Download Video Information Physical Anthropology: The Evolving Human Anthropology 101 The Anthropological Perspective

Video Information
Physical Anthropology: The Evolving Human
Anthropology 101
All DVDs are closed captioned.
Lesson Titles/Descriptions:
Lesson 1 The Anthropological Perspective
Anthropology is the study of human culture and of human evolutionary biology. It is a
very broad discipline, and there are many different types of anthropologists. Cultural
anthropology considers many aspects of human society and focuses on how it affects
human behavior. Linguistic anthropologists study the interaction between culture and
language, as well as the origins of human language. Archaeologists focus on the
material remains of past peoples. The fourth subfield of anthropology, physical
anthropology, is the topic of this course. Physical anthropology itself has different areas.
These include paleoanthropology, human variation, genetics, primatology, osteology,
and forensic anthropology. Physical anthropologists are scientists, and they use the
methods of science to conduct their research. They collect data and develop
hypotheses, which are then tested. The lesson ends with the process that the Forensic
Archaeology Recovery team used to identify victims from a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode
Island.
Lesson 2 Development of Evolutionary Theory
Evolutionary theory provides a foundation for the study of physical anthropology. In this
lesson, experts guide students through the development of Charles Darwin’s theory of
evolution by natural selection. It also brings to life some of the main contributors to
evolutionary theory. The theory of evolution by natural selection is illustrated using
examples from the Galápagos Islands, monarch butterflies, peppered moths, and a
special segment on the Channel Islands fox.
Lesson 3 Biological Basis for Life
The secrets of the cell are revealed to students. They will learn basic structure of the cell
and the structure and function of DNA. DNA composition, genes, chromosome structure,
mitosis, and meiosis are explained by experts in ways that will be easy for students to
process. These principles are also illustrated in a modern context using analyses of
ancient DNA from Neandertals, interviews with DNA crime lab experts, and an in-depth
view of one woman’s experience living with a challenging genetic mutation.
Lesson 4 Heredity & Evolution
We are all aware that we have inherited certain traits from our parents. How are these
inherited characteristics expressed? How do evolutionary processes influence patterns
of change in these characteristics? In this lesson, the mechanisms and patterns of
inheritance are introduced. We begin with an overview of Mendel’s principles of
inheritance. Modern plant breeders discuss how they still use these principles in the
breeding of sweet peas and other plants. The lesson then introduces polygenic
inheritance, mutation, genetic drift, and gene flow. The discovery and the distribution of
the CCR5 mutation are discussed as well as gene flow and genetic drift in Chumash
Indian populations.
Lesson 5 Macroevolution
Who is related to whom? How do species evolve? What has happened in geological
time? This lesson focuses on macroevolution and the processes that explain it. It begins
on location at a paleontological site in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming, where scientists
are recording mammalian evolution in the first 10 million years after the
Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary extinction. A key question of macroevolution is, “What
distinguishes a species?” This leads to taxonomy and discussion of the two main
approaches to classification: evolutionary systematics and cladistics. Examples are
given of homologies and analogies, and ancestral and derived traits, keys to classifying
by these different approaches. Cladistics focuses only on derived traits. In the second
segment, two different species concepts are mentioned—the biological species concept,
which is the most commonly used definition, and the ecological species concept, which
places emphasis on niche occupation and natural selection. The difficulty of recognizing
a fossil species is explained by anthropologists Alfred Rosenberg and Jonathan Bloch.
In the third segment, the immense time span involved with macroevolution is examined,
continental drift and its effects are explained, and the characteristics of mammals are
illustrated. The video returns to the paleontological site in the Big Horn Basin, where
Bloch is seen excavating.
Lesson 6 The Living Primates
This lesson succinctly presents a portrait of what it is to be a primate with adaptation to
an arboreal environment. The suite of traits that distinguish primates are presented
along with a comparison to other types of mammals. Then the lesson delves into the
adaptations and traits that distinguish the various type of primates from one another.
Prosimians, tarsiers, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, and hominoids are all
described and distinguished. The types of locomotor patterns, diets, and habitats used
by primates are interwoven throughout.
Lesson 7 Primate Behavior
This lesson tackles why we study the behavior of nonhuman primates and how their
behavior patterns can be related to human behavior and evolution. Experts discuss their
field study experiences and what they learned about the behavior of their subjects.
Social structure and social organization are related to impact on reproductive success.
The central mother-infant bond is explored, along with patterns of affiliative and
aggressive behaviors in social groups. Nonhuman capacities for language and culture
are also addressed in interesting ways.
Lesson 8 Methods of Paleoanthropology
Experts at the cutting edge of paleoanthropological research show how it’s done. In this
lesson, students are introduced to the ways researchers gather data in order to answer
the basic human question: Who are we and where do we come from? The
multidisciplinary approach to this research is shown through interviews with established
paleoanthropologists and with researchers in related areas such as archaeology,
geology, the reconstruction of paleoenvironments, geomorphology, paleontology, and
paleobotany. There is a strong focus on Koobi Fora, one of the most important field sites
in paleoanthropology. In the last segment, relative and chronometric dating methods are
explained in ways that will demonstrate state-of-the-art methods for discerning the age
of a specimen.
Lesson 9 The First Bipeds
The key trait that makes a hominoid a hominin is evidence for bipedalism. In this lesson,
experts discuss the physical changes that must occur for the transition to bipedalism,
including the more forward positioning of the foramen magnum, the large hole through
which the spinal cord passes into the skull; a pelvis that becomes more bowl-shaped
rather than the long blade-like pelvis of a chimpanzee; a longer leg; and a foot with
springy arches. Important discoveries are examined in the time period from 4 to 1 million
years ago, including East African discoveries such as Australopithecus anamensis and
the famous “Lucy” specimen. The history of discovery in South Africa is reviewed,
starting with the first Australopithecus, the Taung child, and the more rugged genus
Paranthropus. Finally, you will learn about the first member of our genus, Homo habilis.
Lesson 10 A New Hominin
About 1.8 million years ago, a new species of Homo appears in East Africa, a species
that will exist longer than any other hominin. This lesson focuses on that new species:
Homo erectus, the first hominin to leave Africa. In this lesson, you will follow the
migrations of this species. You will explore the history of what paleoanthropologists have
discovered concerning this widespread hominin in Java and in China and learn how the
recent discoveries in the Republic of Georgia have turned much of what we knew about
Homo erectus on its head. Finally, you will learn about a new type of tool industry that
lasts for more than a million years.
Lesson 11 Premodern Humans
Around 780,000 years ago a new species of Homo appears, perhaps descended from
the hominins that lived in Spain and Italy between 900,000 and 800,000 years ago. This
time period, called the Middle Pleistocene, is marked by alternations of glaciations and
interglacials. The new species is called Homo heidelbergensis. Around 125,000 years
ago, Homo heidelbergensis gives rise to the Neandertals. The Neandertals are the main
focus of this lesson. You will see that the Neandertals were a robust people adapted for
a cold, harsh environment. Their survival depended on more than just biology, however.
A major factor to their survival was their stone tool culture, known as the Mousterian. In
addition, the fact that they transported raw materials during their migrations to make
future tools demonstrated forward planning. These people also practiced burial of the
dead in which grave goods were left with the deceased. Finally, the lesson explores the
question of what happened to these ancient humans.
Lesson 12 Origin & Dispersal of Modern Humans
The main question of physical anthropology since its origins in the 1770s has been the
origin of modern humans. At that time the question referred to the different populations
of humans. Today it refers to our origins as a species in evolutionary time. This lesson
begins by introducing you to the three current models for human origins. Then a physical
comparison is made between modern humans and Neandertals, in which it is clear that
the brain case is where we differ the most. You will journey to southern Ethiopia to see
one of the earliest modern humans, discovered in 1967, but forgotten until recently.
Associated with modern humans is a great advancement in technology that marks the
Upper Paleolithic. The lesson ends with researchers discussing the advent of art and
personal adornment and what this might have meant to the people of the Upper
Paleolithic.
Lesson 13 Patterns of Variation
The lesson begins with comments on some instances of ethnic genocide that have
occurred in the past in the Sudan, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Nazi Germany during World
War II. It relates these occurrences to the concept of “race,” a concept based on physical
differences between groups. It defines the everyday usage of the word “race” and
includes its biological definition, which leads to the conclusion that the word and concept
of “race” cannot apply to Homo sapiens because, as is well understood, there are no
subspecies of Homo sapiens. The video then briefly explains the historical context of
how the concept of race emerged among European explorers during the 16th century. It
explains that today anthropologists and scholars look beyond visible physical differences
to explain human variation. They analyze genetics and DNA, the cornerstone of genetic
studies, to describe and understand human diversity. The lesson defines polymorphisms
and clearly explains how their presence in human genotypes causes differences in
phenotypic variation. Using interviews with a Somali family who had to flee their country
because of race-based violence, the lesson points out that the easiest difference to see
is skin color. The lesson explains that science now explains skin color shifts as a
response to geographical regions called clines. A montage of images illustrates the
phenotypic variation of skin tones in Africa to illustrate this perspective. The video
features Gregory Lanzaro, a medical entomologist working to eradicate malaria, and it
describes how the sickle-cell allele began and how it has become adaptive in malarial
regions. The concept that humans are products of biocultural evolution is discussed, as
well as the latest theoretical viewpoints on the “thrifty gene” hypothesis.
Lesson 14 Patterns of Adaptation
How do humans adapt to environmental challenges? In this lesson, experts explore this
question from many angles. The difference between acclimatization and adaptation is
explained. Nina Jablonski explains skin-color function and adaptations related to UV
radiation levels, the vitamin D hypothesis, and preventing the loss of folate in the body.
High-altitude adaptations are also discussed, along with responses to heat and cold
stressors. In the last segment, the evolutionary dance between humans and their
pathogens is brought to light. The interwoven interactions between human cultural
activities, and the evolution of new pathogens, are discussed, as well as the evolution of
drug resistance in existing pathogens.
Lesson 15 Legacies of Human Evolutionary History
This eye-opening lesson discusses the interaction between human biology and culture,
as well as human impact on the environment. It begins with a discussion of human life
history, from birth to senescence. The biocultural evolution of dietary patterns is
demonstrated, with an emphasis on the ancestral diet and the influence of agricultural
practices on modern diets. The impact of these changes on human health is also
discussed. Finally, Melvin J. Konner takes a look at human interaction with other
organisms and the environment. He touches on antibiotic resistance, pollution, habitat
destruction and the loss of biodiversity, mass extinctions, and global warming, and how
we can take steps to reduce human impact on the earth.
Lesson 16 Applied Anthropology
The lesson opens by defining applied anthropology as a field of study in which
anthropological knowledge and methods are used to analyze and solve practical
problems. In its three segments, the lesson gives clear and varied examples of where
applied anthropology is used in the workforce and demonstrates how applied
anthropology fits within all four subfields of anthropology—physical (or biological)
anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. The video
shows how a cultural anthropologist, Professor Mikel Hogan, practices applied
anthropology within a hospital setting to help resolve some of the on-the-job problems
that nurses face at this time of crisis within the U.S. health-care system. As the video
progresses, viewers also see how linguistic anthropologist Breesha Maddrell works on
the Isle of Man to help the culture there preserve and maintain the Celtic language of
Manx Gaelic. Finally, the third segment shows how physical anthropologists Amy
Mundorff and Diane Cockle work in the area of forensic anthropology and how they
assist law enforcement agencies with identifying human remains and analyzing evidence
from crime scenes. Mundorff explains the educational qualifications required for a career
in forensics, explaining that a strong background in biology or chemistry, plus a strong
background in anthropology, particularly archaeology, is ideal. Cockle discusses the high
standard of proof required of forensic anthropologists in criminal cases. She explains the
contributions that applied anthropologists have made assisting the United Nations in its
efforts to investigate and stem the incidence of genocide brought about by war.