Forensic Anthropology

8
Primatology

• Study non-human primates - everything from
  earliest primates up to australopithecines
• Research questions include
• Why are humans unique?
• Primate biology (skeletal and physical)
• Origin and evolution of primates
• Comparative studies
• Primate behavior
• laterality
• social groups
• tool use
• language use

9
Skeletal Biology

• Examine human skeletal remains in the context of
  what they can tell us about human evolution and
  development, past populations, and human
  adaptation
• Sometimes skeletal biologists are also anatomists
  or forensic anthropologists
• Current research
• variation among modern humans
• morphology of bones (Matt Cartmill at Duke)
• measurement of bones for forensic contexts (age,
  sex, etc.)

10
Palaeoanthropology

• Largely associated with those researchers who
  hunt for early hominid fossils however, can
  apply to anyone studying humans in the past--even
  anatomically modern humans without written
  records.
• Current research
• evolution into anatomically modern humans
• search for oldest hominid - missing link
• classification system - lumping and splitting
• material culture of ancient hominids

11
Bioarchaeology

• Excavation and analysis of skeletal remains from
  archaeological sites, generally prehistoric
• Also interested in pathology, trauma, demography,
  diet
• Current research
• Relatedness between groups
• Transition to agriculture
• Warfare, strife among groups
• Disease origins

Excavation of human remains at a Middle Saxon
site in England
12
Palaeopathology

• Study of ancient diseases and the way they affect
  humans bodies and way of life
• Three kinds of diseases
• nutrition deficiencies
• rickets (Vitamin D)
• scurvy (Vitamin C)
• beriberi (Thiamine)
• anemia (iron)
• degenerative diseases
• arthritis
• communicable diseases
• syphilis
• leprosy
• tuberculosis

Cribra orbitalia in a young child
13
Trauma

• Usually examined in a demographic study or
  bioarchaeological analysis of skeletal remains
• Trauma can be an indication of
• warfare
• accidents
• homicides
• Current research
• warfare
• accidents

Healed fracture of the left humerus with
subsequent dislocation at the shoulder joint
14
Dental Anthropology

• Researchers are interested in scientific research
  on the dental evolution and variation in the oral
  health and dental morphology of modern and
  ancient human populations
• Often goes hand-in-hand with pathology studies
  and studies of health, especially in societies
  that switch to agriculture
• Microwear (diet)

Mandible showing wear and calculus on teeth
15
Palaeodemography

• Literally, study of a people
• Usually includes mundane aspects of skeletal
  population such as
• MNI - minimum number of individuals represented
• age at death
• sex
• race
• stature
• weight
• disease / pathologic conditions
• trauma
• diet

16
Forensic Anthropology

• Applied biological anthropology
• TV shows, like TLCs The Forensic Files
• Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs novels
• Forensic anthropologists do spend a lot of time
  in the morgue, also do research, facial
  reconstructions, etc.
• Basss Body Farm at UT-Knoxville
• D-MORT 9/11 and Chandra Levy
• Clyde Snow