Biological Anthropology Essay

Biological anthropology is the study of behavioural and biological aspects of humans, primates and the extinct hominid species (Stanford et al, 2013). Anthropological perspectives and approaches may be applied to research comparisons, and obtain in depth information on comparative anatomy, biocultral and evolutionary changes over time. This essay will address these different approaches. Paleoanthropological findings will also be used as evidence to support the theory of microevolution and macroevolution in the history of the human hand. Based on this evidence the essay will be arguing that the human hand has structures adapted for fine, precise movements as opposed to more primitive structures reflecting more generalised movements such as grasping …show more content…
In the human, it is used for fine precision grip used for writing while also providing functions like the power grip which would be used to hold an umbrella. The human hand is made up of 7 carpals, 5 metacarpals and 5 phalanges (Mary, 2000). The human hand differs to that of other mammals in its prehensile abilities via the opposable thumb, a specialised primate trait (Wood et al, 2015). The variation over the hominid and ape species is due to biocultral and niche adaptations yet they still have similar anatomical structure. Macroevolution is a large-scale evolutionary change over a long time period, or major evolutionary changes over a short period (Stanford et al, 2013). An example of this can be demonstrated by the difference in the hands of the modern human and Australopithecus afarensis. A. afarensis is known to have lived between 2.9 and 3.9 million years age. The paleoanthropological evidence of these hominids hands resembled that of an arboreal species. The fossils show curved proximal phalanges suggesting adaptation for suspensory and climbing movements where the ability of the power grip was essential for arboreal survival (Stern, Susman,