Anthropology? That's Stupid! What is it?

There are one hundred and ninety-three living
species of monkeys and apes. One hundred and
ninety-two of them are covered with hair. The
exception is a naked ape self-named Homo sapiens.
-- Desmond Morris
The Naked Ape

I am currently a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Yes, the above has been known to be said. The confusion only grows when I nix the Margaret Mead idea by revealing that I'm in physical anthropology.

So what is it, then?

I'm not going to tell you what Webster or the OED says about physical anthropology because I assume you're all capable of turning pages with some remedial training. Instead, I'll give my own description a whirl. Physical Anthropology Includes:

The study of extant primates (like Pongo pygmaeus, the orangutan) including their anatomy, social behavior, reproduction, etc. Data from extant primates is often applied to early hominids to answer questions about human evolution

Here are some primatology links:

• The Primate Gallery has great images and basic information about many monkeys and apes
• A brief history of primate research centers in the U.S.
• The Great Ape Project is a strange outgrowth of primatology.
• Reviews of books by and about primatologists:
  • Kanzi: The Ape... is the least technical and most comprehensive book about Sue Savage-Rumbaugh's language studies with Bonobos
  • The Monkey's Bridge is unusual because it explores the evolution of primates in the new world
  • I can't find an online review, but I do recommend Walking with the Great Apes by Sy Montgomery which tells the stories of Jane Goodall, Birute Galdikas, and Dian Fossey and you can find a summary of it here

Paleoanthropology is the study of human evolution through primate fossils, like Taung-1, (Australopithecus africanus) the one and only fossil discovered at the Buxton limeworks in Taung, South Africa, which is pictured at the left

Some paleoanthropology links:

• Jim Foley's Fossil Hominid FAQ is well-organized, readable, and informative
• The Origins of Humankind is probably the most useful paleoanthropology site around.
• Book Reviews
  • Race and Human Evolution by Milford Wolpoff and Rachel Caspari is the most recent publication on a hot topic
  • Ancestral Passions by Virginia Morell is a saga more than a biography, but it's probably the best compilation of the story of the Leakey family to date
  • Lucy is the older of the the two books about the famous AL-288 skeleton, but it's better than Lucy's Child

Forensic Anthropology is the investigation of crimes through the examination of human remains. This is the best summary of how forensic anthropology is applied, even the site itself is somewhat Mulderesque.

As you may have gleaned from the summary article, there are three first names in forensic anthropology:

Please click on the photo at the left for a brief biography of Clyde Snow. Below are links to information about projects he has worked on.

• Snow's most recent work has been in Guatemala. Here are accounts of that research in English and a more detailed story in Spanish
• Beginning in the early 80s, Snow also studied the remains of the Desaparecidos in Argentina. The Vanished Gallery tells the story behind the 'diappearance' of nearly 9000 people at the hands of the government. Dr. Snow was instrumental in formalizing the forensic investigation the remains of the disappeared and in the formation of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAP). Read about their ongoing investigations in Argentina and elsewhere in English or Spanish
• On the lighter side, Snow also investigated the alleged remains of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in Bolivia. Read all about it in the elegantly titled Digging Up Butch and Sundance by Anne Meadows.

William Maples headed up the forensic anthropology program at the University of Floriday, Gainesville. Sadly, he died of brain tumor in early 1997. Here is a copy of an obituary. Though he worked on as many high profile cases as Snow, Maples himself was not as much in the limelight. Unfortunately, this translates into there not being much information about him available online.

• The University of Florida, where Maples established the most renowned forensics program in the U.S. has established a site in his memory
• In 1996, Maples was called in to assist in identifying the victims of the ValuJet crash in the Everglades

• This is a somewhat overwrought account of the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, but it does provide a nice summary of the forensic evidence, much of which Maples was responsible for establishing.
• Maples examined the body of U.S. President Zachary Taylor and helped disprove the theory that he died of arsenic poisoning
• Here's a nice personal review of Maples' book Dead Men Do Tell Tales
• Skull found. Maples called. wackiness ensues

Douglas Ubelaker is the third first name in forensic anthropology. Ubelaker assisted a Tennessee detective in proving an important point about juvenile fingerprints, which may revolutionize the investigation of kidnapping cases Bless his heart, he's also featured in a video about what, exactly, we wacky anthropologists do. Here are some general forensics links in no particular order The Journal of Forensic Sciences website has tables of contents for recent issues and subscription information Knowledge Solutions has a forensic sciene online bookstore with everything from professional reference texts to sensational accounts of the forensic sciences in high profile cases Dr. Terry Hutter has an excellent forensic palynology web page This law firm's forensic web page is kind of full of sound and fury signifying nothing, but it does have a number of links that are a good starting point This site, on the other hand, is everything a collection of forensic science links ought to be links page Forensic anthropology plays an important role in identifying POW/MIA remains. The Army Central Identification Laboratory heads up these investigations. Coming Soon: Bioarchaeology