Anthropology

the study of humankind in all times and places

a fundamental principle of anthropology, that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence

the belief that the ways of one’s own culture are the only proper ones

theories about the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of one’s own culture

the use of anthropology knowledge and methods to solve practical problems, often for a specific client

a specialization in anthropology that brings theoretical and applied approaches from cultural and biological anthropology to the study of human health and disease

also known as biological anthropology. The systematic study of humans as biological organisms

a branch of biological anthropology that uses genetic and biochemical techniques to test hypotheses about human evolution, adaptation, and variation

the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species

focusing on the interaction of biology and culture

the study of living and fossil primates

subfield of applied physical anthropology and specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains from legal purposes

also known as social or sociocultural anthropology. The study of customary patterns in human behaviors, thought, and feelings. It focuses on humans as culture-reproducing creatures.

a society’s shared and socially transmitted ideas, values and perceptions which are used to make sense of behavior

a detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork

the term anthropologist use for on-location research

in ethnography, the technique or learning a people’s culture through social participation and wells as interviews and discussion with individuals members of the group over an extended period of time

the study and analysis of different cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing enthographic accounts and developing anthropological theories that help explain why certain important differences or similarities among groups

the study of human languages

an extended communication on a particular subject

the study of human cultures throughout the recovery and analysis or material remains and environmental data

the archaeological study of human remains, emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton

a branch of archeology concerned with survey and/or excavation or archaeological and historical remains threatened by construction or development and policy surrounding protecting or cultural resources

based on observations of the world rather than on the intuition or faith

a tentative explanation of the relationships between certain phenomena

in science, an explanation of natural phenomena, supported by a reliable body of date

an assertion of opinion or belief formally handed down by an authority as true and indisputable

any object fashioned or altered by humans

the durable aspect of culture such as tools, structures, and art

the preserved remains of plants and animals that lived in the past

stains that show up on the surface of recently plowed fields that reveal an archaeological site

a refuse or garbage disposal area in archaeological site

a system for recording date in the 3D from a archaeological excavation

the starting or reference , point for a grid system

in archaeology and paleoanthropolgy , designating an event, object, or fossil as being older or younger that another

in archaeology and paleoanthropology, dates for archaeological or fossil materials based on solar years, centuries, or other unties of absolute time

members of the society bring studied who provided information that helps the researches understand the meaning of what they observe. Early anthologists referred to such individuals as informants

a unstructured, open-ended conversation in everyday life

a structured question-answer session, carefully notated as it occurs and based on prepared questions

activated and objects used to draw out individuals and encourage then to recall and share information

a vast collection of cross-indexed ethnographic, biocultural, and archaeological data catalogued by cultural characteristics and geographic location. Archives in about 300 libraries

formal recorded agreements to participate in the research. Federally mandated for all researchers in the United States and Europe.

worldwide interconnectedness, evidence in global movement of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infectious disease

the group of mammals that includes lemurs, lories, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans

the class of vertebrate animals distinguished by bodies covered with fur, self-regulation temperatures, and in females milk-producing mammary glands

the smallest working unit in the system of classification. Among living organisms, species are populations or groups or populations capable or interbreeding and producing fertile viable offspring

in the system of the plant and animal classification, a group of like species

the science of classification

in biology, structures possessed by different organisms that are superficially similar due to the similar functions; without sharing a common developmental pathway or structure

in biology, structures possessed by two different organisms that arise in similar fashion and pass through similar stages during embryonic development, through they may possess different functions

the evolutionary process through which factors in the environment exert pressure, favoring some individuals over others to produce that next generation

portions of DNA molecules that direct the synthesis of specific proteins

the Mendelian principle that variants of genes for a particular trait retain their separate identities through the generations

the mendalian principle that genes controlling different traits are inherited independently of one another

in the cell nucleus, the structure visible during cellular division containing long strands of DNA combines with protein

deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic material consisting of a complex molecule whose base structure directs the synthesis or proteins

one half of the “X” shaped of chromosomes visible once replication in complete. Sister chromatids are exact copies of each other

alternate forms of single gene

the complete structure sequence of DNA for a species

a kind of cell division that produces new cells having exactly the same number of chromosomes pairs, and hence copied of genes, as the parent cell

a kind of cell division that produces the sex cells, each of which has half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the organism

refers to a chromosomes pair that bears identical alleles for a single gene

refers to chromosomes pair that bears different alleles for a single gene

the alleles possessed for a particular trait

the observable or testable appearance of an organism that may or may not reflect a particular genotype due to the variable expression of dominant and recessive alleles

the ability of one allele for a trait to mask the presence of another alleles

an allele for a trait whose expression is masked by the presence of the dominant allele

the protein that carries oxygen in the red blood cells

two or more genes contribute to the phenotypic expression of a single characteristic

in biology, a group of similar individuals that can and do interbreed

all the genetic variants possessed by members of a population

changes in allele frequencies in populations. Also known as microevolution

chance alteration of genetic material that produces new variation

chance fluctuations of allele frequencies in the gene pool of a population

a particular form of genetic drift deriving from a small founding population not possessing all the alleles present in the original population

the introduction of alleles from the gene pool of the one population into that of another

a series of beneficial adjustment to the environment

a inherited form of anemia caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin protein that causes the red blood cells to assume a sickle shape

gradual changes in the frequency of an allele or trait over space

active at night and at rest during the day

living in the trees

active during the day and at rest at night

vision with increased depth perception from two eyes set next to each other allowing their vision fields to overlap

complete 3D vision from binocular vision and nerve connections that run from each eye to both sides of the brain allowing nerve cells to integrate the images derived from each eye

able to bring the thumb or big toe in contact with the tips of the other digits on the same hand or foot in order to grasp objects

a subdivision within the primate order based on shared anatomical characteristics; included lemurs, tarsiers and lorises

a subdivision within the primate order based on shared anatomical characteristics that included New world monkeys, old world monkeys and apes (including humans)

a subdivision within the primate order based on shared genetics characteristics; included lemurs and lorises

a subdivision within the primate order based on shared genetics characteristics; including tarsiers, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, and apes ( including humans)

having the ability to grasp

using the arms to move from branch to branch, with the body hanging suspended beneath the arms

a unit of primate social organizations composed of fifty or more individuals who inhabit a large geographical area together

an observed ranking system in primate societies ordering individuals from high (alpha) to low standing corresponding to predictable behavioral interactions including domination

the ritual cleaning of another animal’s skin and fur to remove parasites and other matter

moment when the egg released from the ovaries into the womb is receptive for fertilization

an object used to facilitate some task or activity

evolution above species level

the process of forming new species

speciation through a branching mechanism whereby an ancestral population gives rise to two or more descendant populations

a sustained directional shift in a population’s average characteristics

a model of macroevolutionary change that suggest evolution occurs via long periods of stability or stasis punctuated by periods of rapid change

according to the theory of place tectonics, the movement of the continents embedded in underlying plates on the earth’s surface in relation to one another over the history of life on earth

a special form of locomotion on two feet found in humans and their ancestors

the genus including several species of early bipeds from southern and eastern Africa living between about 1.1 and 4.3 million years ago, one of whom was directly ancestral to humans

several species within the genus Australopithecus who lived from 1.1 to 2.5 million years ago in eastern and southern Africa; known for the rugged nature of their chewing apparatus (large back teeth, large chewing muscles, and bony ridge on their skull tops for the insertion of these large muscles)

members of the genus Australopithecus possessing a more lightly nuilt chewing apparatus; likely had a diet that included more meat tan that of the robust australopithecines

the first stone tool industry beginning between 2.5 and 2.6 million years ago

old stone age beginning with the earliest oldowan tools spanning from about 200,000 or 250,000 to 2.6 million years ago

“handy man” the first fossil members of the genus homo appearing 2.5 million years ago, with larger brains and smaller faces then australopithecines

“upright man” a species with the genus home first appearing just after 2 million years ago in Africa and ultimately spreading throughout the old world

a distinct group within the genus homo inhabiting Europe and Southwest Asia from approximately 30,000-125,000 years ago

the tool industry of the neandetals and their contemporaries or Europe, southwest Asia, and northern Africa from 40,000-125,000 years ago

the last part (10,000 to 40,000 years ago) of the old stone age, featuring tool industries characterized by long slim blades and an explosion of creative symbolic forms

the hypothesis that modern humans originated through the process of simultaneous local transition from homo erectus to home sapiens throughout the inhabited world

the hypothesis that all modern people are derived from one single population of archaic homo sapiens from Africa who migrates out of Africa after 100,000 years ago, replacing all other archaic forms due to their superior cultural capabilities. Also called the Eve or out of Africa hypothesis

the new stone age; prehistoric period beginning about 10,000 years ago in which peoples possessed stone-based technologies and depended on domesticated crops and/or animals

the middle stone age or Europe, Asia, and Africa beginning about 12,000 years ago

term used to refer to Mesolithic cultures in the Americas

a small blade of flint or similar stone, several of which were hafted together in wooden handles to make tools; widespread in the Mesolithic

a Mesolithic culture living in the lands that are now Israel, Lebanon, and western Syria, between about 10,200 and 12,500 years ago

any new idea, method, or device that gains widespread acceptance in society

the creation, invention, or discovery by chance of a completely new idea, method or device

the deliberate application or modification of an existing idea, method, or device

the evolutionary process whereby humans modify; either intentionally or unintentionally. The genetic makeup of a population of plants or animals, sometimes to the extent that members of the population are unable to survive and/or reproduce without human assistance

the cultivation of domesticated root crops, such as yams and taro

cultivation of crops carried out with simple hand tools such as digging sticks or hoes

the spread of certain ideas, customs, or practices from one culture to another

domestication of plants and animals by people with stone-based technologies, beginning about 10,000 year ago and leading to racial transformations in cultural systems; sometimes referred to at the Neolithic transition

the region encompassing southern Mexico and northern Central America

intensive crop cultivation, employing plows, fertilizers, and/or irrigation

breeding and managing migratory herds of domesticated grazing animals, such as goats, sheep, cattle, llamas, or camels

in anthropology a type of society marked by the presence of cities, social classes, and the state

in the old world, the period marked by the production of tools and ornaments of bronze; began about 5,000 years ago in China and Southwest Asia about 500 years earlier in Southeast Asia emergence

items such as utensils, figurines, and personal possessions, symbolically places in the gave from the deceased person’s use in the afterlife

the theory that explains civilization’s emergence as the result of the construction of elaborate irrigation systems, the functioning of which required full-time managers whose control blossomed into the first governing body and elite social class

the theory that self-serving by forceful leaders play a pole in civilizations

in biology, the taxonomic category of subspecies that is not applicable to humans because the division of humans into discrete types does not represent the true nature of human biological variation. In some societies race is an important social category

a doctrine of superiority by which one group justifies the dehumanization of others based on their distinctive physical characteristics

an enzyme in the small intestine that enables humans to assimilate lactose

a sugar that is the primary constituent of fresh milk

human genotype that permits efficient storage of fat to draw in on times of food shortage and conservation of glucose and nitrogen