Biological Anthropology

Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question 1 For many course of studys biologic anthropologists moderate been trying to determine public life through genetics but hightail it is non determine biologically. The closest scenery to a biological boast in grouping people is cline geography qualification people of the equivalent area in the military personnel similar. Human chromosomal mutation, however, is classification of skin color, midriff color characteristics that are genetic and unchanging genes. Genetic traits have naught to do with race it influences the idea of it. Mutations cause variation. An example of this would be with how cheer affects skin tone because of dark and light melanin.Race cannot be naturally shared into groups because it is an arbitrary, modern idea a social construct based on ethnicity, social reform, and culture, otherwise known as The Great Chain of Being. incessant change in the world, such as migration and reproduction, brings diversity upon u s. Jim Brown, in The source of Illusion, specifically says, Race has changed as a definition in this ground. The world is always changing people will continuously try to identify race through genetics, but it never will be proved biologically because its merely a cultural classification.Also, in the film, a group of students try to find out who they might be virtually related to, based on mitochondrial DNA. A black girl believes she is much closely related to another black boy in the class. When they matched the MTDNA, they strand out they were wrong. Some had the same number and pattern of MTDNA that others across the country had. This proved race had nothing to do with genetics. Scientists have tried to actualise differences in athletic ability according to race. However, there is no biological explanation for why aroundone of one race might be more athletic than several(prenominal)one of another.If a white person ran in the mountains with high altitude, he would have gr eater lung capacity than someone who ran an number racetrack. Nutrition and adaptation affect genetics, bringing about variety of gay beings. If a black person grew up with great nutrition, he was credibly to be taller and healthier than someone who might not have glide slope to nutrition. in that locationfore, race cannot determine specific differences between one another because main course to food affects variation. Its important to remember the difference between race and human variation because everyone should be treated equal.Although there is internal variation within the human species, that doesnt define race, yet human variation. 400 words Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question 2 The origin of base on balls on both feet goes back between 10-3 MYA. There are numerous ways to diagnose bipedalism with skeletal remains. The foramen magnum is where the spinal cord meets the skull and passes on to the brain. It is able to determine whether or not a human frame was bipedal because if the spinal cord is setd directly beneath the skull, rather than its back, such as the chimpanzee, it is proven to have walked on 2 legs.Also, you can infer that the skeleton was bipedal because thoracic kyphosis, the slight regressive curve of the vertebrae to which the ribs attach, do not develop until one begins to walk upright. lumbar lordosis, the forward curve of the lower portion of the back, is more robust in females than in males for ability to balance to support a baby during pregnancy. list of the femur is another way to prove bipedalism. If the angle is increasingly wide, the skeleton was bipedal because it allows more balance with the broaden hips, versus a chimp with a straighter angle of a femur, ca use the wobble when walking on two feet.Increase in leg length is another way to prove bipedalism. Apes had long-range arms than legs, proving knuckle-walking, and spending more time swinging in manoeuvers walking on the ground. The fossil Lucy was the fir st bipedal skeleton found in Kenya which dates back to 3. 6 MYA. Shes considered the first bipedal skeleton because hips down, she had the body of a human, however hip up, using her brain size, she was considered ape. Salem, aka Lucys baby, had a preserved skull, milk teeth, particular fingers, a torso, a foot, and an extremely tiny kneecap which helped archeologists say she was about three years old when she died.Salem differed from Lucy, having a face, while Lucys head was barely found, and had ape-like shoulders, telling us tree climbing was still a part of its nature, supporting the theory of A. afarensis. Bipedalism was a positive adaptation in human evolution because of survival. Keeping composed from changing landscapes and climates was an important factor in endurance meetning. With the shedding of tomentum on our bodies from evolution, sweating was our new found air conditioner, allowing the human species to run in the day and keep cool at the same time, making it easie r to hunt protein, meat, the greatest source of nutrition. 400 words Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question 3 Several methods were utilise for the excavation of the African Burial Ground in 1991. After using large machinery and shovels to get through the first few feet of dirt, dental tools and brushes were apply to find the remains of skeletons carefully. Soil marks in the dirt from decompose wood where a coffin once was were visible to determine where to locate the heads and bodies of the skeletons. Photos were taken to preserve the history before excavating, for excavation is destructive, destroying information collectible to damaged remains.Archeologists were able to infer a lot about some of the bodies found such as age, sex, and culture. Two triads of the adults were identified male, one third being female, and forty-five percent of the excavated bodies, children under twelve years old. gender was able to be determined through rose hip shape. The wider the angle of the pe lvis, it was determined to be female, the thinner the angle, it was male. Another way to identify sex with the pelvis is the pubic archs shape. If the arch seems like a circle, it is female, if it seems heart-shaped, it is male.Teeth have got indication of age, but aging can also be caused by environmental stress. Teeth also played a cultural aspect in these peoples lives. Shape of the teeth told archeologists whether or not they were born in Africa or kept practicing their culture while they were alive. file of the teeth into hourglass and peg shapes showed tribal affiliations in West Africa. Thus, historical information and these observations tell us the bodies were indeed African. Dr. Blake, in African Burial Ground, An American Discovery, suggests a man in his thirties had the vertebrate of an eighty year old man.Vertebral Lipping can be caused by standing all day, adding hale to your spine, but carrying heavy loads can crush your spine at a quicker age. This showed us that t his man was very hard working. Also, some bodies were conceal with shroud, which indicated that they were extremely poor, while a woman was found buried with a lace of beads that were a waist decoration indicating she wasnt as poor as the others. In October of 1992, more than four one hundred skeletons were removed. The discovery of the African Burial Ground reminds us today of enslaved relatives that were or so forgotten due to the building of our city. 398 words