Evolutionary anthropology

Evolutionary anthropology

Evolutionary anthropology is the study of the relation between social behavior and the evolution of hominids and non-hominid primates. It includes:

* The anthropology of human evolution.
* The sociocultural evolution of human behavior.
* The archaeological study of human technology and change over time and space.
* Studies of human genetics and changes in the human genome over time.

Evolutionary anthropology is concerned with both biological and cultural evolution of humans, past and present. It is generally based on a scientific approach, and brings together fields such as archaeology, behavioral ecology, psychology, primatology, and genetics. It is a dynamic and interdiscplinary field, drawing on many lines of evidence to understand the human experience, past and present.

Studies of biological evolution generally concern the evolution of the human form. Cultural evolution involves the study of cultural change over time and space and frequently incorporate Cultural transmission models. Note that cultural evolution is not the same as biological evolution, and that human culture involves the transmission of cultural information, which behaves in ways quite distinct from human biology and genetics. The study of cultural (memetic) change is increasingly performed through cladistics and genetic models.

External links

* [http://www.anth.uconn.edu/eas/ Evolutionary Anthropology Society]
* [http://www.eva.mpg.de/ Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology]
* [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/38641/toc Evolutionary Anthropology] - a journal.


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