LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Putting Homo into Context Before learning about the hominin species that make up the category genus Homo, it will be helpful to become familiar with the key archaeological time periods…
Figure 5.1 Liang Bua Cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia. A potentially new species of the genus Homo, Homo floresiensis was discovered in this cave in 2003. (credit: “Flores: Ruteng to Bajawa” by Bryn Pinzgauer/flickr, CC BY 2.0) (credit: “Flores” by Ryan…
Biological anthropology strives to understand how humans interact and behave in the present, how humans evolved biologically, and how humanity’s ancient ancestors lived in diverse climates and environments. The anthropological approach to exploring these questions is grounded in evolutionary theory.…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Walking on Two Feet The term hominin refers to all species considered to be in direct lineage to humans, which include the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Ardipithecus. Hominids refers to all modern and…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Understanding Concepts of Time Geologists divide deep history into time periods known as eras. Eras are generally based on the fossil life forms observed. The oldest of…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: What Is a Primate? Figure 4.23 Orangutans, the only great ape from Asia, are one of many living primate species. Others include lemurs, monkeys, gibbons, and human beings. (credit:…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Contemporary biological anthropologists utilize an evolutionary perspective. This means that the principles of evolution are used to understand how and why living organisms, including people, thrive in almost…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: The Units of Life Cells are the basic units of life in all organisms. They are the smallest entities that are capable of self-reproduction. There are two main…
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Defining the Science of Taxonomy Taxonomy is defined as the classification and naming of things. Taxonomy organizes things into groups based on predefined criteria. The criteria can be as simple…
LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this section, you will be able to: Looking to the Deep Past Biological anthropology, also referred to as physical anthropology or evolutionary anthropology, is one of the four major subfields of anthropology. While the other subfields focus…