Physical anthropology

Physical anthropology

The branch of anthropology that studies the development of the human race in the context of other primate species.

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Physical anthropology

Uranium-thorium dating

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A radiometric dating technique based on the rate at which uranium-238 and thorium-230 fission. This method has been used to date organic marine sediments, bone, wood, coral, stone, and soil from deep ...

Osteoporosis

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A bone disorder in which there is a progressive reduction in bone density resulting in brittleness and increased porosity. People with osteoporosis are at a high risk for bone fractures. This ...

Genetic load

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A measure of all of the harmful recessive alleles in a population or family line. A high genetic load would be one in which there is a high frequency of deleterious recessive alleles.

Malaria

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A group of similar life threatening diseases found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Malaria is caused by any of four different microorganisms called plasmodia (Plasmodium ...

Aneuploidy

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A chromosomal abnormality in which there is an addition or loss of chromosomes within a set (e.g., 23 + 22 or 23 + 24). Down syndrome is most often the result of this kind of error. See monosomy, ...

Hematite

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A rust red iron ore that was ground to a powder state and used as a paint pigment, beginning with the Neandertals and early modern humans.

Human Genome Project

Anthropology; Physical anthropology

A multinational research effort designed to identify and map the location of all human genes. The idea of a Human Genome Project began at a 1984 international conference in Utah. Research to decode ...