Nature Research Journal is a very detailed website that presents a variety of information about different scientific reports in all fields. They specifically have a section that details what anthropology is and how the different subfields operate and complement each other. The description of biological anthropology states how it is studied and what the field is currently exploring. Anthropology as a whole is simply defined as “the study of what makes us human” (americananthro.org), and biological anthropology contributes perfectly to this theme. Biological anthropology’s main focus is on human evolution and how we physically came to be as we are now, or essentially what physically “what makes us human.” The website has hundreds of published studies in the field of biological anthropology, including topics ranging from nutritional effects television has on the female body to the analysis of remains from several European population groups.
One particular study featured on this website discusses how humans that typically walk barefoot, like the majority of those living in countries like Kenya, develop thicker foot calluses than those that normally wear shoes. However, the study says that while their calluses are thicker, they don’t actually offer much more protection than the softer and thinner calluses of people that wear shoes. This means that while our bodies have developed to adapt to one’s conditions, it doesn’t always adapt as efficiently as possible. There is some thought that footwear may cause skeletal changes in the future, but as of now there is no changes. This study is very illustrative of anthropology as a whole because it explores how we as humans have changed over time. It shows how the environment affects humans physically in ways you might not think about. I found this study to be a little surprising because I expected the thicker calluses to be very effective since people have been living in the same conditions for so many years that it should be something that helps people. But I guess the human body can only adapt and change so much, and that you can’t expect the body to be extremely effective.
Another featured story analyzes dental phenotypes in order to reconstruct various human population groups from hundreds of years ago. Dental forming is a very heritable trait so it is very informative as genetic data for scientists to use to analyze how natural selection occurs in the teeth in different groups of people. It is a simple yet incredibly useful way to use changes to infer how people interacted with their environment in this time period. The idea is that these dental remains are used to help researchers understand where different population groups existed and where they moved to in the hundreds of years that have passed. This study is important to the field of anthropology because it helps anthropologists see where certain groups of people lived which can help them in as a supplement in other studies. I think that connecting multiple different studies together is an essential and very useful part of anthropology
-Jacob Gleason
Hi Jacob,
One thing I found interesting regarding your blog was the part about developing calluses and how our bodies don’t always adapt in the most efficient way possible. I found it interesting that humans have not evolved in to adapt in a way that provides some sort of support on the feet since humans have been going without shoes for much of history. How do researchers use dental phenotypes to reconstruct population? I have heard of using full skeletal remains to construct living situations of humans, but I have never heard of dental reconstruction being done. I could see finding nutritional facts from dental reconstruction since different foods show different wear and tear on the teeth, but I am unsure of what the markers would be that provide clues of where population existed and moved. I wonder if it has anything to do with different population areas having different diets or if it somehow is based off of features to a certain geographical area. I find this topic to be intriguing though and might do some more research of my own thanks to you introducing the topic in your blog!
Madison Diamond
Hello Jacob, I really enjoyed reading your post and feel that you made many great points! I think it’s important that you defined anthropology and then connected it to biological anthropology. I was interested in the example you provided with individual’s feet that walk barefoot have thicker calluses. As soon as I read this I had assumed right away that these individuals most likely had stronger feet. You correct my thought right away as you explained that these individuals did not have stronger feet although their feet had adapted to this they still had regular feet. I also thought it was so interesting that something as simple as dental records helped scientists figure out where the individuals were from. I also feel it’s important to connect multiple studies together so we may learn as much as possible.