an anthropological spin
Briefly going into a bit more detail about the work of Taryn Johnson, we learn more about how anthropologists reconstruct our past
With the announcement that a Denisovan finger bone physically resembles modern humans while genetically being more related to Neandertal, I give some context as to how we can know that.
A brief look at the several members of our genus who survived until most recent times, including the recently announced Homo luzonensis.
Technology potentially allows more researchers than ever before to access more materials than dreamed of just a few decades ago. The push to make that access open source is there. Which way should we go with that information?
The “missing link” is one of the most pervasive ideas in the popular understanding of evolution. I hate it, I’m not alone in hating it, and here’s why.
Content Warning! The following contains graphic description and images depicting butchering and hide work. It’s early 2013.Continue Reading
Anthropology is the study of humans. It’s the study of our cultural diversity and developments. Our similarities and differences. It’s the study of our history–hopefully without some of the drawbacks of nationalism that History is criticized for.
It’s the study of our shared heritage. And that includes or place in the Animal Kingdom.
So in order to understand the biological aspects of the field of anthropology, we need to have a basic understanding of evolution.
Neanderthals are the original “missing link.” That hypothesized link in the chain that connects us to our ever-more-apelike ancestors. Neanderthals have long been assumed to be “less than” human. In anthropological circles, even in lower level anthropology courses, that assumption has been under debate.
This is a huge post. I’ve been asked if I intend to make it into a book. It’s an account of my initial draw towards paleoanthropology, and my first field experience in it, in the Turkana region of Kenya.
