News tagged with anthropologists
37,000 years old: Earliest form of wall art discovered
Anthropologists working in southern France have determined that a 1.5 metric ton block of engraved limestone constitutes the earliest evidence of wall art. Their research, reported in the most recent edition of the Proceedings of ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 14, 2012 |
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Undocumented Latino youth turn to activism to combat obstacles
Undocumented Latino youth in the U.S. face futures clouded by fewer rights than their documented peers and the constant fear of deportation. Such status constraints usually aren't fully understood until young adulthood, said ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 11, 2012 |
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Researchers discover new research use for plaque
While we may brush and floss tirelessly and our dentists may regularly scrape and pick at our teeth to minimize the formation of plaque known as tartar or dental calculus, anthropologists may be rejoicing ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 02, 2012 |
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Research shows that red is not a proxy signal for female genitalia in humans
New research from anthropologists at the University of Kent may have important ramifications for the future study of the role of colour signals in human social and sexual interactions.
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Apr 19, 2012 |
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Austria returns remains of S.African indigenous people
Austria will return to South Africa the remains of two indigenous people dug up and brought to Europe over a century ago for racial research, the authorities of both countries have announced.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 17, 2012 |
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Study finds significant skull differences between closely linked groups
In order to accurately identify skulls as male or female, forensic anthropologists need to have a good understanding of how the characteristics of male and female skulls differ between populations. A new study ...
Apr 12, 2012 |
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Cutting through ancient evidence of human tool use
The earliest evidence of human tool use may be written on the bones of other animals, but in order to produce reliable conclusions, researchers are calling for improved tools and analysis, including an easy-to-access ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 06, 2012 |
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New research suggests European Neandertals were almost extinct long before humans showed up
Western Europe has long been held to be the "cradle" of Neandertal evolution since many of the earliest discoveries were from sites in this region. But when Neandertals started disappearing around 30,000 years ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mar 26, 2012 |
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WUSTL anthropologists’ work prompts Republic of Congo to enlarge national park
Research by Washington University in St. Louis anthropologist Crickette Sanz, PhD, and colleague David Morgan, PhD, has spurred the Republic of Congo to enlarge its Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park boundaries ...
Mar 05, 2012 |
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Southwest pueblo-dwellers key to modern climate policy?
Vulnerability to climate change presents policy challenges to local, state, regional, national and international entities, particularly at a time when the public and policy-makers still struggle conceptually with the complexities ...
Feb 19, 2012 |
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Sustainability scientist to give anthropologist view of globalization at the local scale
The modernization of isolated villages brings about a change in human information flow patterns that not only destroys the social fabric of the community, but also the economy and the landscape, according to Sander van der ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Feb 19, 2012 |
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Neanderthals and their contemporaries engineered stone tools
(PhysOrg.com) -- New published research from anthropologists at the University of Kent has scientifically supported for the first time the long held theory that early human ancestors across Africa, Western ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jan 24, 2012 |
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Monogamy reduces major social problems of polygamist cultures: study
In cultures that permit men to take multiple wives, the intra-sexual competition that occurs causes greater levels of crime, violence, poverty and gender inequality than in societies that institutionalize and practice monogamous ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Jan 23, 2012 |
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Skeletons point to Columbus voyage for syphilis origins
Skeletons don't lie. But sometimes they may mislead, as in the case of bones that reputedly showed evidence of syphilis in Europe and other parts of the Old World before Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 20, 2011 |
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Anthropologist offers view of snakes as predatory, prey, and competitor
(PhysOrg.com) -- Because we humans are able to write down our greatest fears, we’ve managed to amass quite a library of frightful things over the past several hundred years. One particular fear that ...
Dec 13, 2011 |
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Anthropology
Anthropology /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/ is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia (-λογία), "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German philosopher Magnus Hundt.
Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines human life and society?", "How are social relations among humans organized?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?", "What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans behave?", "Why are there variations among different groups of humans?", "How has the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens influenced its social organization and culture?" and so forth.[citation needed]
In the United States, contemporary anthropology is typically divided into four sub-fields: cultural anthropology also known as socio-cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and physical (or biological) anthropology. The four-field approach to anthropology is reflected in many American undergraduate textbooks and anthropology programs. At universities in the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, these "sub-fields" are frequently housed in separate departments and are seen as distinct disciplines - with the field corresponding to American socio-cultural anthropology being simply anthropology.
The social and cultural sub-field has been heavily influenced by structuralist and post-modern theories, as well as a shift toward the analysis of modern societies. During the 1970s and 1990s there was an epistemological shift away from the positivist traditions that had largely informed the discipline. During this shift, enduring questions about the nature and production of knowledge came to occupy a central place in cultural and social anthropology. In contrast, archaeology and biological anthropology remained largely positivist. Due to this difference in epistemology, anthropology as a discipline has lacked cohesion over the last several decades.
For more information about Anthropology, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
