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Introduction and Chapter 1: Science and Evolution
The Human Species: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology, John H. Relethford
24
Anthropology
Undergraduate 1
10/03/2012

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Term
Fact
Definition
A verifiable truth.
Term
Hypothesis
Definition
An explaination of observed facts.
Term
Theory
Definition
A set of hypotheses that have been tested repeatedly and that have not been rejected. (This term is sometimes used in a different sense in social science literature.)
Term
Charles Darwin
Definition
Devolped the idea of natural selection to explain how organisms evolve over time by adapting to their environment.
Term
Carolus Linnaeus
Definition
Naturalist who compiled one of the first formal taxonomies of all living organisms.
Term
Taxonomy
Definition
The science of describing and classifying organisms.
Term
Species
Definition
A group of populations whose members can interbreed naturally and produce fertile offspring.
Term
Genus
Definition
Groups of species with similar adaptations.
Term
Uniformitarianism
Definition
The observation that the geologic processes that operate in the world today also operated in the past.
Term
Natural Selection
Definition
A mechanism for evolutionary change favoring the survival and reproduction of some organisms over others because of their biological characteristics.
Term
Theistic Evolution
Definition
The belief that God operates through the natural process of evolution.
Term
Intelligent Design Creationism
Definition
The idea that the biological world was created by an intelligent entity and did not arise from natural processes.
Term
Anthropology
Definition
The science that investigates human biological and cultural variation and evolution.
Term
Culture
Definition
Behavior that is shared, learned, and socially transmitted.
Term
Biocultural Approach
Definition
Studying humans in terms of the interaction between biology and culture in evolutionary adaptation.
Term
Holistic
Definition
Integrating all aspects of existence in understanding human variation and evolution.
Term
Variation
Definition
The differences that exist among individuals or populations.
Term
Comparative Approach
Definition
Comparing human populations to determine common and unique behaviors or biological traits.
Term
Evolution
Definition
Change in populations of organisms from one generation to the next.
Term
Adaptation
Definition
The process of successful interaction between a population and an environment.
Term
Cultural Anthropology
Definition
The subfield of anthropology that focuses on variations in cultural behaviors among human populations.
Term
Archaeology
Definition
The subfield of anthropology that focuses on cultural variations in prehistoric (and some historic) populations by analyzing the culture's remains.
Term
Linguistic Anthropology
Definition
The subfield of anthropology that focuses on the nature of human language, the relationship of language to culture, and the languages of nonliterate peoples.
Term
Biological Anthropology
Definition
The subfield of anthropology that focuses on the biological evolution of humans and human ancestors, the relationship of humans to other organisms, and patterns of biological variation within and among human populations. Also referred to as physical anthropology.
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