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Forensic Anthropology/Human Evolution
Biological anthropology is the study of human biology
within the framework of evolution, with an emphasis
on the interaction between biology and cultural. Biological
anthropology is composed of several subfields, including
paleoanthropology (or human evolution), primatology,
paleopathology, and forensic anthropology. The study
of the human skeleton is a central component of these
subfields The purpose of the laboratory in biological
anthropology was twofold. First, the forensic anthropology
component was intended to introduce the students to
the human skeleton through the methods and techniques
of forensic anthropology. When analyzing human remains,
forensic anthropologists follow a specific protocol
and attempt to answer the following questions:
Are the bones human or animal?
Are the remains of one individual or are there several
individuals present?
Are the bones recent (< 50 years) or ancient?
When did the death occur or what is the time since
death (postmortem interval)
What is the ancestry of the remains?
Are the remains male or female?
How old was the deceased at the time of death? Adult
or child?
How tall was this individual during life?
What was the cause of death (e.g. bullet wound to
head)?
What was the manner of death? (homicide, suicide,
accident, unknown)
Each laboratory station was designed as an exercise
addressing one or more of these questions through
hands-on examination of human skeletal remains.In
addition, parts of this were designed to dovetail
with the preceding laboratory in forensic DNA.
The second part of the laboratory in biological anthropology
was an overview of some of the major evolutionary
trends in human history, specifically the evolution
of bipedalism and the morphological changes in the
cranium accompanying the increase in brain size. Students
used casts and actual skeletal material to compare
the skeletal anatomy of different nonhuman primates,
extinct fossils in the human family (e.g. Homo erectus,
Neandertals), and modern humans.
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