Languages: English

The video 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 video 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.

Physical Anthropology: The Evolving Human provides students with an understanding of human evolution and diversity from a biological perspective. While new techniques and discoveries are continuing to alter our understanding of the human species and its place in the biological world, this course provides the student with essential tools to appreciate the key theoretical and methodological issues involved in this subdiscipline of anthropology.

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 video, 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 plant. The video 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.

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.

This video 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 video 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 adroitly described and distinguished. The types of locomotor patterns, diets, and habitats used by primates are interwoven throughout.

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.

Experts at the cutting edge of paleoanthropological research show how it?s done. In this video, 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 how old a specimen is.

The key trait that makes a hominoid a hominin is evidence for bipedalism. In this video 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 four to one 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.