Biological anthropology

Comparison of the measure and shape of the pelvis, where the skull of the calf should pass in the Chimpanze, the Australopithecus afarensis and Homo sapiens sapiens. This comparison is one of the pieces of evidence used by physical anthropologists to support the hypothesis of obstetric dilemma.

Biological anthropology or physical anthropology is a branch of anthropology whose purpose is the study of human biological evolution and variability, both past and present.

Introduction

Unlike other similar disciplines, biological anthropology stands out for its evolutionary, comparative and biocultural point of view. From an evolutionary point of view, the discipline tries to respond to the causes and evolutionary trajectories that have given rise to current and past biological variability, within populations (intrapopulation) and between them (interpopulation), both in humans and non-human primates. humans. The comparative point of view has to do with the ability of the discipline to study individuals from diverse cultures and geographic locations, as well as their ancestors. Finally, the biocultural approach emphasizes the fact that humans are not only biological beings, but also cultural beings, analyzing the interrelationship of both spheres.

Biological anthropology, as an anthropological sub-discipline, is seen in a process of constant change, because those principles and ideals that inspired the first anthropologists have been annulled. That search for the unknown that characterized the first anthropologists is threatened every day by the accessibility of information, which negates the need for exploration. Therefore, contemporary anthropologists must always consider the ideologies and contributions of their predecessors. But, they must be astute in developing their research methods, as human interactions with their society and environment are changing precipitously. However, it is argued, it is their various sub-specialties that keep it growing. and development. Anthropology, for having so many sub-specialties, that although each one has its main focus topic, they complement each other and contribute to their universal utility.

Sub-specialties

Biological anthropology has a wide range of sub-specialties that focus on some specific aspect of the study of human biological variability. All of them, however, are grouped as soon as they use an evolutionary perspective to understand their particular object of study. Some of these sub-specialties are:

Forensics

Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology or biological anthropology to the legal process. It deals directly with the identification of corpses and remains, and with deciphering the circumstances of death. Also, it practices the reconstruction of the individual's antemortem biological biography, with the purpose of establishing what the victim's way of life was like before his death, age, sex, ancestral lineage, physical trauma during life (diseases, blows etc.), date of death, and it is also possible to identify if there has been damage to the specimen postmortum.

Paleopathology

Paleopathology is a discipline that studies the teeth, bones, hair samples, skin samples of human remains to get an idea of the nutrition, traumas or diseases that the organism under study lived through.

Paleoanthropology

Paleoanthropology is the branch of physical anthropology concerned with the study of human evolution and its extinct ancestors, in other words ancient hominids. For the study of these, he uses fossils, artifacts and tools; and analyzes them in their geological and archaeological context. The discoveries and findings of this sub-specialty have contributed to the creation of the chronology of the natural and evolutionary history of human beings.

Genetic/Molecular Anthropology

Molecular anthropology is the study of evolution and genetics between human and primate populations. Molecular anthropology began to grow after DNA could be identified and was founded after the human genome was deciphered. This sub-discipline suggests that species have a "molecular clock" and by comparing the DNA of ancestral species and that of modern species, the evolutionary trajectory of the species can be identified.

Human ecology

It is the study of the relationship between human beings and the environment in which they develop.

Bioarchaeology

Bioarchaeology studies past human populations through bone remains (skeletons) recovered from archaeological sites, in context and in conjunction with cultural materials from the same sites.

History

Origins

Franz Boas

The interest in topics that currently involve biological anthropology, such as the origin of the human being and its variation, dates back at least to Antiquity. However, it is only since the Enlightenment that a more rigorous study of what is currently covered by the discipline is appreciated. It is in this period where the concept and study of "races" human sciences took greater prominence, inaugurating a dominant theme within biological anthropology well into the 20th century.

Many identify Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840) as one of the first authors to write about "human varieties" in the third edition of De humani generis nativa varietate in 1795. In it, Blumenbach divided the human species into five varieties or "races", which have since been referred to as the five Blumenbach breeds.

At the end of the 19th century, the anthropologist Franz Boas (1858-1942) would have a fundamental impact on biological anthropology by being one of the biggest opponents of scientific racism within the discipline, and by emphasizing the influence of culture and environment on human biology. Boas is generally associated with cultural anthropology, but his impact on biological anthropology is considerable, having produced more than 180 works, from anthropometry and osteometry to the influence of the environment on human biology, including human development and growth. the first influential scientist to demonstrate through multivariate statistics that the environment is the most relevant factor in shaping physical differences among humans.

Part of the theoretical foundation on which biological anthropology was structured was the theory of natural selection of Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Then, in 1953, the theory of natural selection was supplemented and deepened by the success of Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin, under the supervision of James Watson, in deciphering the structure and molecular composition of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).. This discovery made it possible to understand the phenotypic variability of organisms molecularly and, thus, to understand how the evolutionary process has occurred biochemically. Biochemical understanding allowed the analysis of genetic affinities between different organisms, to further validate the common ancestor theory.

Biological anthropology in Latin America and the Caribbean

In Latin America and the Caribbean there are several associations made up of professionals dedicated to the study of biological anthropology. Among them we can name the Latin American Association of Biological Anthropology (ALAB) and the Argentine Association of Biological Anthropology (AABA), both created at the end of the 1980s. Subsequently, the Cuban Society of Biological Anthropology and the Chilean Society of Anthropology were founded. Biological (1994).

As an example of the variety of topics studied by professionals dedicated to biological anthropology in the region, the article titled Current Research Lines of Argentine Biological Anthropology, published in the Argentine Journal of Biological Anthropology (RAAB), is of interest.

Notable Biological Anthropologists