Be an Anthropologist - Essay Example

Physical anthropologists concentrate on anatomical and physiological structures of human beings with a major focus on their stages of growth and development. Question 2 Evolution refers to changes in inherited characteristics of biological populations from one generation to the other. The process of evolution leads to diversities in successive levels of biological organizations in species, individual organisms and life molecules such as proteins and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Existing variations and patterns exhibited by bio diversity are believed to be shaped by gradual processes of speciation and extinction.

Charles Darwin formulated a scientific argument for evolutionary theory through natural selection. Natural selection enables the genetic mutations that enhance reproduction to maintain commonality in successive generations of a population. Evolution occurs through changes in heritable characteristics of organisms (Bergstrom & Dugatkin, 2012). Evolution influences all aspects of behavior and forms of organisms such as character traits and physical adaptations through natural selection. Question 3 Physical anthropologists primarily study fossils of earlier organisms.

Past species left records of their evolutionary history. Fossils constitute the morphological and anatomical records that physical anthropologists compare to discover lineages of the species. . Question 4 The physical anthropologist selects resources, including the notebook, guides for identifying fossils and textbooks of paleontology. The second step is collecting of fossils from geologic formation from where the anthropologist can access. The anthropologist should select fossils from known or unquestionable sources since they are reliable.

These fossils are considered reliable because the environmental contexts from which they originate from are known (Steckley, 2011). The anthropologist should examine the selected fossils carefully using lenses and take notes. The third step involves using field guides to investigate taxonomic identification and scientific classification of the fossils, including their kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. The anthropologist then labels the sketches using the guides and textbooks.

The anthropologist studies the geologic map of the area where the fossil is found in order to determine the formation and geologic period for the geologic deposit. The anthologist then studies the paleaolecology and paleaoenvironment in which the organism of the fossil lived (Steckley, 2011). The final stage of studying the fossil involves summarizing the fossil’s analysis based on observations and research. Question 5 Source (in-texed above) Question 6 The source above deals with the study of jawbones in identifying the evolutionary processes.

The book has presents the process of evolution beginning from four billion years, although only a few photographs of jawbones are available for viewing (Duranti, 2010). The introduction of the book defines physical anthropology within