ANTH 101: Final Essay
Biological Evolution in Anthropology: An Ever-Changing Species
Madelyn G. Akins
College of Charleston
Introduction to Anthropology 101-06
Professor Barbara Borg
30 November 2021
This study source was downloaded by 100000843856244 from CourseHero.com on 03-28-2022 05:43:49 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/126900653/Biological-Evolution-in-Anthropologydocx/
, 2
Biological Evolution in Anthropology: An Ever-Changing Species
Concerning modern society, evolution has continued to be a slightly controversial topic when
it comes to normalizing it in education and in the general public. However, it is incredibly
important for us as a species to understand where we came from and, more pressingly, where
we are headed. The secrets of human biology helps us to uncover the nature of being human,
from the starting point of humanity itself. This, combined with the sheer complexity of human
biology, makes this field an ever-changing and mesmerizing experiment.
In anthropology specifically, biological evolution – or physical anthropology – is the study of
humans as biological organisms, tracking our evolutionary changes over time and how our
biology impacts the way we grow and learn. This includes topics such as genetics (the study
of our DNA and gene expression), evolution (tracing our fossil record), and growth and
development (the study of the human life cycle), along with many more. For starters, tracing
our ancestry back a few million years, we can see our first true predecessor, Homo erectus.
Homo erectus is considered our first true ancestor due to their use of language, fire, and their
proficient hunting skills. By reconstructing the remains of many of these specimens, it is
possible to understand the first steps of man towards our modern-day civilization with
evidence as simple as bipedal movement. The biological changes that come with basic
evolution, adaptations, are an organism’s way of coping with environmental stressors. For
humans, these included susceptibility to certain diseases, different body types and skin colors,
This study source was downloaded by 100000843856244 from CourseHero.com on 03-28-2022 05:43:49 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/126900653/Biological-Evolution-in-Anthropologydocx/
Biological Evolution in Anthropology: An Ever-Changing Species
Madelyn G. Akins
College of Charleston
Introduction to Anthropology 101-06
Professor Barbara Borg
30 November 2021
This study source was downloaded by 100000843856244 from CourseHero.com on 03-28-2022 05:43:49 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/126900653/Biological-Evolution-in-Anthropologydocx/
, 2
Biological Evolution in Anthropology: An Ever-Changing Species
Concerning modern society, evolution has continued to be a slightly controversial topic when
it comes to normalizing it in education and in the general public. However, it is incredibly
important for us as a species to understand where we came from and, more pressingly, where
we are headed. The secrets of human biology helps us to uncover the nature of being human,
from the starting point of humanity itself. This, combined with the sheer complexity of human
biology, makes this field an ever-changing and mesmerizing experiment.
In anthropology specifically, biological evolution – or physical anthropology – is the study of
humans as biological organisms, tracking our evolutionary changes over time and how our
biology impacts the way we grow and learn. This includes topics such as genetics (the study
of our DNA and gene expression), evolution (tracing our fossil record), and growth and
development (the study of the human life cycle), along with many more. For starters, tracing
our ancestry back a few million years, we can see our first true predecessor, Homo erectus.
Homo erectus is considered our first true ancestor due to their use of language, fire, and their
proficient hunting skills. By reconstructing the remains of many of these specimens, it is
possible to understand the first steps of man towards our modern-day civilization with
evidence as simple as bipedal movement. The biological changes that come with basic
evolution, adaptations, are an organism’s way of coping with environmental stressors. For
humans, these included susceptibility to certain diseases, different body types and skin colors,
This study source was downloaded by 100000843856244 from CourseHero.com on 03-28-2022 05:43:49 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/126900653/Biological-Evolution-in-Anthropologydocx/
