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., does not take place to fulfill a purpose

2. an individual life history: ontogeny

Phenotypic expression of traits & attributes

Based on genetic and environment factors

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

Ca. 42,000 religions

• 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.

• Scientific investigations (scientific method)• 1. Something unusual is discovered….a fossil primate• 2. Leads to a question: was this individual bipedal?• 3. Hypotheses are developed.

– hypothesis: a testable tentative explanation for an observation or result of an experiment.

– A null hypothesis: (H0)

– An alternative hypothesis (H1)

• 4. 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.

• Accumulations of verifiable facts lead to the discovery of fundamental truths = theories

• Theory: means something different to different groups of people.

• Strength of science as a process– Willingness to modify conclusions if new evidence dictates.

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.

Biological and cultural diversityCultural anthropology Dani: New Guinea

An example of archeology

Olsen-Chubbuck siteDiscovered in 1957C. 140 mi. SE Denver

Cross-section of anancient arroyo

Buried by wind-borne deposits.

Part of the excavated arroyo.

Arroyo was 170 feet longRemains of 193 bisonBison occidentalisnot Bison bisonBones in three layers:Bottom: complete skeletons of 13 individualsMiddle: bones of partially butchered individualsTop layer: individual bones and partially articulated bones in similar piles.Dated at 6,500 ybp

Projectile pointsassociated withthe bison bones.

Material culture

Reconstruction of events

1. Time of year.2. Wind direction3. The stampede.

Social structure

75% of the bison were completely butchered.# of mature bulls, immature bulls, mature cows, immature cows, and calvesThis number of butchered bison would have produced56,640 pounds of fresh meat4,000 pounds of edible internal organs5,400 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.

• 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– Bison hunters: Scottsbluff, Eden, Plainview points

Plainview point Clovis point

Material culture