topics for physical anthropology research paper

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Anthropology Research Topics And Writing Ideas For Students

Writing an anthropology research paper is in a lot of ways similar to writing an argumentative essay in other disciplines. Usually, the significant difference between these essays is how you support your idea. While you may use only literature to prove your point in an argumentative essay, you may need to employ textual proofs from artifacts, ethnographies, etc., in an anthropology essay.

Research in anthropology could be thrilling, particularly if you have many anthropology project ideas. Anthropology studies the evolution of human culture and therefore provides a wide range of anthropology essay topics that spill into history, biology, sociology, etc. Many anthropological research projects borrow from other social sciences. It is easy to feel that overwhelming grip on your chest if you’re unable to choose an anthropology research topic.

How to Write an Anthropology Research Paper

Guide how to write an anthropology research paper, the excellent list of 110 anthropology research paper topics, physical anthropology research paper topics, medical anthropology research paper topics, cultural anthropology research paper ideas, best cultural anthropology essay topics, biological anthropology research paper topics.

Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Are you worried because you don’t know how to write an anthropology paper? Writing an anthropology paper could be so much fun if you can nail the basics. It is not as bad as people paint it to be, especially if you get writing help from our professional writers . With the right anthropology paper format, anthropology research topics, and anthropology research paper examples, you’re set to go!

If you’re a big fan of doing lots of things in a short time and with fewer efforts, then you’re in the right place. This guide is full of the tips and skills you need to arrange your ideas properly. It also contains anthropology paper examples, anthropology paper topics, and other life-saving tips you may need. Ready to know how to start an anthropology research paper? Let’s delve right in!

How do you get started on an anthropology research paper? Below is the most comprehensive list on the internet to get you home and dry in record time!

Review the Assignment Guidelines
Develop a Topic
Outline your Paper
Do some Library Research
Write a Rough Draft
Write the Paper
Edit the Paper

We shall shortly expound on this list to help you better understand them.

Review the Assignment Guidelines: your professor may give you some guidelines to follow. To avoid deviating from the instructor’s expectations, spend some time reviewing your assignment guidelines so that you know the exact things you need to accomplish. For example, confirm if there are any stated anthropology research methods and the likes. It is beneficial to have a writing schedule. If you have a lot of time in your hands before the submission time, spreading out the workload will help to ease some of the stress. If you’re naturally a binge writer, sit at your computer early and bleed!
Develop a Topic: search for some anthropology research paper ideas and choose from the vast array of anthropology research topics available. Select a topic that revolves around a guiding question. This topic should connect on a deeper level to the theme of the course. The length requirement for the paper will help you know if your topic is too big, too small, or just good enough. For a short paper, you may want to focus on a particular culture or event in the context of a broader topic. Ensure that your thesis focuses on anthropology and that it draws from anthropological theories or ideas. Now, do a quick search to confirm if there are scholarly materials available for this topic. It is easier to write a paper with some available references.
Introduction/Abstract
Library Research: now, start the research on your topic, preferably from course materials. A bibliography at the end of a relevant course reading is also a great way to get other related materials. Depending on the requirement of the assignment, feel free to search for other books or articles.
Write a Rough Draft: during your research, endeavor to make proper jottings and references, which will form the rough draft of your essay. A rough draft will help you create dots that you will be able to connect later on.
Title: Usually on a separate page and contains the abstract.
Introduction/Abstract : A short paragraph showing the road map of your thesis.
Body: Leverages your thesis and presenting your research in a detailed and logical structure.
Conclusion: The conclusion is a short paragraph that summarizes your fundamental theme and substantiates your thesis.
References: A citation of the resources you used in your paper. Follow the referencing style which your instructor chooses.
Edit the Paper: you may engage any of your friends to help you go through your essay. Make some final checks such as the length requirement, the format and citation style, spelling and grammatical errors, logical flow of ideas and clarity, substantial support of the claim, etc. Once you edit your paper, turn it in and accept an A+!

Without further ado, here are 110 anthropology research paper topics for free! With 18 topics each from the six main subcategories of anthropology, you can’t get it wrong!

Eugenics — its merits and demerits in the 21st-century world.
Human Origin: Comparing the creationist versus evolutionist views on the origin of man.
Ancient Egypt: The preservation of their dead and underlying beliefs.
Homo habilis: Investigating Contemporary facts supporting their past existence.
Drowning: Clarifying the cause of drowning by examining the physical and anatomical evidence.
Smoking and its effects on the physical appearance of humans over decades of indulgence.
Physical labor: Exploring its long-term impact on the physical appearance of humans.
The relationship of Kyphosis with human senescence.
Aging in Western Culture.
Skin color: Exploring the influence of the environment on human skin color across continents.
Species and language: Focus on ways species evolve across the world and ways language acquisition affects and influences culture.
Abiogenesis: Research about abiogenesis and how it affects human development
Animal stability: How captive animals are different from those that live in the wild.
Henry Walter: The ways Henry Walter contributed to the field of physical anthropology.
Cephalization: The process of cephalization and what it entails.
Genotype: The environment correlation study.
Genetics: What does genetic hijacking mean?
Altruism: Do people learn altruism or it is an acquired state.
Applying the Concepts of Ethnozoology in medicine.
Critically Assessing the fundamental posits of critical medical anthropology (CMA).
The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in Africa: Evaluating the success of control interventions.
Exploring the applications of Ethnobotany in medicine.
Nuclear disaster: A research into the life of survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.
HIV/AIDS: The reasons for prevalent societal infamy and the way forward.
HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe: Exploring the roles of commercial sex workers in the spread of the disease.
Alternative medicine in China: A comparative review of its weaknesses and possible strengths in the light of Orthodox medicine.
HIV/AIDS in Africa: A critical assessment of extensively troubled nations and populations.
Depression in South-East Asia: Sheer social noise or severe threat?
Adult’s onset diabetes: Research on how diabetes is a major health issue in aboriginal populations in The U.S and Canada.
ARV rollout: The role of the ARV rollout and campaigns in Africa.
Sexual diversity in Africa: Research on whether sexual diversity in Africa is being taken into account to help fight against AIDS.
Chemicals and radiation waste: How the radiation waste and chemicals in the air are affecting people.
Mercury poisoning: The effects of Mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan, and the measures to help put the situation under control.
Health: The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation.
Health: Domestic healthcare and health culture practices
Clinic: Clinical interactions in social organizations.
Growth: Difference between growth and development.
Engineering: Genetic engineering and what it entails.
Marriage: Marriage rituals in different cultures.
Magic: Belief in magic and the supernatural.
Mythologies: The effects it has on modern culture.
Anthropology: How to use anthropology as forensic science.
Heroes: Studies of heroes in different societies.
Education: How education differs around the world.

Cultural anthropology discusses human societies and their cultural origin, vacation, history, and development. Here is a look at cultural Anthropology topics:

Women in Africa: The various challenging roles that women in Modern Africa play and how they handle it.
Homelessness: How homelessness affects and influences the culture and social landscapes.
India: Methods and measures that India is taking to deal with the issue of homelessness and measures they have put in place to deal with social landscapers.
Political science: Highlight and discuss the link between cultural anthropology and political science.
Superstition: Research ways that superstition affects the way of life.
Sexual discrimination: The evolution of sexual discrimination and its effects in modern times.
African cultures: Investigating how different religions and beliefs impact African culture.
Northern Nigeria: How the basic religious beliefs that influence forced nuptials among the children in North Nigeria.
Gay marriage: The background on gay marriage and how it influences the cultural and social backgrounds.
Racism: Explain racism and its existence in modern times.
Religious practices: Ways how religious practices and beliefs affect culture.
Culture shock: What it is and ways that people can work through it.
Ethnocentrism: Ways that you can use to minimize it.
Ancestors: A view of ancestors in African culture.
Religion: Religious practices in a particular society.
Culture: About the Rabari culture in India
Definition of culture
How culture anthropology links to political science
Alcoholism: Looking into the socio-economic and cultural history in Eastern Europe.
Assessing the effects of radioactivity on populations affected by the nuclear disaster of 2011 in Fukushima Daiichi.
Gay marriage: Exploring the biological aspects of same-sex weddings in North America.
Minamata disease: A critical look into the origin, populations affected, and transgenerational impact of this disease on Japan.
Asthma disease in Yokkaichi: A critical look into the cause, people affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
Itai-Itai disease: A critical look into the cause, populations affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
Nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: An investigation of the transgenerational effects on the health of affected victims to this present time.
Cocaine use in America: A critical look into the health impact on American cocaine users.
Making Marijuana use legal in America: Possible woes and beneficial outcomes.
Cystic fibrosis: Justifications for its preponderance in white populations in America.
Biological Anthropology: Research on the meaning and definition of biological Anthropology and how it influences different fields.
Paleoanthropology: Explore ways Paleoanthropology uses fossil records to draw biological anthropology compassion and conclusions regarding human evolution.
Human social structures: Explain the development of human social structures using biological anthropology.
Biological anthropologies: Research on some primary geographical locations where biological anthropologies used to research their work.
Human language: Research how biological anthropology helped in the development of human language and communication.
Body projects: The changes and the valued attributes.
Political ecology: The Vector-borne and infectious disease.
Clinical Interactions: What are clinical interaction and social organization?

Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Ideas

Radioactive Carbon dating: A critical assessment of the accuracy of this dating technique.
Human Origin: Pieces of evidential support for Creationist and Evolutionist views on the origin of man.
Assessing the accuracy of DNA evidence testing and matching on criminology.
Neanderthals: Exploring environmental influences and migratory paths on their survival and appearance.
Dating Techniques: A critical review of current archaeological dating techniques.
Ancient Egypt Mummification: A critical look at the effectiveness of the methods used.
Nuclear disaster: A research into the impact of radioactivity on life forms due to the atomic catastrophe Chernobyl in 1986.
A critical look into recent evidence supporting the existence of Homo habilis in the past.
Crime Scene Forensics: Recent advances in the detection of crime.
Postmortem Changes: Investigating the primary agents responsible for biological changes in humans.
Criminal procedure: Research a case with a confession scenario and highlight unique features of the case.
Criminal procedure: Do your research on the criminal proceedings in a given area and what makes them effective.
Computer forensic: Ways that the computer forensic help in preserving electronic evidence.
Digital forensic: Research about the history and features of digital forensic.
History: Ways that Israel presents itself as a leader in computer forensics.
Oncology: The latest archaeological dating methods.
DNA: How accurate is DNA evidence in the matching and testing criminology?
Crime detention: The recent improvements of crime detection.

So here we are! Fifty juicy topics that are all eager to wear some flesh! Ready to have an A+? Let’s do it!

Are you stuck with writing your thesis? Just enter promo “ mythesis ” – that’s all you need to get a 20% discount for any anthropology writing assignment you might have!

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195 Top Anthropology Topics For Great Thesis

Anthropology is one of the most interesting disciplines that you can pursue at the university level. The whole idea of exploring everything known about human beings, from their origins to evolution, is pretty exciting.

However, the study requires preparing multiple assignments, which can be pretty challenging because you need a deep understanding of biology, history, and culture. The first step, which is even more stressful when preparing an anthropology paper, is selecting the right topic. So, we are here to help.

In this post, we have a list of the best anthropology topics that you can use to get good grades. To help you increase the chances of scoring the best grade in your paper, we have also included a comprehensive guide on how to write your paper like a pro.

What Is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the study of humanity, and it is concerned about human biology, behavior, societies, cultures and linguistics in the past and present. The discipline stretches back to the study of past human species. Because of its broad nature, it is broken down into a number of units, with each focusing on a specific area:

Social anthropology: Focuses on patterns of human behavior. Cultural anthropology: This branch mainly focuses on culture, including values and norms in the society. Linguistic anthropology: Unlike the other two, this branch of anthropology targets determining how language impacts people’s lives. Biological anthropology: This branch focuses on studying the biological development of humans. Archaeological anthropology: This branch of anthropology is concerned with investigating humans in the past. In some jurisdictions, such as Europe, it is considered a full discipline like geography or history.

How To Write Best Quality Anthropology Research Paper

When your professors issue anthropology research paper prompts, one of the questions that you might have is, “how do I write a high level paper?” Here are the main steps that you can use to write a great college paper.

Step One: Understand the Assignment The biggest mistake that you can make is starting an assignment without understanding what it entails. So, read the prompt carefully and grasp what is needed. For example, does your teacher want a qualitative or quantitative research paper? For masters and graduate students, it might be a quantitative anthropology dissertation. Step Two: Select the Preferred Research Paper Topic The topic that you select is very important, and it is advisable to go for the title that is interesting to you. Furthermore, the topic should have ample resources to help you complete the paper smoothly. If there are no books, journals, and other important resources to prepare the paper, there is a risk of getting stuck midway. Once you select the topic, carry preliminary research to gather key points that you will use to prepare the paper. However, these points are not final and will need to get updated along the way. Step Three: Develop Your Research Paper Outline An outline defines the structure of the paper. It makes further research and preparing the paper pretty straightforward. Also, it eliminates the risk of forgetting important bits of the research paper. To make the paper more informative, make sure to add supportive information progressively. Step Four: Write the Thesis Statement of Your Paper The thesis statement of a paper is your stand about the topic that you are writing about. The statement comes in the introduction but will further be restated in conclusion. The information you present on the research paper will approve or disapprove your thesis statement. Step Five: Write the Draft Paper After gathering the information about the topic, it is time to get down and prepare the first draft. So, strictly follow the prepared outline to craft a good paper, starting with the introduction to the conclusion. If you are writing a dissertation, it might be good to tell your supervisor about the progress. Remember that a dissertation is more comprehensive than a research paper. To write a dissertation, you should start with the introduction, followed by the literature review, research methods, results, discussion, and finally, conclusion. Step Six: Write the Final Paper After finishing the draft, it is time to refine it further and make the work exceptional. Therefore, you might want to go through more resources to establish if there is anything more helpful to add. Finally, edit your paper and proofread the paper. You might also want to ask a friend to help with proofreading to identify mistakes that might have skipped your eye.

Next, we will highlight the leading anthropology topics that you should consider. So, pick the preferred one or tweak it a little to suit your needs.

Interesting Anthropology Topics

Investigating how religious beliefs impact the Hispanic cultures.
A review of the evolution of sexual discrimination.
The impact of culture on same sex marriages: A case study of LGBT community in France.
A closer look at racism in modern societies.
Causes of homelessness among the Hispanic communities.
Causes and effects of homelessness among the Indian people in Asia.
Comparing the strategies adopted to deal with homelessness in the US and India.
Cultural anthropology and political science: How are they related?
Identify and review two most important organizations when it comes to advancing anthropology.
Peru’s Quechua people.
Contemporary policy and environmental anthropology.
What influences human social patterns?
A review of the impact of western culture on indigenous people in North America.
Analyzing the caste systems and ranking in societies.
A review of ancient Roman culture.
The evolution of the human ear.
Comparing the evolution of man to the evolution of birds.
What is the origin of modern humans?
A closer look at the main issues in female circumcision.

Biological Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Exploring the meaning of biological anthropology and its application in different fields.
Analyzing how primatologists use primates to understand human evolution.
How paleontologists use fossil records for anthropological comparisons.
Biological anthropology: How does it explain human behavior development?
Identify and review top geographical locations where anthropologists do their work: Why are these locations so important?
Define the connection between social sciences and biological anthropology.
The evolution of the primate diet.
Analyzing the evolution of tapetum lucidum.
A closer look at the extinction of giant lemurs in Madagascar.
Human resistance to drugs: Human pathogen coevolution.
How to determine the age of an animal using its bones.
How does syphilis impact bones?
Poaching and habitat destruction.
The application of natural selection in the animal kingdom.

Good Cultural Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Religious beliefs in the Asian cultures.
Comparing religious beliefs in African and Aboriginal cultures.
A review of the key cultural concepts in a culture of choice in Europe.
Comparing the idea of worldview from the perspectives of two societies.
Marriage in a traditional society of your choice.
A review of early development of economic organizations.
The role of women in Indian society.
A closer look at the process of language acquisition in African culture.
Missionary and anthropology: What is the relationship?
What strategies would you propose to minimize ethnocentrism?
How can society minimize the notion of cultural baggage?
Culture shock: Insights on how to address it.
Belief in magic in different societies.
A review of the impacts of globalization on nutritional anthropology.

Anthropological Research Questions

Should anthropology be merged fully with biology?
Is DNA evidence accurate in criminology applications?
How does the practice of anthropology application in China compare to that of the US?
Use of radiological tools in anthropology: What is their level of effectiveness?
What are the main hazards and risks of forensic anthropology?
What effect do mythologies have in modern society?
How does language acquisition impact the culture of a society?
Body project change projects: What are the valued attributes?
Halloween celebrations: How have they evolved over the years?
What are the impacts of adaptive mutation?
How did WWI and WWII impact human societies?
What are the impacts of climate change on animal evolution?
Location of crime: What can you learn about it?
What are the impacts of long-term alcohol addiction on the human body?
Magic and science: Are they related?

Easy Anthropological Ideas

Development of anthropology in the 21st century.
Important lessons about humans that can be drawn from anthropological studies.
Anthropological issues in pre-capitalist societies.
A closer look at folk roles and primitive society.
Urban centers and modern man.
How is automation impacting human behavior?
How does biology impact human culture?
Reviewing racial identity and stereotypes in society.
Comparing ancient Aztec to Maya civilizations.
Analyzing religious diversity in the United States.
Comparing religious diversity in the UK and Italy.
Why is studying anthropology important?
Comparing different death rituals in different cultures on the globe.
What is the relationship between literature and human development?
Analyzing the influence of anthropology on modern art.
How has social media impacted different cultures on the globe?

Linguistic Anthropology Research Topics

What led to the emergence of linguistics anthropology?
A review of the main theories in linguistic anthropology.
Linguistics used by different communities in the same nation.
Comparing sign and verbal communication.
How did Dell Hymes contribute to linguistic anthropology?
Language is the most important component among Bengal immigrants.
Language endangerment: What is it?
Comparing different categories of arts from an anthropological context for an Asian and Western country.
The impact of colonization on the language of a specific society of your choice.
Explore three different indigenous languages in America.

Controversial Anthropology Topics

Social anthropology is not worth studying because it is very general.
Human societies are cultural constructs.
The past should be considered a foreign nation.
What are your views of petro behavior in chimps?
Man is natural killer
Infant killing is an important evolutionary strategy.
The war on infanticides: Which side do you support?
Evaluating the concept of human morality.
Should all the political leaders be required to undertake training in cultural anthropology?
Human cleansing: Evaluating the driving factors in different societies.
Analyzing the concept of political correctness in the 21st century.
What are the earliest life forms to exist on the planet?

Medical Anthropology Research Topics List

Comparing and contrasting physical and medical anthropology studies.
Do we have evidence of evolution over the last 2000 years?
Exploring the importance of anthropology in modern medicine.
The health implications of adapting to ecology.
Domestic health culture practices in two societies of choice.
A review of clinical anthropology applications.
Political ecology of infectious diseases.
What is the relationship between violence, diseases and malnutrition?
The economic aspect of political health in a country of choice.
Perception of risk, vulnerability and illnesses: A case study of the United States.
What are the main factors that drive good nutrition and health transition?
The adoption of preventive health practices in society.
Important cultural conditions that help shape medical practices.
Comparing the medical practices during the colonial and post-colonial eras in a county of choice.
Use of mitochondria in forensic and anthropology.
Commercialization of health and medicine: What are the implications in society?
Analyzing health disparity in a society of your choice.

Current Topics In Anthropology

Using anthropology studies to determine the impact of political systems on different societies.
Human rights of people who are convicted of crimes.
What are the most important organizations when studying anthropology?
A closer look at the dialect of a modern feminist.
A study of current queer life in Germany.
Implications of Barack Obama as the African American President.
Reviewing the Pagan rituals and their impacts.
Comparing aging in the west and growing old in the African setting.
Cultural implications of deviant behavior in society.
The new concept of childhood in the emerging economies.

Physical Anthropology Research Topics

What does genetic hitchhiking mean?
Analyzing the cephalization process.
What is adaptive mutation?
Altruism: Is it learnt or a natural trait?
What is abiogenesis in human development?
A study of Australian marsupial’s convergent evolution.
Comparing stability of animals in stability and those in the wild.
Evolution of different animals in different parts of the globe. What drives the differences?
A review of physical anthropology trends.
The future evolution of human beings.
Physical anthropology: The human and digital culture.
What really makes people human?

Special Anthropology Topics to Write About

Enlightenment and Victorian Anthropological Theory.
Race and ethnicity: The anthropologist’s viewpoint.
A closer look at reciprocity in the native aboriginal communities in Australia.
What is the relationship between Neanderthal and modern humans?
Cultural anthropology versus sociology.
Anthropology of Mormonism.
What is the biggest change since WWI?
What is reflexive anthropology?
What is the main purpose of rituals in society?
Comparing rituals around childbirth in Asia.
Evaluating the connection between religion and myths in different societies.
Comparing the 20th and 21st century’s method of collecting anthropological data.
Why is medical anthropology so important today?
The importance of Benin artifacts in the history of the world.
The sociology theory: A review of its structure and shortcomings.
Christian believes in anthropology.
Comparing Anthropology of Europe to Anthropology of Africa.
Evaluate the effectiveness of reflexivity use in ethnographic studies.

Forensic Anthropology Paper Topics

What are the primary agents that cause biological changes in the human body?
Are the biological change agents in a human being similar to those of other animals?
Assessing the accuracy of carbon dating technology.
Analyzing the latest improvements in crime detection technology.
Analyzing evidence that supports evolution views of human beings.
How does radioactivity impact different animals?
The main signs of asphyxiation.
A review of the latest archaeological dating methods: Are they effective?
Mummification: How effective was the process as applied in Egypt?
Importance of crime scenes in forensic anthropology.
Analyzing the effectiveness of Buccal Swabs when profiling insides of cheeks.
Criminal profiling: How effective is it in deterring a criminal’s traits?
Footprint in the crime scene: What can they tell you?
Soil comparison in forensic anthropology.
Insect as important agents of body decomposition.
How do you identify blunt force trauma?
Comparing and contrasting penetrating and perforating trauma.
Analyzing the Rigor Mortis method of establishing a person’s death.

Use Online Help To Prepare Exceptional Papers

This post has demonstrated how you should go about preparing a quality anthropology paper. However, many still find it challenging to prepare even after selecting interesting anthropology research topics. Well, there is no need to worry because you can use experts in research paper and dissertation writers. Using our resources when you buy dissertation with us, you will get exceptional results.

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What Is Anthropology ?

Table of Contents

Anthropology is the study of humans’ origins, societies, cultures, behaviors, and physical variations across time and space. It emphasizes understanding the diversity of human experiences and how societies function. Anthropologists explore various aspects of human life, from biological and evolutionary perspectives to cultural and social dimensions.

There are four primary subfields in anthropology:

Cultural Anthropology: Focuses on understanding contemporary societies, cultures, customs, and practices.
Archaeology: Studies past human societies and cultures by examining material remains, artifacts, and structures.
Biological/Physical Anthropology: Investigates human biology, evolution, genetics, and primatology.
Linguistic Anthropology: Explores the role of language in societies, communication, and cultural expression.

Anthropologists use diverse methods, including ethnography (participant observation), interviews, archaeological excavations, biological analyses, and linguistic studies, to uncover insights into human societies, their histories, and how they evolve over time.

Here we have compiled 300 research topics under different categories. From how languages evolve to what ancient artifacts tell us, these topics are like treasure maps guiding us to discover the wonders of human life. Ready to dive into stories of our past, present, and future? Let us start.

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The American Journal of Physical Anthropology (AJPA) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. It was established in 1918 by Aleš Hrdlička. The journal covers the field of physical anthropology, a discipline which Hrdlička defined in the first issue as "the study of racial anatomy, physiology and pathology." The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was the original publisher. In addition to its monthly issues, the association also publishes two supplements, the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology and a meeting supplement. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, anthropology was embedded in a larger milieu of scientific racism and eugenics. Hrdlička put prominent eugenicist Charles Davenport on the AJPA editorial board, and used his connection to the racist and anti-immigrant Madison Grant to obtain funding for his new journal. Hrdlička was deeply suspicious of genetics and statistics; not even standard deviations were allowed into his journal during his 24 years as editor in chief. After his death, the journal continued as the organ of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, which Hrdlička

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topics for physical anthropology research paper

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Model reveals surprising disconnect between physical characteristics and genetic ancestry in certain populations

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Ancestry estimation perpetuates racism, white supremacy

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Troubles in Tuva: Raids and bloody rituals among ancient steppe nomads

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Researchers, who remotely videotaped a generation of wild chimpanzees learning to use tools, gain insights into how technology came to define human culture.

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Mutations may have saved brown howler monkeys from yellow fever virus

At the start of her 2008 field season at El Parque El Piñalito in the Misiones province in northeastern Argentina, Ilaria Agostini knew something was terribly wrong. Agostini has studied Misiones' two howler monkey species ...

Aug 12, 2020

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259 Most Popular Anthropology Research Topics For Students

Anthropology is the concept that explores the culture of human societies and how these cultures have spurred development. It is the study of physiological and biological features which encompasses the evolution of humans.

The study extends to ethnography, participant observation, ethnocentrism, even cultural relativism. As a student, you may need anthropology topics for your research or forthcoming college essay. You may even need anthropology project ideas to create your idea for a paper.

These persuasive anthropology essay topics are across different fields of the course and you can choose any of these topics for your use.

Medical Anthropology Research Topics

As a part of anthropology that deals with human health, diseases, and the performance of public health institutions, you may need anthropological topics viewing humanity from the ecological lens. Consider the following:

Assess the intervention of government and NGOs following Ebola virus break in Europe
Evaluate the success of governmental and NGO intervention after the Ebola virus outbreak in Africa
Assess the role of ethnobotany in medical sciences
Nuclear disaster: evaluate how it affects people using an event of natural disaster as a case study
Assess the residue why societal infamy is linked to HIV/AIDS
Attempt an evaluation of how the spread of HIV/AIDS is improved by sex workers in Central Europe
HIV/AIDS: an Analysis of the safety measures for commercial sex workers if it exists
Assess the strength and weaknesses of orthodox and unorthodox medicine in Native Americans
Evaluate the medical threats of depression in South Asia communities
Engage in an assessment of women’s sexuality and how culture affects sexual health
Attempt a medical moral perspective of the ethics behind euthanasia and how it could be synonymous with suicide
Express in detail what transcultural nursing means
Assess the complications in the treatment of periodontal disease
Examine how nursing ethics become pragmatic in the career of professionals
Examine how South Africa gas managed to reduce the HIV infection rate
How do contraceptives address HIV/AIDS and its spread
What does positive living mean as a means of avoiding AIDS stigma?
Express what sexual diversity means in America as a way to combat AIDS
Give an account if his Environmental and political health can help the advancement of medical anthropology
Give a study on the status of cancer after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia
Examine the environmental health disaster of two countries of your choice
Assess the connection of income to health and analyze three pioneering literature on the study
An attempt to explain big pharma and the complications of watchdogs and whistleblowers
Give a comparative overview of the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS in Africa
How has the outbreak of HIV/AIDS affected the gay community since its first discovery?

Ethnographic Research Topics

You already know ethnography as the study of the everyday life of a particular society. These are anthropological essay topics that you can consider for your research or forthcoming undergraduate essay. They are:

Undergo a qualitative ethnographic representation of contemporary feminism in America
Examine the role of clinical science in the pharmaceutical science of rural communities
Choose a minority group of your choice and conduct research on their mental wellbeing based on their challenges
Research why abortion is considered the first resort for sexually assaulted and domestically violated victims
Evaluate the role of Ethnography and Its studies in psychology
Elucidate how teachers can adopt the findings of Ethnography in classroom learning
Examine the function of Ethnography in software technology
Assess how Ethnography and its studies could help people with learning disabilities
Assess how music and interpersonal relationship improve cognitive behaviors
Attempt an ethnographic study of healthcare management and American nurses’ intensive care
Attempt an Ethnographic study of resource management and how it affects American doctors
Attempt an Ethnographic study on the inclusiveness of health care and the public access to it
Evaluate how journalists cope with stress and how it affects their profession
Examine the boundaries of citizens involvement in intensive healthcare
Examine the Ethnographic study of a group of domestically violated victims and how they respond to the violation
Evaluate the effects of smart homes and privacy in communal Ethnographic studies
Evaluate the status of spiritual healing through systems of pilgrimage therapy
Examine the culture existent in poor educational leadership and how it fails the society
Attempt an expository study on the role of psychologists in advancing special education
How ICT improved collaborative work routines: a study of its consequences on human relationships
Embark on a qualitative research study on diabetes studies in Southeast Asia
Use ethnographic information to assess intensive public healthcare
Attempt an ethnographic overview of patient handover in European health care
Account for the challenges in interprofessional teamwork practice amongst European nurses
Conduct an overview of how cultures affect professionalism in healthcare: a case study of an African and European country
Study traditional health beliefs and myths and how they affect contemporary society development
Express how the value of education has been improved through ethnographic discoveries
Examine the factors that facilitate cultural developments in the face of Western civilization: a case study of India or China
Conduct a study on the beliefs of Japanese students while they learn English
Examine the state of theories of racism and how the black community of America has tried to change the narrative

Anthropology Research Paper Topics

You may need topics in anthropology for your next research paper. As you already know that anthropology is generally about cultures and history, you may need ideas of topics in anthropology to direct what your research is centered on. You can consider the following topics for informative and compelling research:

Examine the greeting gestures in American and Chinese societies
Examine the greeting gestures in native African societies
Attempt a comparative analysis of greeting gestures amongst the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the Brazilians with Yoruba ancestry
Navigate the process of aging and how it exacerbates fear of old age
Examine the benefits and consequences of eugenics in today’s world
Examine how human color affects his social relationship with his environment: a case study of the UK
Examine how the physical outlook of a smoker is affected
Investigate the view that human civilization emerged from Africa
Investigate the view that homo habilis is not an evolutionary fiction
Assess how ancient Egyptians kept dead
Attempt an overview of kissing myths in the western world and how it affects the cultural meaning of a kiss
Attempt an overview of the evolving ideas to matrimony in Asia
Account for the effects of the internet and western civilization on the traditions of Japan
Account for the significance of the Greek culture on Italian languages and culture
Account for the similarity and contrast in the philosophy of ancient Greece and Italy
Assess Latin language and account for the development of other languages since their inception
Assess the Slavic groups and explore the development of the aborigines and the modern Slavophiles
Account for the significance of women in ancient Egypt
Attempt a bird’s eye documentation of women’s role in modern Egypt
Study the concepts of American culture of consumerism and the Scandinavian culture of minimalism
Account for animal and floral prints in the life and art of native American cultures
Account for the connection of animals and plants in the art of beautification amongst native American tribes
Attempt a detailed overview of how the Roman Catholic Church improved the science of sculpting and architecture
Account for the influence of the Roman Catholic Church as the center of government, religion, art, and social life
Attempt a reconstruction of migrants and immigration means in America’s 17th to 21st centuries
Defend the notion that the English political culture is a mix of the old and contemporary cultures
Attempt a criticism of the monarchy in European politics over western democracy
Attempt a critical overview of the Bollywood and Hollywood movie industry as well as the historical context explored in the products
Assess the cultural constructions of human society and how they aid evolutions
Consider the discourse that language doesn’t exist without culture and vice versa drawing opinions from at least five Literature
Account for the development of rock music and its connection to any native American tribes
Attempt an overview of how social media engages the electorate before and during elections
Explore the concept of piercing in western countries and Asia’s India
Study the contemporary psychology of traveling between teenagers and their parents
Drug: attempt a critic of it as an entertainment or a coping mechanism.

Cultural Anthropology Topics

Cultural anthropology research topics give answers to human behavior by studying patterns and distinguishing elements from other societies. If you need awesome anthropology paper topics, you may consider the following to impress your professor as your graduate thesis topic:

Explore the social and cultural revolution leading to homosexuality in Africa
Attempt the social and cultural revolution that led to contemporary sexual attitudes in any region
Assess the social and cultural revolution that has propelled feminism in the Middle East
Attempt an overview of the different nature of feminism in the west and the Middle East
Criticize the critics who believe western feminism attempts to dominate the cultural lives of women in Arab countries
Consider an in-depth analysis of the Philosophies of two societies of your choice
Attempt an in-depth analysis of the religious beliefs of two traditional groups in Europe
Assess the structure of family and marriage in two countries of your choice in Africa and Asia
Account for the concept of ancestors in native American countries and Africa
Document the significance of cultural diversity in the study of human evolution in anthropology
Account for the meaning of cultural baggage and how to address the concept of culture invasion
Explore the background, development, and public reaction to the concept of gay and lesbian narratives in Africa
Give a critical assessment of how burial practices are interwoven with religion and myth
Explore the influence of religious and cultural superstition in the development of African worldview
Account for the evolving roles of women in Asian countries
Account for the distinctions in the cultures of death rituals in any two Asian countries
Account for the fundamental influence of culture and religion in the forced marriage narratives of Northern Nigeria
Assess the function of storytelling in the promotion of native American cultures
Account for the significance of social media in the culture of the first and third world
Attempt a forensic overview of the concept of family, fraternity, and gangs
Assess the significance of gangs and fraternities in the development of modern England
Give a forensic overview of the significance of political organizations in many Middle Eastern countries
Attempt a criticism of western intervention and modernization agenda in developing countries as an attempt to encroach cultures
Explore the distinction between the level of education in an Islamic state in the Middle East and a liberal state in Asia
Study music, dance, and parties in the contemporary society
Study the cultures of rituals and festivals and how they have led to cultural identity, community development, and intercultural relationship
Assess the concept of social status in any African community
Explore the cultures of any native American tribe and how it has changed over time
Assess the role of literature in the evolution of humans ideas
Study the understanding of health and wellness in three societies across from Europe, Africa, and Asia
Study the process of migration, factors mitigating against it, and how migration promotes cultural diversity
Examine the role of literature in spreading libertarian ideas
Argue for feminism in patriarchal societies
Attempt a criticism and distinction of anthropology and art
Explore the emergence and influence of culture on tourism.

Biological Anthropology Research Topics

This discipline examines the origins and evolution of humans, notably hominins. It studies fossil behavior, genetics, and other significant concepts that makeup morphology. If you need persuasive anthropology essay topics for your college or university degree, you can wow your professor with any of these:

Explore the socio-economic and cultural history of Americans and alcohol drinkers
Account for the effects of the disaster of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
Examine the transgenerational impact of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear explosions
Account for the results of radioactivity in the affected population of Fukushima Daiichi in 2011
Assess the biology in same-sex matrimony in North America
Account for the origin, spread, and transgenerational impact of any endemic in any society of your choice
A critical overview of COVID-19 and the battle for survival in two or more Indian cities
Cocaine use in America: health impact on addicts and the psychology for starters
Marijuana in North America: benefits, disadvantages, and woes
Maladaptation: how it affects migrants in any country of your choice
Examine how domestic health care challenges cultural health practices in any Middle Eastern country
Analyze the concept of vulnerability and risk in public health care
Analyze the possibilities of traditional institutions in preserving cultures
Explore the relationship and comparison between malnutrition, violence, and chronic disease in any society of your choice
Study the factors that drive health care transition, nutrition, and improvement of health in any European country of your choice
How do social relationships affect nutritional choices and human healthy living?
Account for the historical practices that have influenced medicinal practices and policies in the contemporary society
Examine clinical interactions in any social association of your choice
Attempt a pluralistic overview of health practices in any society of your choice
Assess the cultural revolution of medicine in any African country of your choice
Give an overview of how pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies shape contemporary medicine
Explore medical cultures in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial India and how it functions as a part of modernity
Examine the commercialization and commodification of medicine and healthcare in the contemporary society
Account for the disparity in healthcare accessibility in any developing country
Account for the challenges of a developing nation in public access to healthcare services

Interesting Anthropology Topics

If you’d like to explore current anthropology research questions, there are compelling topics for your undergraduate research. You can attempt and rephrase any topics in anthropology below to use for your school essay or research:

Women in Afghanistan and the culture of silence
Women in Egypt and the culture of silence
The influence of western feminism and the culture of silence in the Arabic Muslim world
Examine the influence of environmental anthropology on medicine
Attempt a critical study of the global outlook of HIV/AIDS and how it concerns the LGBTQ community
Explore the impact of contemporary ideologies on native American societies
Account for the role of folklore in the defense and transgenerational retainment of cultures
Tribal, savage, barbaric: explore the culture of labeling in the contemporary world
Assess the growth of modern man and the evolution of civilization
Account for different race theories and the systems of cultural assimilations across the world
Give an account of the overview of colonialism as expressed by the Literature of Franz Fanon
Assess the connection of political science with cultural anthropology
Explain the psychology behind genocide and its effects on human relationship
Attempt an anthropological analysis of human behavior in Lord of the Flies
Account for the nature of matrimony in Islamic societies
Express the racial identities particular to native American tribes and any Asian country of your choice
Compare and contrast American and Asian music
Express the psychological implications of Barack Obama’s emergence as a colored president
Explore the origin, factor for development, and spread of biological aggression during warfare
Give a critical account of the hunter-gatherer society in South Africa
Give an overview of fishermen and their knowledge of the society in any country of your choice
Explore how the internet promoted westernization
Examine the influence of cross-cultural experiences in the modern world
Evaluate the history and significance of the festivities of Halloween
Evaluate the factors that promote the culture of bullying in America
Evaluate the concept of aging in African and Europe
Express the spiritual cultures of any African and European country
Assess the religious beliefs of Catholicism and Its Influence on contemporary faith
Assess how sexuality is affected by religiosity
Evaluate the defiant behavior of contemporary sexuality
Examine the factors that propel religious aggressions
Expatiate on the factors that promote cultural hatred in a diverse society
Explore the cultural distinctions between European and American societies
Account for the role of TV reality shows in the social life of any society of your choice
How does TV reality show the reality of any society?

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

This is a field of anthropology interested in the history, evolution, and distinguishing features of humans. The field impacts, most importantly, human behavior and anatomical transformations. You can consider these Anthropology research paper topics for your class or personal research study:

What are the advantages and consequences of eugenics in today’s society?
Why has the origin of man been different societies of civilization
Have western ideas of superiority affected the acknowledgment of Egypt as the cradle of civilization?
What are the contemporary facts that support past research and experiences of homo habilis?
What are the consequences of smoking on human physical appearance
What is the underlying Egyptian belief in preserving the dead
Examine the Influence of the environment on skin color
Explore aging in Asian countries and what it means for them
Analyze the physical concept of re-adjusting newborn babies by nursing mothers
Analyze five pieces of Literature on the stages of drowning till death

List of Ethnography Topics

If you need topics regarding the scientific understanding of cultures, humans, their customs, and collective distinctive features, you need ethnographic research topics. You can consider the following:

Is homelessness a function of ethnic affiliation in the United States?
Examine the factors contributing to migration from Latin America to other parts of the world
Examine the concept of drug trafficking in Africa
Examine the violence and concept of human trafficking in Africa
Analyze the Psychology of victims of human trafficking and how it affects their human relationships
Attempt to examine how cultures of patriarchy adapt to American liberalism
Analyze the factors that propel violence through drug trade in South America
Examine the difference between the treatment of black and white Americans in the prison system
Attempt to respond to the division of fraternities along the lines of ethnic groups
Discuss the way of life of homeless persons in Europe
Examine the domestic policies of Europe and how it affects day to day living
Examine how the migration policies of Poland affect migrants
Examine how US veterans are integrated into the society
Criticize the policies of Poland and express its fear of terrorism
Give an overview of Sharia law in the UK and what it means for the culture
Examine the conceit of migration between Africa and Europe
Examine how unemployment has fueled the migration of Nigerian culture to Saudi Arabia and the potential effect of cultural diversity
Examine how Muslim parents dominate their children’s choices
Examine how parents in Asian societies dominate their children’s choices
Analyze how parents in European societies dominate their children’s choices
Discuss the advantages of western socialization with Islamic countries
Assess the politics of Arab countries
Account for the Arab spring and the link to human revolutions
Account for the means of socializing with kids in India
Examine the link between terrorism and human trafficking
Explore the success and failure levels of people with different backgrounds
Examine the trend of marriage and the changes in any society of your choice
Account for how globalization has affected any group of people
Account for the values of European countries
Assess the eating habits of European homeless persons
Account for how the street is sometimes space for talent shows
Discuss the concept of adulthood amongst Brazilians and Indians
Examine any social organization and share their striking features
What is the traditional and contemporary definition of beauty
Examine the culture of transgenderism in Arab countries.

Current Topics in Anthropology

You could also want to consider straightforward anthropology topics for your thesis. You can set your research study on:

Oral traditions and culture
Human evolution
Forensic anthropology
Physical Anthropology
Spiritual therapy
Cross-cultural diversity
Linguistics and culture
Art, beauty, and worldview
Labour and work systems
Political and economic systems
Family, kinship, and marriage systems
Social inequality
Contemporary technology
Contemporary industrialization
Immigration processes
Archaeology
Gender studies
Decomposition
Methods embalmment
Primatology
Reconstruction of skeletal systems
Homo species
Science of excavations
Human anatomy
Interpretation of archaeological researches
Early species
Westernization and tribalism
Comparative culture.

Need Help With Anthropology?

Since you have access to topics which could guide your research, you may also need thesis help for a compelling research study. There are many online research writing assistance websites who can help create the best and most informative study. You can get a high quality essay at a fast pace to pass your undergraduate degree at a cheap price. You can even get your class colleagues on board for the awesome opportunity to get an excellent essay.

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Anthropology Research Topics: 100+ Ideas

Do you want to frame an anthropology research paper that helps you stand out from the crowd? If this is the case, don’t worry because we have you covered. However, before jumping straight to the writing part, the first step is to select a great anthropology research topic.

A majority of students consider this step to be the most daunting. Choosing a topic and researching it can take time and effort. It requires a broad range of skills. However, since it is an academic compulsion, you must recognize it for a short time. Why not give this your most passionate shot once and for all and fully indulge in it once and all?

Don’t be afraid, as we’re here to navigate you through an enticing list of 100+ research topics in anthropology. These topics will help you frame the outstanding research paper you have always wanted. You can choose these topics as they are or tweak them a little according to your unique requirements.

Table of Contents

Working on Anthropology Research Paper Topics

To frame an outstanding research paper on anthropological topics, the first and foremost thing is to think anthropologically. Thinking anthropologically implies suspending their preconceived notions of how the world functions and what constitutes “normal” or “abnormal.” Anthropology urges anthropologists to be “culturally relative” and to comprehend cultural diversity on their terms. Anthropology rejects ethnocentrism and recognizes divergence without placing it in a hierarchy.

When you are writing your anthropology research paper, you need to ensure the following items are on your checklist:

Critically analyze and evaluate cultural norms (both in your own and other cultures).
Conduct comprehensive research on ethnographic data (including data and descriptions of everyday events, oral histories, and significant interviews) to understand significant patterns.
Organize all the ethnographic or other evidence to expound on a phenomenon or event or support a hypothesis or argument.
Evaluate a theoretical viewpoint critically to determine how well it explains cultural occurrences.

100+ Anthropology Research Paper Topics

There are a few subjects that intrigue the majority of students. These are anthropology, psychology, mythology, sociology, and other good ethnography topics.

Drafting a research paper on anthropology comes with a wide spectrum of special subtopics. These subtopics include linguistics, biology, current events, and cultural anthropology topics to choose from. These topics are mentioned below and can help inspire fascinating research and writing about humans and their evolution.

Read Also – Top 100 Position Paper Topics

Biology and Anthropology Topics for Research

Biological anthropologists investigate, document, and explain the evolution of morphological variations among humankind through time in the historical record. They also provide a comparative perspective on the uniqueness of the human race compared to other living primates. It is a very popular subject for students. Thus, if you’re keen to research more about such factors, then consider these biological anthropology topics that will help you get started with a specific mindset for writing:

The history of biological anthropology: understanding the natural history of humankind
A handbook on paleoanthropology: the history of our tribes
Minimizing the risk of maladaptation: a developmental perspective
Understanding the current stage of paleoanthropology in the USSR
Biological anthropology with other allied fields of science
How biological anthropology explains the genesis of human behaviour and social structures
Applying biological anthropology to interpret human evolution
How do the biotech and pharmaceutical industries influence modern medicine?
Biological anthropology and aging

Controversial Anthropology Topics for Research

Writing and researching controversial topics is always the cherry on the cake. You can easily expound on these topics by corroborating a huge spectrum of data and resources. Thus, instead of choosing drudgery research topics in anthropology, give another penny for your thoughts and choose controversial topics. Topic ideas relating to controversial topics are here.

Ancient Egyptian civilization: the culture of life and death
Validation of social anthropology
The ethnographic paradigms
The war on infanticide has a global scope and magnitude.
Cultural construction or anthropology: theory and empirical evidence
The criticism of the European monarchy over western democracy
The relationship between social anthropology and allied disciplines
Hidden voices: Unveiling women in Ancient Egypt
Understanding Italian culture: Greek culture’s influence on Italian languages and culture
The origins and natural history of human morality
Analyzing male aggression against women from an evolutionary perspective
Understanding personality, cognition, and behavioural changes in chimpanzees
Infanticide as an evolutionary strategy: reality or myth?
The myth of man as a natural hunter
Analyzing the dart and the Seville statement on war
The history of Samoan sexual conduct and the Mead-Freeman controversy
Menopause: adaptation or epiphenomenon?
Who owns the past?
The repatriation of anthropology

Read Also – 295 Sociology Research Topics

Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

Cultural anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies human societies, patterns, cultures, and developments. Some of the contentious cultural anthropology topics are given below:

Cultural anthropology and linguistics
The evolution of sexism: a critical analysis of past problems and future possibilities
The flourishing of libertarian literary writings
The history of women’s struggles
Cultural anthropology and psychiatry
The development of sociology and social anthropology
Fundamental religious principles govern child forced marriages in northern Nigeria.
The battle of African women for equality
Patriarchy and the representation of women in Asian nations
Green and Roman mythology: a comparative analysis
African traditional beliefs and spirituality in Africa
Cultural violence and the Nigerian woman: a narrative review
The ultimate journey of widow-burning in India
Exploring cultural spaces and technologies in contemporary societies
The biological myth of human evolution: a phylogenetic approach
Erasing culture and race: practising “self-determination.”
The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World
The 16th and 17th-century philosophy of India
Understanding Mexican culture from a religious point of view
Migration and cultural diversity
The native American ancestry of African-Americans
Muslim women and forced marriages
A theoretical analysis of culture clashes in American anthropology
Anthropology of religion
Christendom’s worlds and Christianity’s future

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Physical anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and diversity. If you’re interested in researching and writing about physical anthropology, then here are some interesting topic suggestions that you can consider:

Genotype-environment correlation study: an overview
The evolution of human beings
Genetic hitchhiking: the controversy and its implications
The altruistic personality: the heritability of individual differences
The cephalization process
Amazonian Anthropology: Henry Walter Bates
Homo sapiens and early human migration
The evolution of human history and the first man
The ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs
The issues and challenges of aging in Asia
Influence of environmental factors on skin tone
Examine five literary works that discuss the stages of drowning and dying.
Evidence of somatic acceleration from recent investigations
The relationship between psychological and physiological constitutions
A review and comparison of dissolution profiles
The advantages and disadvantages of eugenics in the 21st century
Aging across cultures: a comparative analysis
Genetic engineering and medical anthropology: ethics and challenges

Read Also – 100+ Compelling Linguistics Research Topics

Linguistic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Linguistic anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies the connection or relationship between languages and cultures. It study how people negotiate, think, compete, and reproduce cultural forms and relations through the medium of languages. If you’re interested in learning more about linguistic anthropology, here are a few suggestions for you:

The anatomy and physiology of speech
Language, Race, and Popular Culture
The relationship between language and culture
Understanding intercultural communication: a current perspective
Linguistics and the politics of representation
Representational barriers and issues in linguistic anthropology
Language and gender: a comprehensive research work
American-African women’s language: talking that talk
Journeys into the past: understanding different language cultures
Language endangerment and language revitalization: an active approach

Forensic Research Topics in Anthropology

Generally speaking, forensic anthropology studies the examination of human remains for law enforcement agencies to solve atrocious crimes. Have a look at some of these great forensic anthropology research topics:

Analyzing the latest perspectives on forensic anthropology
Criminal profiling and computer forensic processes: assumptions, challenges, and probable solutions
Fundamentals of forensic anthropology: current methods and practices
Forensic anthropology and medicine
Forensic anthropology and forensic pathology
A handbook on crime scene investigation
Comparison of soils in forensic anthropology: a detailed study
Reactive oxidants and human diseases
An investigation of the fundamental factors that cause biological alterations in the human body
A study on the recent advancements in forensic science
Criminal profiling: a powerful tool against criminal offences
Current tools and future concepts of forensic anthropology
Common techniques in the study of forensic anthropology
Progress and prospects of DNA testing procedures
Narratives of forensic psychology and criminal personality profiling
Moral issues in forensic anthropology
The workings of forensic anthropology: ethics and professionalism
accuracy of carbon dating technology
Asphyxiation: an autopsy study
Analyzing the methods of determining the time of death

Medical Anthropology Topics for Research

Interested in medical anthropology? If so, look at the below-provided research topics on anthropology.

Exploring medical anthropology
Ethno zoology: applications and principles
A reflection on medical anthropology
Medical anthropology and epidemiology
Medical ethno botany: applied principles and applications
An overview of the spread of the Ebola virus in 2014
Maladaptation: The effects of adaptation to ecological conditions and improper adaptation on health
Mapping the concepts of vulnerability, risk, and responsibility for healthcare and illness
Critical and clinical engagement in anthropology
Ethno medicine modalities in a healing process

The Bottom Line

Each option in the article can help you develop an outstanding research paper in anthropology. Anthropology is indeed a complex subject. Thus, you can also consider some good ethnography topics for your research. You need to conduct extensive research on the different sections of societies and how they have evolved over the past few years. These research paper topics are meant to inspire you and help you score high marks in your academic research programs. You can use these topics as they are or modify them accordingly.

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100 best anthropology topics to write about.

April 1, 2021

However, anthropology is a complex subject. And writing about any topic in this subject requires knowledge of different societies, traditions, and cultures. What’s more, social anthropology topics combine studies like sociology and history.

As such, researching and writing about some topics related to anthropology can be a challenging task. Nevertheless, this subject largely covers almost all human life’s aspect. Here is a list of some of the best anthropology topics from our customer writing service .

The Top 10 Anthropology Topics

Controversial Topics in Anthropology

Medical anthropology research topics, physical anthropology topics, biology anthropology topics, cultural anthropology topics, linguistic anthropology research topics, forensic anthropology research topics, the top 10 anthropology topics.

Maybe you are looking for anthropology research topics that most people will be interested to read about. In that case, consider these anthropology paper topics.

The merits and demerits of eugenics during the 21st century
Exploring how the environment influences the human skin color
Explain the aging process in the Western culture
How Kyphosis relate to human senescence
The long-term effects of physical labor on the physical appearance of a person
How smoking affects the human physical appearance
Clarifying what causes drowning through the examination of anatomical and physical evidence
Investigating modern facts that support the existence of homo habilis
Theories about the origin of humans
The underlying beliefs behind the preservation of the dead in ancient Egypt

Most people will be interested in reading about such anthropology research paper topics. However, you should be ready to research any of these ideas extensively to come up with a brilliant paper.

Do you enjoy the idea of researching and writing about controversial issues? If yes, you will find these anthropology essay topics quite fascinating to research and write about.

Social anthropology is nothing because it generalizes science
Society is a theoretically obsolete concept
Human worlds are cultural constructions
Language is the culture’s essence
Humans should see the past as a foreign country
Patrol behavior in Chimpanzee
The myth of man as a killer
Human morality evaluation
Biology as the human behavior’s bases
Anthropology and ethnic cleansing

This category comprises controversial issues that make interesting anthropology topics. Nevertheless, take your time to explore any of these topics to come up with a great essay or paper.

Maybe you love reading and writing about different medical anthropology topics. This anthropology subfield draws upon cultural, social, linguistic, and biological anthropology. It aims to understand factors that influence the wellbeing and health, distribution and experience of illness, as well as, treatment, prevention, and the healing processes. Here is a medical anthropology research topics list worthy of your exploration.

The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation
Local interpretations of different bodily processes
Domestic health care and health culture practices
Body projects’ changes and the valued attributes
Critical and clinical engagement in anthropology applications
The political ecology of vector-borne and infectious diseases
Chronic diseases, violence, and malnutrition- how they relate
The political healthcare provision- the economic aspect
The perceptions of vulnerability, risk, and responsibility for healthcare and illness
Protective and risk dimensions of cultural norms, human behavior, and social institutions
Harm reduction and preventative health practices
Illness experience and social relations of a disease
Factors that drive nutrition, health, and healthcare transitions
Clinical interactions in a social organization
Pluralistic and ethnomedicine modalities in a healing process
The historical and cultural conditions that shape medical policies and practices
The interpretation of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
Medical practices within the colonial, post-colonial, and modernity social formations
The commodification and commercialization of medicine and health
Health disparity and disease distribution

This category also has some of the most current topics in anthropology. These are ideas that touch on issues that affect the current healthcare and medical systems in most countries. However, you should be ready to research any of these topics extensively.

Physical anthropology research topics entail studying and writing about the human body. If this is something you find interesting, here are good topics for physical anthropology research paper to consider. Feel free to check more physics topics .

Genotype-environment correlation study
Genetic hitchhiking- What it means
Do people learn altruism or is it a trait?
The cephalization process
The contribution of Henry Walter Bates to the Anthropology field
Adaptive mutation- What is it?
The effects of adaptive mutation
Human development and abiogenesis- what are they about?
Discuss the placental mammals and Australian marsupials’ convergent evolution
Explain animal stability variation after being in captivity compared to those in the wild
Variations in the evolution of different species in various parts of the globe
Physical anthropology essentials
Physical anthropology trends

These are interesting topics to explore if you love physical anthropology. Nevertheless, take your time to research your topic to come up with a brilliant paper.

Biology anthropology research topics revolve around the origin, diversity, and evolution of humankind. Until the late 20th century, this field was also called physical anthropology. If interested in researching and writing about the origin, diversity, and evolution of humankind, here are interesting topics in biological anthropology to consider.

Explain how biological anthropology differs from the other science fields
How does biological anthropology attempt to interpret and explain human evolution?
Explain the use of biological anthropology by primatologists in improving the understanding of evolutionary developments in primates
Explore the use of fossil records in paleoanthropology
How biological anthropology attempts to explain human behaviors and social structures’ development
Explain how studying modern humans enables scientists to draw conclusions and insights from the biological anthropology viewpoint
Identify the primary geographical areas where biological anthropologists explore
How geographical locations help in explaining the human evolution

Pick any of these topics and then research them extensively before you write your paper.

Cultural ethnography entails the study of behavior and patterns in humans, as well as why and how they differ in modern societies. Some cultural anthropology research topics may also include ethnohistory, ethnography, and cross-cultural studies. Here is a list of possible topics to consider for your paper.

The underlying religious beliefs that influence forced nuptials among children in Northern Nigeria
The challenging roles played by women in modern Africa
Investigating how religious beliefs influence the African cultures
How superstitions affect the African way of life
The evolution of sexual discrimination in modern times
The influence of cultural and social backgrounds on gay marriage
Explain the existence of racism in modern times
Assess the causes of homelessness among the Indian people
How can India deal with homelessness?
How homosexuality influences the cultural and social landscape
Influence of homosexuality on societal attitudes in Africa
How culture influences human society
The link between cultural anthropology and political science
Cultural imperialism and contemporary media
Describe culture shock and how to overcome it
How to minimize cultural baggage
The key points of any culture
How religious practices and beliefs affect culture
How language acquisition influences culture

These are interesting cultural anthropology research paper topics you can explore. Nevertheless, take your time to research any of these ideas before you write about them.

Linguistic anthropology entails the study of the link between culture and language. This includes how a language relates to social action, thought, power, and identity. Here are interesting topics to explore if interested in linguistic anthropology.

Discoveries and events that led to the emergency of linguistic anthropology
Important changes in theories behind linguistic anthropology
Dell Hymes’ contribution to linguistic anthropology
How some methodological changes affected linguistic anthropology from the 1980s
The language with the most social life’s influence among the Bengali immigrants
Language rediscovery and culture renaissance
What is language endangerment?
Language is an abstract concept
Exploring Latin America’s indigenous languages
A detailed analysis of language classification

Explore these topics if you love learning and writing about language and its development over time.

Forensic anthropology entails studying human remains with a focus on skeletal analysis. This field is commonly used to solve criminal cases. Here are topics to consider in this category.

Discuss the primary agents that cause biological changes in the human body
A critical assessment of radioactive carbon dating accuracy
Recent improvements in crime detection
Evidential support for evolutionist and creationist views about human origin
Recent evidence that supports Homo habilis’ existence in the past
How accurate is DNA evidence in matching and testing on criminology?
The effect of radioactivity on different forms of life because of the 1986’s atomic catastrophe Chernobyl
A review of the latest archaeological dating methods
Exploring migratory paths and environmental influences on Neanderthals appearance and survival
How effective were the methods used in Egyptian mummification?

Any of the topics listed here can be a good idea for an essay or research paper. Nevertheless, understand your assignment requirements first, and then take your time to research your chosen topic extensively before writing.

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140 Best Anthropology Research Topics to Focus On

Table of Contents

Would you have to submit a research paper on the anthropology concept? Currently, are you searching for the best anthropology research topics for your final assignment? If yes, then you are at the right spot. We know how challenging it would be to search and find anthropology research paper topics. Therefore, for your convenience, here, in this blog we have shared a list of 100+ impressive anthropology research ideas worthy of fetching top grades. Explore the entire list and select any topic that is interesting to you.

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the scientific study of humans, their evolutionary history, behavior, and the ways humans communicate and socialize with each other. The study is mainly concerned with both the physiological and biological features along with the social aspects of humans which include language, family, culture, politics, and religion.

List of Anthropology Research Paper Topics

In this section, we have presented a list of 100+ outstanding anthropology research topic ideas in various areas such as cultural, ethnographic, medical, physical, and biological anthropology. Go through the list carefully and choose any persuasive idea that matches your university’s research paper writing guidelines.

Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

Conduct an in-depth analysis of the philosophy of two societies of your choice.
The significance of cultural diversity in the study of human evolution in anthropology
How are burial practices interwoven with religion and myth?
The meaning of cultural baggage and the ways to address the concept of cultural invasion
A forensic overview of the concept of family, fraternity, and gangs
The concept of ancestors in Native American countries and Africa
Music, dance, and parties in the contemporary society
The concept of social status in any African community
The emergence and influence of culture on tourism
Feminism in patriarchal societies
How does migration promote cultural diversity?
The evolving roles of women in Asian countries
Assess the structure of family and marriage in two countries of your choice
A criticism and distinction of anthropology and art
The role of literature in spreading libertarian ideas.
Role of women in Islamic societies
Analyze how the spread of K-pop had influenced Western culture
The impact of terrorism on Islamophobia
Describe the influence of language on culture
Hindu culture versus Islamic culture
How to minimize Ethnocentrism?
What is Culture shock?
Analyze the culture of Australian Aboriginals
Monoculturalism and Ethnocentrism
Describe the culture of Ancient Egypt

Ethnographic Anthropology Research Topics

The role of clinical science in the pharmaceutical science of rural communities
The role of Ethnography and its studies in psychology
The function of Ethnography in software technology
Why abortion is considered the first resort for sexually assaulted and domestically violated victims?
How does music and interpersonal relationship improve cognitive behavior?
How teachers can adopt the findings of Ethnography in classroom learning?
An ethnographic study on the inclusiveness of health care and public access to it
How ethnography and its studies could help people with learning disabilities?
The ethnographic study of a group of domestically violated victims and how they respond to the violation
How has the value of education improved through ethnographic discoveries?
The effects of smart homes and privacy in communal Ethnographic studies
Use ethnographic information to assess intensive public healthcare.
An expository study on the role of psychologists in advancing special education
Examine the state of theories of racism
How do traditional health beliefs and myths affect contemporary society’s development?
Conduct a study on the beliefs of Japanese students while they learn English
An ethnographic overview of patient handover in European health care
Examine the boundaries of citizens’ involvement in intensive healthcare.
Evaluate how journalists cope with stress.
The status of spiritual healing through systems of pilgrimage therapy.
The ethnographic study of why has it been easier to use religion for influencing people to join terrorist groups?
How do stereotypical concepts relate to sexual orientation impact the mental health of children?
How are stereotypical concepts related to mental health affecting doctors?
Conduct a study to understand why women have been called their worst enemy.
Conduct a study to highlight whether “Shariah” is beneficial for Islamic societies or not.

Medical Anthropology Research Ideas

The role of ethnobotany in medical sciences
Assess the residue of why societal infamy is linked to HIV/AIDS.
An assessment of women’s sexuality and how culture affects sexual health
What is transcultural nursing?
How do nursing ethics become pragmatic in the career of professionals?
The complications in the treatment of periodontal disease
Assess the connection of income to health.
A study on the status of cancer after the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in Russia
Explain big pharma and the complications of watchdogs and whistle-blowers.
Examine the environmental health disaster of two countries of your choice.
Analyze how the Bhopal gas incident in India is still impacting societies in the specific state.
Describe how nurses have played a role in helping elder patients cope with stress and other address factors as a result of growing age.
Discuss the impact of AIDS on Central African societies
Consequences of the traumas of war on families in Sri Lanka and Guatemala
Risks associated with In Vitro Fertilisation

Read more: Best Medical Research Topics To Analyze and Write About

Physical Anthropology Research Topics

The advantages and consequences of eugenics in today’s society
Analyze five pieces of literature on the stages of drowning till death.
Aging in Asian countries and what it means for them
Analyze the physical concept of re-adjusting newborn babies by nursing mothers.
What is the underlying Egyptian belief in preserving the dead?
Have Western ideas of superiority affected the acknowledgment of Egypt as the cradle of civilization?
The origin of man in different societies of civilization
What are the contemporary facts that support past research and experiences of Homo habilis?
Examine the influence of the environment on skin color.
What are the consequences of smoking on human physical appearance?

Biology Anthropology Research Paper Topics

The origin spread, and transgenerational impact of any endemic in any society of your choice
Analyze the possibilities of traditional institutions in preserving cultures.
How maladaptation affects migrants in any country of your choice.
Analyze the concept of vulnerability and risk in public health care.
The relationship and comparison between malnutrition, violence, and chronic disease in any society of your choice
How do social relationships affect nutritional choices and human healthy living?
The clinical interactions in any social association of your choice
The challenges of a developing nation in public access to healthcare services
How do pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies shape contemporary medicine?
The commercialization and commodification of medicine and healthcare in contemporary society .
Comparing bones of bipeds and quadrupeds
Harry Harlow and his experiments on monkey bonding
Why do the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Brown-Eyed vs. Blue-Eyed Student Experiments are considered the two most controversial experiments?
Why does Zimbardo’s simulated prison experiment is considered one of the most controversial experiments?
Analyze the results derived from The Robbers Cave Experiment
Discuss the controversy around The Monkey Drug Trial in 1969

Read more: Top 175 Biology Research Topics for Academic Writing

Captivating Anthropology Research Topics

The influence of environmental anthropology on medicine
The role of Folklore in the defense and transgenerational retainment of Cultures
A review of the latest archaeological dating methods
How accurate is DNA evidence in matching and testing criminology?
A critical assessment of radioactive carbon dating accuracy
Recent improvements in crime detection
A detailed analysis of language classification
The factors that promote cultural hatred in a diverse society
The important changes in theories behind linguistic anthropology
Explore the use of fossil records in paleoanthropology.
Protective and risk dimensions of cultural norms, human behavior, and social institutions
The Role of TV reality shows in the Social Life
The influence of cross-cultural experiences in the modern world
How does the internet promote Westernization?
The connection of political science with cultural anthropology
The political ecology of vector-borne and infectious diseases
Physical anthropology essentials
What is language endangerment?
The link between cultural anthropology and political science
Explain the existence of racism in modern times.
Critical analysis of the Evolutionary theory in anthropology
Use case studies related to altered states of consciousness to explain the study of transpersonal anthropology
The Art of Disturbance: Transactions in the Mexico-United States Border Scenario
Discuss the connections between feminism, technology, and postmodernism

Interesting Anthropology Research Topics

The contemporary psychology of traveling between teenagers and their parents
The cultural constructions of human society and how they aid evolution
A criticism of the monarchy in European politics over Western democracy
The influence of the Roman Catholic Church as the center of government, religion, art, and social life
The concepts of the American culture of consumerism and the Scandinavian culture of minimalism
A detailed overview of how the Roman Catholic Church improved the science of sculpting and architecture
The significance of women in ancient Egypt
The evolving ideas about matrimony in Asia
The benefits and consequences of eugenics in today’s world
The process of aging and how it exacerbates fear of old age
The disparity in healthcare accessibility in any developing country
Examine the greeting gestures in American and Chinese societies.
The significance of the Greek culture on Italian languages and culture
The development of rock music and its connection to Native American tribes.

Informative Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Write about the risks of using artificial intelligence in forensics.
How can ethnobotany and its principles be applied in medicine?
Describe the role of language in the development of
Explain the role of DNA databases in searching for criminals.
Analyze the Marriage traditions of different cultures.
Tracking the behavior of twins over time.
Explain the impact of TikTok on European culture
Discuss the effectiveness of alternative medicine in the United States;
Explain the origins and generational impacts of Minamata disease.
How the dead were preserved in ancient Egypt?

The Bottom Line

Out of the various ideas mentioned in this blog post, pick any ideal anthropology topic suitable for conducting research. Here we have shared only a few impressive research topics. If you want more unique anthropology research project ideas, then immediately reach out to us.

Along with providing trending anthropology research topics, we will also offer assignment help for those who struggle to write their research papers. Simply send your assignment or research paper requirements to us and get quick writing assistance from the subject professionals on our platform. Most importantly, with the support of our team of academic writers, you can submit a plagiarism-free anthropology research paper ahead of the deadline. Note that, the anthropology assignment papers that we dispatch would put you at the top position in your class.

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UConn Library
Topic: How to do Anthropological Research
Finding Background Information

Topic: How to do Anthropological Research — Finding Background Information

Ethnographies
How to Pick a Topic
Where to Find Anthro Articles
Where to Find Anthro Books & Videos
Citing Using AAA/Chicago Style

Why look for Background Info?

Parodical Meme: Bones (tv series main character-female) looking at a bone

Oxford Bibliographies Online - Anthropology Use this database to find more background information on a wide variety of topics in Anthropology and Archaeology. To search only in the anthropology section of this database, type your search term in the text box titled "Jump to other articles" below the Title Box, Anthropology .

There is a topic for all of you!!

Business and Economics
Criminology
Computer Science
Engineering (Civil/Electric)
Pharmacy and Chemistry

Biology students may be interested in:

Biocultural Anthropology
Biological/Physical Anthropology
Evolutionary Anthropology

Business and Economic students may be interested in:

Business Anthropology
Economic Anthropology
Ethnographic Methodology (as applied to Consumer Research)

Criminology students may be interested in:

Forensic Anthropology and how it is used to help solve crimes

Computer Science students may be interested in:

Digital Anthropology
Ethnographic Methodology
Human-Interaction Design and how it uses ethographic methodology to improve their research Check section, 2.6 Implications of HCI for science, practice, and epistemology , to read about their use of ethnographic approaches in HCI.

Civil & Electric Engineering students may be interested in:

Urban Anthropology
Science Studies

to understand how the construction of man-made structures such as highways, hydroelectric or nuclear plants have a human impact (positive or negative) toward indigenous populations and other racial and ethnic groups.

To give you an example, see these articles on hydroelectric plants and dams (either published in an anthropological journal or that use anthropological methodology):

Folch, Christine. "Surveillance and State Violence in Stroessner's Paraguay: Itaipú Hydroelectric Dam, Archive of Terror." American Anthropologist 115, no. 1 (2013): 44-57.

Humanities students majors (History, Music, Literature) may be interested in the following sub-disciplines:

Ethnohistory
Ethnomusicology
Literary Anthropology

Pharmacy and Chemistry students may be interested in:

Ethnobotany (the study of the use of medicinal plants)
Shamans (traditional healers) and other Indigenous people and how those are being used to create new drugs or chemical compounds for industry

Where to Find Keywords

Definitions of Anthropological Terms (Oregon State University)
Anthropological Keywords, 2011 edition (Anthropology Blog)

Background Resources

Anthropology & Archeology (General)
Sociocultural Anthropology (General)
Biological & Medical Anthropology
Ethnobotany

Databases & Bibliographies:

Annual Review of Anthropology Check this journal to find in-depth articles about all type of topics study in the field of anthropology. These articles discussed the most current research on any given topic and provide extensive bibliographies that you can use to find relevant articles on your topic. Although there is no guaranty that you will find the topic you want to study, you can use this journal to find articles with similar topics that can serve as inspiration for your paper.
Anthropology Plus Indexes worldwide materials from the late 1800s to today in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology; ethnology, archaeology, folklore, and material culture.
Oxford Bibliographies Online - Anthropology An excellent resource to learn more about the many fields in anthropology and explore topics study in this field. Each article includes a bibliography with more articles on the topic.

Encyclopedias:

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Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 3:43 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/anthresearch

Chester Fritz Library
Library of the Health Sciences
Thormodsgard Law Library

Anthropology

General Anthropology Resources

Physical and Biological Anthropology

Sociocultural Anthropology
Archaeology/Prehistory
Finding Images This link opens in a new window
Reference and Research Services This link opens in a new window
Citation Style Guides This link opens in a new window
Topics in Scholarly Communication
Citation Managers

Encyclopedias and Reference

Finding articles.

In-Library Locations

Internet Resources

The following links will take you to encyclopedias and reference manuals to help you get started on your research. Here you can find general background information, definitions, and history on many anthropological terms and concepts. Searching in an encyclopedia can also help you find a topic for a paper or project.

Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology: Health and Illness in the World's Cultures Describes the cultural practices relevant to health in the world's cultures and provides an overview of important topics in medical anthropology.

Use databases to find academic articles to continue your research. Below are the most helpful databases for finding relevant articles for anthropological topics.

Restricted to UND affiliates (students, faculty, and staff)

Academic Search Ultimate offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.

Good Starting Journals for Physical Anthropology

The following are links to specific academic journals which are published and peer-reviewed by experts in the field. If you want to narrow your search to a specific time period or methodology, finding a journal that publishes in that area can help.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology The American Journal of Physical Anthropology (AJPA) is the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Within this framework, the AJPA publishes in established areas, including human biology and non-human primate behavior, and also seeks submissions in new and developing fronts that contribute to the growth of the science and increased understanding of human and non-human primate evolution.
Evolutionary Anthropology Evolutionary Anthropology is an authoritative review journal that focuses on issues of current interest in biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, functional morphology, social biology, and bone biology—including dentition and osteology—as well as human biology, genetics, and ecology.
American Journal of Primatology The objective of the American Journal of Primatology is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and findings among primatologists and to convey our increasing understanding of this order of animals to specialists and interested readers alike. This includes but is not limited to the behavioral ecology, conservation, evolutionary biology, life history, demography, paleontology, physiology, endocrinology, genetics, molecular genetics, and psychobiology of the nonhuman primates.

Search the entire library catalog here .

Materials on Anthropology are found under the "C" subclass on the fourth floor of the library.

Online texts, sites, and sources about physical anthropology.

Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural of History The Division of Anthropology is concerned with all aspects of human behavior, past, present, and with an eye to the future. Our work is biological, archaeological, socio-cultural and linguistic.
Accessing Anthropology: Online Databases and Other Resources The Department of Anthropology, a part of the National Museum of Natural History, maintains ethnographic, archaeological, and human biological collections numbering over two and a half million items and the nation’s premier archives devoted to anthropological manuscripts and film. Anthropology collections document world cultures past and present and the history of anthropology. Information on collections, conservation, and research is available through the databases and web pages listed below.
PrimateLit The PrimateLit database is no longer being updated as of November 30, 2010. It was supported by Grant RR15311 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Health Service. The PrimateLit database provides bibliographic access to the scientific literature on nonhuman primates for the research and educational communities. Coverage of the database spans 1940 to present and includes all publication categories (articles, books, abstracts, technical reports, dissertations, book chapters, etc.) and many subject areas (behavior, colony management, ecology, reproduction, field studies, disease models, veterinary science, psychology, physiology, pharmacology, evolution, taxonomy, developmental and molecular biology, genetics and zoogeography).
Biological Anthropology Tutorials Created and Maintained by Dr. Dennis O'Neil, Behavioral Sciences Department, Palomar College, San Marcos, California
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Physical Anthropology Collections The Anthropology Department maintains a diverse series of human anatomical specimens, primarily osteological, that are used for studies in biological anthropology (skeletal biology, paleopathology, human variation), medical research, forensic investigations, and questions concerning human origins. Nearly 33,000 specimens represent populations throughout the world.
<< Previous: General Anthropology Resources
Next: Sociocultural Anthropology >>
Last Updated: Dec 5, 2023 11:27 AM
URL: https://libguides.und.edu/anthropology

Biological Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Writing an anthropology research paper? This list of biological anthropology research paper topics provides some ideas for narrowing down your topic to a successful and manageable one. This page also explores the subject of biological anthropology. Browse other anthropology research paper topics for more inspiration.

Acheulean culture Altamira cave Anatomy and physiology of speech Anthropometry Ape agression Ape biogeography Ape cognition Ape communication Ape intelligence Aquatic ape hypothesis Arboreal hypothesis Artificial life Atapuerca Aurignacian culture Australopithecines Baboons Biological adaptation Biological anthropology and neo-Darwinism Biomedicine Biometrics Bipedal locomotion Blood groups Bonobos Bonobos in captivity Brachiation Cebids Cercopithecines Chimpanzees Chimpanzees and bonobos Chimpanzees in captivity Colobines Craniometry Dinosaurian hominid Diseases DNA molecule DNA recombinant DNA testing Dryopithecus El Ceren Eugenics Evolution of primate brain Forensic anthropology Fossil apes Gibbons Gigantopithecus Gorillas Gorillas in captivity Graves Greater apes Groooming Hand axes History of anthropology HIV/AIDS Hominid taxonomy Hominization Hominoids Homo antecessor Homo erectus Homo ergaster Homo habilis Homo sapiens Howling monkeys Human brain Human canopy evolution Human diversity Human evolution Human genetics Human Genome Project Human mutants Human osteology Human paleontology Human variation Humans and dinosaurs Hylobates Iceman Java man Kanzi Kennewick man Kenyanthropus platyops Kenyapithecus wickeri Koko (lowland gorilla) Lascaux cave Lazaret cave Lemurs Lesser apes Lorises Lucy reconstruction models Macaques Marmosets Meganthropus Mitochrondrial Eve Mummies and mummification Mungo lady/man Museums Narmada man Neandertal burials Neandertal evidence Neandertal sites Neandertals New World monkeys Ngandong Old World monkeys Oldowan culture Olduvai Gorge Orangutan-human evolution Orangutans Orangutans in captivity Oreopithecus Origin of bipedality Paleoanthropology Pongids Population explosion Primate behavioral ecology Primate brain Primate conservation Primate extinction Primate genetics Primate locomotion Primate morphology and evolution Primate taxonomy Primatology Prosimians Quadrupedalism in primates RNA molecule Sahelanthropus tchadensis Sambungmachan Sangiran Sasquatch Saving chimpanzees Saving gorillas Shanidar cave Siamangs Sickle-cell anemia Siwalik Hills Sociobiology Spider monkeys Tamarins Tarsiers Territoriality in primates Threats to orangutan survival Tools and evolution Treeshrews Twin studies Washoe Yeti Zinjanthropus boisei Zoos

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Get 10% off with 24start discount code, biological anthropology definition.

Biological anthropology is concerned with the origin, evolution and diversity of humankind. The field was called physical anthropology until the late twentieth century, reflecting the field’s primary concern with cataloging anatomical differences among human and primate groups. Biological anthropology is one of the four subfields of anthropology, together with archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and social/cultural anthropology. Under the name of biological anthropology, it is an ever-broadening field that encompasses the study of: human biological variation; evolutionary theory; human origins and evolution; early human migration; human ecology; the evolution of human behavior; paleoanthropology; anatomy; locomotion; osteology (the study of skeletal material); dental anthropology; forensics; medical anthropology, including the patterns and history of disease; primatology (the study of non-human primates); growth, development and nutrition; and other related fields.

Introduction

Anthropology is the scientific study of humankind (Birx, 2006a). It strives for a comprehensive understanding of and proper appreciation for our species within the earth’s history. As such, anthropology is grounded in the empirical facts of the special sciences and the logical argumentation of critical thought. Furthermore, scientific evidence is supplemented with rational speculation, especially when facts are lacking. Ongoing advances in science and technology continuously add new information to the growing discipline of anthropology, thereby strengthening some concepts and hypotheses, while modifying or dismissing others.

Besides incorporating the scientific method, anthropologists view the natural history of humankind within an evolutionary framework (Fortey, 1998; Hublin, 2006; Mayr, 2001). Our species is seen as a product of organic evolution in general, and primate history in particular. The human species is related to apes, monkeys, and prosimians. Both fossils and genes substantiate the biological and historical unity of primates in terms of the factual theory of organic evolution (Coyne, 2009; Ridley, 2004).

Biological anthropologists (Kennedy, 2009) use the comparative method in order to understand and appreciate the evolutionary relationships among primate fossils, as well as living species. They compare and contrast fossil skeletons (especially jaws and teeth), DNA molecules, and morphologies (both anatomy and physiology), as well as psychological and behavioral patterns. A convergence of facts and concepts clearly shows that the human animal is closely related to the four great apes, or pongids (orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo).

This anthropological quest is both intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Specialists in the discipline work together to achieve a comprehensive and coherent view of our human species; for example, biological anthropologists work closely with prehistoric archaeologists at a fossil hominid site, while sociocultural anthropologists work closely with anthropological linguists in studying other societies with different cultures (particularly nonliterate peoples with a “primitive” technology). One goal is to derive meaningful concepts and generalizations from the vast range of empirical evidence (Fuentes, 2007).

More and more, as naturalists and humanists, anthropologists are multidisciplinary in their approach. They strive to be relevant in the modern world. Consequently, one speaks of applied anthropology (e.g., forensic anthropology and biomedical anthropology). Anthropological knowledge adds to human enlightenment, particularly in terms of increasing tolerance for human biological and sociocultural differences. In the discipline of anthropology, teaching and research go hand in hand; that is, biological anthropologists aim for a clearer view of humankind that concerns its evolutionary past, present convergence on the earth, and future possibilities (perhaps its migration beyond our planet and even outside this solar system).

Biological anthropologists focus on the organic evidence of primates (e.g., their fossils, skeletons, teeth, genetic makeup, and physical characteristics, as well as psychological and social behavior patterns). They present this evidence in a comprehensive and intelligible manner, while searching for meaningful concepts and generalizations about primate evolution in general, and our species in particular.

The German naturalist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840) is considered to be the father of biological anthropology (previously known as physical anthropology) because he focused on studying the human variations in those biological characteristics that manifest themselves within a population and among populations. Although the academic discipline of anthropology did not yet exist, his pioneering research paved the way for the later, intensive studies of our species and the other primates—from comparative paleoanthropology to comparative genetics.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was a major influence on the emergence of biological anthropology. As presented in his two major works, On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871), his theory of evolution suggested that much light would be shed on the history of lifeforms and the nature of our own species (Darwin, 1859, 1871). The origin and development of humankind, as well as its evolutionary relationships to the other primates, now became the subject matter for scientific inquiry. No longer was our species viewed as being isolated from other lifeforms or organic history. As such, the discipline of anthropology dedicated itself to rigorously studying humankind in terms of science and reason (Bollt, 2009).

As biological anthropologists, early naturalists worked alone in their search for fossil hominid specimens. Usually, outside funding was not available and significant findings were often dismissed by the scientific community. However, as more evidence was discovered, the theory of human evolution was taken seriously. Since the middle of the 20th century, paleoanthropologists have stressed a multidisciplinary approach (both intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary) in their research (Wolpoff, 1999). As a result, at a fossil hominid site, a scientific team of international specialists may include chemists, geologists, paleobotanists, paleozoologists, prehistoric archaeologists, photographers, and artists. Specialists also work with paleoanthropologists in museums and laboratories. Some biological anthropologists specialize in primate-behavior studies or primategenetics research (including twin studies, as well as growth and development research). Today, thanks in part to anthropologists, there is a growing awareness of the critical relationship between our species and the natural environment, both inorganic and organic. Academic books (Angeloni, Parker, & Arenson, 2009; Haviland, Walrath, Prins, & McBridge, 2008; Park, 2010; Relethford, 2010; Stanford, Allen, & Antón, 2009), professional journals, museum exhibits, college and university courses, and educational programs in the mass media are making the scientific evidence in biological anthropology available to a widening audience of teachers and students, as well as the interested public. The presentation of facts, concepts, hypotheses, and perspectives is very helpful in discrediting racism and promoting evolution.

Evolutionary Framework

The idea of evolution neither originated with the thoughts of Charles Darwin nor had its final formulation in his scientific writings; as such, one may speak of the evolution of evolution from an early concept in antiquity to its present status as a brute fact of the modern worldview (Birx, 1984, 1991b).

Pre-Socratic Speculations

During the pre-Socratic Age, several early philosophers as natural cosmologists anticipated the evolutionary framework in their rational speculations on the nature of things. Rejecting legends and myths, as well as personal opinions and religious beliefs, these critical thinkers emphasized deriving explanatory concepts by rigorously reflecting on their own experiences within nature and the use of reason. Although they were neither scientists nor evolutionists, their answers to general questions about this universe did establish a dynamic worldview that paved the way for further discoveries in the future development of the special sciences, from geology and paleontology to biology and anthropology.

Among the pre-Socratic thinkers, Thales claimed that life first appeared in water; for him, water is the fundamental substance of this cosmos. He argued that, over time, aquatic organisms changed and eventually there were lifeforms that could adapt to and survive on dry land. It is reassuring that Thales, as the first Western philosopher, had glimpsed the biological significance of change throughout planetary time. In his rational speculations, he had grasped both the fluidity of life and the unity of this universe.

Extending this vision, Thales’s student Anaximander held that, in the development of life-forms from water to land, lineage leading to the human animal had once passed through a fishlike stage of development. It is tempting to refer to this pre-Socratic thinker as the father of comparative morphology; one may imagine Anaximander comparing the innards of a dead fish with those of a human corpse, and consequently being very impressed with the similarities (rather than with the differences).

Reflecting on the flux of reality, the naturalist metaphysician Heraclitus argued that change is the quintessential characteristic of this universe. Looking for order in this dynamic world, he further claimed that all changes in nature are cyclical. As a result, for Heraclitus, there is the endless repetition of day and night, life and death, the four seasons of the year, and even the cosmos itself. For later naturalists to accept the evolutionary framework, it was necessary for them to take both time and change seriously.

Of particular importance was Xenophanes, who recognized both the organic and historical significance of fossils as the remains of once-living but often different organisms related to the living life-forms of today. The fossil record is crucial, in that it provides empirical evidence to substantiate the fact of organic evolution. Despite our present knowledge of genetic variations, it would be difficult to convince many people of the truth of organic evolution if no fossil evidence had ever been discovered. However, the more paleontologists search, the more fossils they find (including paleoanthropologists discovering fossil hominid specimens).

Lastly, Empedocles even offered an explanation (although a bizarre one) for the origin of organisms. He speculated that in the past, the surface of the earth had been covered by free-floating organs of different sizes and shapes; they haphazardly came together, forming organisms (some, of course, were monstrosities). Those organisms that could adapt to the environment survived and reproduced, while the monstrosities perished. What is implicit in this explanation are the basic ideas that constituted the evolutionary framework of both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace: multiplicity, variation, adaptation, survival, and reproduction or extinction. Unfortunately, with irony, the proto-evolutionary ideas of these five pre-Socratic thinkers were squelched by the greatest thinker of ancient Greece—Aristotle.

Aristotle was the “father of biology,” including comparative studies in embryology, morphology, and taxonomy. His encyclopedic interests ranged from cosmology and meteorology to botany and zoology. Aristotle assumed that the human mind is capable of discerning a natural design within the mixed species on this planet. He referred to this terrestrial order as the great chain of being, or ladder of nature. For him, each species is eternally fixed in nature, each type of organism occupying a special place in the great chain of nature depending upon its degree of complexity and sensitivity or intelligence. This hierarchical ladder ranged from the simplest mineral at its bottom to the rational human at its apex. Since Aristotle dismissed both the creation and extinction of species, as well as the appearance of new ones, he was not an evolutionist (although he was interested in the development of individual organisms). Because many thinkers gave priority to the fixed Aristotelian worldview, a serious evolutionary framework did not emerge until the scientific writings of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace over 2,000 years later.

Before Darwin

Challenging the fixed Aristotelian worldview, the Roman philosopher and poet Lucretius presented a dynamic interpretation of both the earth’s history and the material universe. In his groundbreaking work On the Nature of Things, he argued that our planet itself has created plants and animals, and even outlined the sociocultural development of our own species from cave-inhabiting early creatures to the citizens of the Roman empire. Furthermore, Lucretius boldly held that life-forms (including intelligent beings) inhabit planets elsewhere in the cosmos. His ideas paved the way for a naturalistic study of humans within nature.

During the Italian Renaissance, the artist and visionary Leonardo da Vinci recognized the biological and historical significance of fossils as the remains of once-living but usually different species—in fact, he had found these fossils in the top rock strata of the Alps. Moreover, his dynamic view of the earth’s history in terms of geology argued that the age of our planet must be at least 200,000 years (an astonishing claim in the eyes of his contemporaries). Furthermore, Leonardo’s study of the human body foreshadowed serious comparative-anatomy research.

In 1735, Carolus Linnaeus fathered modern taxonomy. He recognized the close similarities among the human animal and the apes, monkeys, and lemurs. Consequently, he placed all of these forms in the primate order. Although he was not an evolutionist, Linnaeus discovered that species are capable of producing varieties of themselves (an example of microevolution).

Decades later, as a result of taking the implications of geology and paleontology seriously, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck wrote the first serious book on organic evolution. In his Philosophy of Zoology (1809), he argued that species are mutable and have changed throughout organic history. Without a testable explanatory mechanism or sufficient empirical evidence, Lamarck was unable to convince other naturalists that life-forms had evolved throughout geological time. Ironically, however, Lamarck’s book appeared exactly 50 years before the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859).

With its emphasis on science, reason, and a historical perspective that took both time and change seriously, the Age of Enlightenment established an intellectual atmosphere that allowed for the emergence of three important earth sciences: historical geology, comparative paleontology, and prehistoric archaeology. Ongoing advances in biology (especially embryology, morphology, and taxonomy) and extensive travels by curious naturalists (e.g., Haeckel, Humboldt, Huxley, and Lyell) provided overwhelming scientific evidence and convincing rational argumentation for the vast age of this planet, the evolution of life-forms, and the great antiquity of our own species. Clearly, rocks and fossils and artifacts did not support a strict and literal interpretation of the biblical story of creation as presented in the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible. It was now necessary for some ingenious naturalist to bring all of these facts and concepts together in a comprehensive and intelligible view of life on earth in terms of biological evolution. Unintentionally, this task fell to the young geobiologist Charles Darwin (Birx, 2009).

Charles Darwin

Three major events contributed to Darwin’s developing his scientific theory of organic evolution: his unique experiences as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle during its 5-year circumnavigation of the world in the Southern Hemisphere (1831–1836), his reading Charles Lyell’s three-volume work Principles of Geology (1830–1833), and his later fortuitous reading in 1837 of Thomas Robert Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).

For Darwin, the convergence of evidence from geology, paleontology, and biology (as well as the implications of both biogeography and variations in organisms) argued for the pervasive mutability of species throughout immense periods of the earth’s history within a naturalist framework. Of particular significance, he offered natural selection as the primary mechanism to explain biological evolution. Darwin’s scientific facts and rational arguments for his evolution theory were first presented in On the Origin of Species (1859). However, at that time, the sensitive naturalist did not yet extend his theory of evolution to include the human animal.

In his The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin now seriously considered the evolutionary implications for understanding and appreciating the place of our own species within natural history. He argued that, biologically, the human animal is closest to the three great apes known to science at that time (orangutan, gorilla, and chimpanzee), with which it shares a common ancestral group whose fossils would be found in Africa. Furthermore, as had Huxley in England and Haeckel in Germany, Darwin even claimed that our species differs merely in degree, rather than in kind, from these three great apes. As such, his ideas were a major contribution to the emergence of biological anthropology. Even so, the resultant creation-evolution controversy still continued as an ongoing debate between biblical fundamentalists and scientific evolutionists. Today, the religious position is grounded in the alleged argument for intelligent design.

Although convinced of the veracity of his evolution theory, Darwin was still perplexed by four questions (among others): What is the true age of planet earth? Why is the fossil record so incomplete? How are organic variations inherited from generation to generation? Can slow biological evolution account for the emergence of the complex human eye? Throughout the following decades, ongoing advances in science and technology (especially in dating techniques and computers) would help to answer these four questions in favor of the evolution theory and a naturalist viewpoint.

After Darwin

The discipline of anthropology emerged during the middle of the 19th century. Greatly inspired by the writings of Charles Darwin, several naturalists were very interested in extending the evolutionary framework to include our own species. In general, early biological anthropologists were eager both to find fossil evidence to substantiate human evolution and to compare the morphology of living primates in order to demonstrate the remarkable similarities among lemurs, monkeys, apes, and the human animal. In particular, some biological anthropologists extended taxonomy to include a racial classification of human groups in terms of different physical characteristics. (Rigorous primate behavior studies and primate-genetics research would not appear until the middle of the 20th century.) Although conflicting interpretations of evolution were offered by naturalists, and even though anthropologists could not agree on the number of human races, there was no doubt that our species was both the product of organic evolution and closely related to the great apes, especially the chimpanzee.

During the succeeding decades, biological anthropologists would specialize in areas ranging from paleoanthropology and primatology to forensic anthropology and biomedical anthropology. The theory of evolution offers a comprehensive and intelligible framework in which both the physical characteristics of the human animal and its place within natural history made sense in terms of science and reason. Today, one may speak of the biological unity of Homo sapiens sapiens in terms of the DNA molecule.

Science of Genetics

As the father of biology, Aristotle was interested in the embryological and morphological development of organisms. He held that a female contributes the matter and a male contributes the form to an embryo, which then develops according to an innate, preestablished goal within the embryo itself (a movement from potentiality to actuality). However, Aristotle was not an evolutionist, since he held to the eternal fixity of all species within his assumed static hierarchy of planetary existence that ranged from simple minerals to complex animals. This worldview dominated Western thought until the persuasive scientific theory of evolutionist Charles Darwin.

The monk Johann Gregor Mendel discovered the basic principles of inheritance as a result of his rigorous, long-term experiments with the common garden pea plant Pisum. A particulate theory of inheritance was presented in his monograph Experiments in Plant Hybridization (1866), in which he not only distinguished between dominant and recessive characteristics for the same trait, but also presented the principles of segregation and independent assortment. Unknown to himself and the scientific community, which did not understand or appreciate the far-reaching significance of his pioneering discoveries, Mendel had established an empirical foundation for the science of genetics.

In 1900, building upon Mendel’s findings, Hugo DeVries both discovered the phenomenon of incomplete dominance and presented his mutation theory. Within several decades, evolutionists realized that, taken together, genetic variation and natural selection form the explanatory foundation of organic evolution. Thus emerged neo-Darwinism, or the so-called synthetic theory of biological evolution, with its focus on dynamic populations or gene pools.

If naturalist Charles Darwin had given to biological anthropology the factual theory of organic evolution, then James Watson and Francis Crick (along with Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin) gave to it a genetic foundation by discovering a working model for the DNA molecule, the so-called code of life or language of heredity (Watson, 2003). Since 1953, this groundbreaking discovery has had awesome consequences for understanding and appreciating life-forms, from a bacterium to the human animal. The DNA molecule gives undeniable evidence for the historical continuity and chemical unity of all lifeforms on planet earth. In particular, it now clearly links our species with the four great apes or pongids: orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo.

The DNA molecule has the structure of a double helix with six parts: a phosphate group, the sugar deoxyribose, and four bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine). Changes to the sequence of bases, or nucleotides, in the genome may result in changes in the phenotype or biological expressions of an organism. Mutations may be major or minor, and of positive, neutral, or negative value for the organism in terms of its adaptation to and survival in a dynamic environment. Successful reproduction will pass on the altered hereditary information to the gene pool of the next generation. Therefore, one may hold that the members of a population represent differential reproduction. Over time, a species may produce a variety of itself, and this variety may eventually become a new species; further evolution may result in the emergence of higher taxonomic groups, such as new families, orders, or classes of organisms. Nevertheless, within the sweep of organic evolution, a very sobering fact is that the extinction of species is the rule rather than the exception.

The next step for naturalists and biological anthropologists was to extend the science of genetics to comprehend the evolution of populations (gene pools) in terms of both changes in gene frequencies and the appearances of mutations within dynamic environments, as well as natural and social selection (Hartl & Clark, 2006; Wells, 2002). Such studies shed significant light on biological variations in human populations, consequently challenging earlier anthropological views on race and racism (Mielke, Konigsberg, & Relethford, 2006).

In the early decades of the 20th century, anthropologists could not agree on either the number of alleged distinct races that comprise our human species or the criterion or criteria to be used in determining the assumed number of human races; the number of races ranged from 3 to over 200 (obviously, the methodology was faulty). Unfortunately, however, the concept of human race was extended by some anthropologists to justify racism, resulting in a racial hierarchy from inferior groups to superior groups (Birx, 2003; Wolpoff & Caspari, 1997). Nevertheless, as a result of understanding and appreciating human variations in terms of the DNA molecule and dynamic populations, modern biological anthropologists now speak of the genetic unity of Homo sapiens sapiens, with organic differences being scientifically meaningful only below the subspecies level of classification. Human differences in blood groups, skin pigmentations, and morphological types are significant only in terms of adaptive genetic variations from gene pool to gene pool. The biological anthropologist Ashley Montagu (1905–1999) was instrumental in discrediting race and racism, while advocating the evolutionary framework (Montagu, 1997). Today, it is stressed that humans manifest cultural differences that are far greater than their biological differences. Of particular interest are ongoing twin studies, which are hoped to shed more light on the influences that both biology and culture have on determining the physical and social differences among human beings.

The mapping of the human genome, in order to discover which gene or genes determine specific characteristics or traits, has made possible the genetic engineering of the DNA molecule (Ridley, 2000; Scherer, 2008). Of course, such research holds both awesome promises and foreboding perils for the future existence and evolution of our species. In particular, ongoing stem cell research may eliminate hereditary diseases and even improve the human organism. As with any new science, there is (at first) widespread apprehension and the possible abuse of such powers. Even so, one may argue that the long-range benefits of genetic engineering and stem cell research far outweigh any short-range problems, given common ethical guidelines and rational value judgments to prevent the misuse of scientific research and its application.

Today, one may even speak of emerging teleology. As the use of and advances in both nanotechnology and genetic engineering increase, our species will more and more be able to guide the once-random process of organic evolution, including directing human evolution for chosen goals on planet earth and elsewhere. If the human gene pool departs significantly from its present makeup, then one may anticipate (in the remote future) the emergence of a new species, Homo futurensis.

Hominid Evolution

Biological anthropologists as paleoanthropologists compare and contrast fossil bones and teeth in order to discern whether a specimen is pongid-like or hominid-like, and where it most likely should be placed within the long and complex evolutionary history of hominoids (Anderson, 2005; Arsuga & Martínez, 2006; Birx, 1988; Cela-Conde & Ayala, 2007; Tattersall, 1993). Dental features, as well as the cranium and innominate bone, greatly help to determine how close an apelike specimen is to the emergence of our own species. Modern computers and improved dating techniques significantly aid paleoanthropologists in constructing viable models depicting human evolution in light of the growing fossil record, as well as genetic research information when it is available. Furthermore, fossil and genetic evidence sets limits to probable models for human evolution in particular, and primate evolution in general.

For early biological anthropologists, the theory of evolution implied that our own species has an evolutionary past that links it to the fossil apes of about 7 to 5 million years ago. Thus, it is not surprising that some early naturalists wanted to discover the so-called “missing link” among those fossil hominoid specimens that are ancestral to both the living apes and the human animal of today. However, a debate emerged as to whether this evolutionary link would be found in Africa or in Asia. Inspired by the writings of Charles Darwin in England and Ernst Haeckel in Germany, the Dutch naturalist Eugene Dubois decided to leave Europe for Indonesia, where he was convinced that his research would unearth a fossil form midway between apes and humans. In the early 1890s, with incredible luck, Dubois actually did find a hominid specimen that he classified as Pithecanthropus erectus or erect ape-man (now relegated to the long Homo erectus stage of hominid evolution); it was found at the Trinil site on the island of Java. Skeletal features revealed that this fossil specimen was an early hominid dated from at least 500,000 years ago. Darwin would have been delighted with this discovery, but he himself had favored Africa as the cradle of human evolution, since the gorillas and chimpanzees (two of our closest evolutionary cousins) still inhabit this continent.

Eugene Dubois’s success inspired other naturalists to search for more fossil hominid evidence in Java. Subsequently, several decades later, G. H. R. von Koenigswald found an even earlier fossil hominid at the Djetis site, which he referred to as Pithecanthropus robustus (now also relegated to Homo erectus).

In 1924, anatomist Raymond A. Dart analyzed a fossil skull that had been fortuitously found at the Taung site in the Transvaal area of South Africa. He correctly determined that it was a hominid child over 1 million years old. It represented the australopithecine group of fossil hominids that existed for several million years. This discovery of Australopithecus africanus from Taung suggested that Darwin had been correct in maintaining that fossil apelike forms in Africa (not in Asia) had given rise to those hominids that are ancestral to our species. This incredible discovery inspired other naturalists to continue the search for fossil apes and fossil hominids in Africa. Even so, more evidence for human evolution was next found at the Zhoukoudian site near Beijing, China, due to the ongoing research of Davidson Black and Franz Weidenrich (including Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, among others). The specimens represented Sinanthropus pekinensis, a form of Homo erectus that lived about 350,000 years ago.

Later, with steadfast determination, the anthropologist Louis S. B. Leakey was convinced that the earliest fossil hominids would, in fact, be found in central East Africa. In 1959, after searching for 30 years, his second wife Mary found the cranium of Zinjanthropus boisei at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania—a 1.75-million-year-old specimen. Although the cranium was that of the first fossil hominid ever found in central East Africa, it nevertheless represents a side branch that became extinct (as several other forms did) during the early evolution of hominid species.

In 1961, Louis S. B. Leakey himself found the skull of Homo habilis at Olduvai Gorge. This specimen was 1.9 million years old, and associated with the Oldowan pebble-tool culture. Homo habilis not only stood erect and walked upright with a bipedal gait, but also made simple stone implements. Unlike other hominid forms that became extinct, this bigger-brained and culture-making species gave rise to Homo erectus, the next phase of hominization. The astonishing success of the Leakey family, including both Richard E. F. Leakey (who also found a Homo habilis skull, but at Koobi Fora) and later Meave Leakey in Kenya, encouraged other biological anthropologists to search for hominid fossil specimens elsewhere in central East Africa (Morell, 1995).

During the 1970s and 1980s, three other major discoveries were made: the Lucy skeleton found by Donald C. Johanson and his team at the Hadar site in the Afar Triangle of Ethiopia (Johanson & Edey, 1981; Johanson & Shreeve, 1989; Johanson & Wong, 2009), the human Laetoli footprints found at a site in Tanzania by Mary Leakey and her team, and the Homo erectus skeleton found by Richard Leakey and his team on the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya. By the 1990s, there was no doubt that Africa had played the major role in the origin and early evolution of hominid species (Leakey & Lewin, 1992). More recent fossil specimens make it clear that many different hominid forms once occupied Africa during the past 4.5 million years. To date, the fossil australopithecine complex is represented by at least eight hominid species: aethiopicus, afarensis, africanus, anamensis, boisei, garhi, robustus, and sediba. No doubt, in the coming years, more incredible fossil hominid specimens will be discovered in both Africa and Asia.

One remaining puzzle in human evolution is the “sudden” extinction of the Neanderthal people and the remarkable success of their contemporaries, the Cro-Magnon people (Sauer & Deak, 2007; Tattersall & Schwartz, 2000). A probable explanation for the Neanderthal extinction is that they could not compete with the far more intelligent Cro-Magnon people, who most likely had a more complex language and certainly an advanced material culture (including stone and bone carvings, as well as exquisite cave murals). New findings and ongoing research may answer questions concerning the biosocial relationship between these two groups of early Homo sapiens. For now, one fact is certain: The Cro-Magnon people gave rise to the modern human being as Homo sapiens sapiens.

Actually, there is no common consensus among paleoanthropologists concerning the classification of fossil hominid specimens. Some paleoanthropologists argue that skeletal differences represent numerous species, and perhaps even distinct genera. Other paleoanthropologists place different skeletons into the same species, or maintain that they merely represent sexual dimorphism. Nevertheless, three generalizations seem true: (1) Hominid evolution has taken place over 4 million years; (2) fossil hominid specimens represent many species that became extinct; and (3) evidence shows that sustained bipedality preceded Paleolithic culture, which preceded the modern cranial capacity. No doubt, present models for and interpretations of hominid evolution will be modified in light of future discoveries.

Primate Taxonomy

In the footsteps of Aristotle and Linnaeus, modern taxonomists are interested in classifying living primates into groups that reflect both their similarities and evolutionary relationships. However, besides relying upon comparative studies in embryology and morphology, modern taxonomists also use computer technology and research information from comparative genetics. In general, primates are characterized by a large brain, great intelligence and memory, an emphasis on vision (rather than smell), grasping hands and remarkable motor-sensory coordination, and complex psychosocial behavior. These special features were slowly acquired over millions of years as adaptive characteristics to enhance survival—and therefore reproduction— in the trees. Only the human species spends its entire lifetime on the ground.

There is no common consensus among modern taxonomists concerning the classification of the primates. However, most biological anthropologists agree that six major groups comprise the living primates of today: prosimians, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, lesser apes, great apes, and our own species (Campbell, Fuentes, Mackinnon, Panger, & Bearder, 2007; Rowe, 1996).

The earliest group of primates to emerge was the diversified, arboreal prosimians. Living representatives include the tree shrews, lorises, tarsiers, and lemurs. Although they once inhabited the trees in both hemispheres, all prosimians are now found only in Africa and Asia. The classification of tree shrews as primates is debatable, but this is to be expected since they represent an evolutionary link between the earlier ground-dwelling insectivores and the later tree-dwelling prosimians. Nevertheless, the tree shrews show an emphasis on vision and motor-sensory coordination, as well as grasping digits and a comparatively large brain.

Monkeys evolved out of the prosimians in both hemispheres. Thus, a distinction is made between the New World monkeys of the Western Hemisphere and the Old World monkeys of the Eastern Hemisphere.

New World monkeys are arboreal and divided into two groups: one group consists of the small marmosets and tamarins, while the other group includes the larger monkeys, such as the spider monkey and the howler monkey. Old World monkeys are very diversified, with some representatives spending considerable time on the ground, such as the baboons. Biological anthropologists are particularly interested in studying the behavior patterns of the terrestrial baboons, since these largest of the monkeys inhabit open woodlands and grassy savannahs when on the ground. Consequently, baboon behavior may shed light on the social behavior of our earliest ancestors, the protohominids, who became successful in adapting to life on the ground in terms of biological characteristics and behavior patterns. Other Old World monkeys include the mandrill, drill, gelada, colobus, and vervet of Africa; the langurs of India; and the macaques of Asia (e.g., the rhesus monkey). Larger, more intelligent, and far better adapted to arboreal habitats, the monkeys dominated the trees in both hemispheres and nearly brought the prosimians to extinction.

The apes are placed into two groups: the lesser apes or hylobates, and the great apes or pongids. They are larger and more intelligent than the monkeys. The hylobates include the gibbon and siamang. The pongids include the orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo. Fossil and living apes are found only in the Eastern Hemisphere, where they evolved from some earlier Old World monkeys. Evolutionary relationships among the fossil and living primates are determined by genotypic and phenotypic similarities. However, interpretations of the evidence vary among paleoanthropologists and primatologists. One intriguing question remains: Which of the four pongids is closest to our own species? Many biological anthropologists maintain that the human animal is closest to the chimpanzee (Diamond, 1992) and bonobo. Yet, there are a few naturalists who argue that Homo sapiens is actually closest to the orangutan (Schwartz, 2005). Although fossil ape specimens are rare, future discoveries may shed more light on the evolution of early hominids from even earlier fossil pongids.

Primate Behavior

Since the writings of Huxley, Haeckel, and Darwin himself, evolutionary naturalists recognize the biological similarities among the primates: They all have large eyes, flexible digits, a complex brain, and great motor-sensory coordination. Over millions of years, primates adapted successfully to life in the trees. They not only adapted to their arboreal habitats in terms of physical characteristics, but also in terms of social behaviors (Fleagle, 1998; Jolly, 1985; Strier, 2007). Our own species is particularly similar to the four great apes: orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo (McGrew, Marchant, &Toshisada, 1996). With the acceptance of evolution, it is not surprising that in the middle of the 20th century, some biological anthropologists began to study wild primates in their natural habitats. In general, the more complex the physical features of a primate species, the more complex is its behavior patterns. The prosimians exhibit simpler social structures than the monkeys, while the six apes (especially the four pongids) manifest the most complex behavior patterns outside our own species.

In the Eastern Hemisphere, prosimian behavior is reflected in the solitary tree shrews, pair-bonded adult lorises and tarsiers, and the lemurs of Madagascar that are monogamous or live in small social groups with female dominance. The ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) communicate through sounds, smells, and body movements (e.g., social grooming). Their behavior patterns are social adaptations to life on the ground, enhancing survival and therefore reproduction.

New World monkeys are arboreal and live in small social groups. The red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) eats fruits and leaves, defends a home range, and communicates through loud howls. Also important is cebid behavior research on the spider monkey and woolly monkey of South America.

Among the Old World monkeys, of particular importance is the common baboon (Papio anubis) in Africa (Smuts, 1985; Strum, 1987). On the ground, a baboon troupe is headed by the dominant adult alpha male. Since these baboons are often terrestrial during the day, in the open woodlands and on the grassy savannahs, their social behavior may give biological anthropologists a glimpse into the group behavior of the early hominids, who adapted to and evolved in similar environments. However, there are some primatologists who speculate that early hominid behavior may have been closer to the social behavior of living chimpanzees and bonobos. Significant behavior research continues on the terrestrial langurs and macaques of Asia.

The two lesser apes, or hylobates, are the gibbon (e.g., Hylobates lar) and the larger siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus). They are found only in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, where they have adapted very successfully to life in the trees. Gibbon behavior varies from adult male/female pair bonding to small social groups. Gibbons actively defend a territory through loud sounds and aggressive displays, which warn off intruding groups.

It was to be expected that some primatologists would focus their research on studying the behavior of the great apes. Most important are past and ongoing close-range, long-term observations of the pongids in their natural environments.

Inspired by paleoanthropologist Louis S. B. Leakey, three female primatologists established the rigorous study of wild apes in their natural habitats: Biruté Galdikas, Dian Fossey, and Jane Goodall. Their steadfast and pioneering observations resulted in remarkable discoveries concerning the behavior patterns of the three pongids. These social findings supplemented the biological evidence that already supported the close evolutionary link between the great apes and our species.

In their natural habitats, wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) live only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. Galdikas devoted her research to observing the orangutans on the island of Borneo (Galdikas, 1996, 2005). Her close-range, long-term observations of this pongid have added greatly to understanding and appreciating this great ape of Asia. She not only focused on their behavior patterns, but also prepared orphaned infants for their return to the tropical rainforests. In doing so, her devotion to studying and caring for orangutans has helped to ensure their survival, while also informing the world that this great ape needs to be protected from both human harm and the threat of extinction. Unfortunately, orangutans are now facing extinction due to the encroachment of human civilization, especially because it causes the deforestation of their environment and disrupts their behavior. Furthermore, adult orangutans are killed in order to capture their infants; subsequently, these young orangutans often die in captivity.

Adult orangutans are primarily loners, living in trees and surviving primarily on fruits and leaves. There is no complex social behavior. Nevertheless, orangutans are intelligent. Unfortunately, in captivity, where they are removed from an active life in the trees, orangutans are prone to boredom and obesity; placing them in natural settings therefore improves their health and extends their longevity. Fortunately, for biological anthropology, Galdikas continues her efforts to understand and appreciate this “red ape” of the primate world. Following in her footsteps, other primatologists will devote their efforts to studying this pongid in order to save this endangered great ape from vanishing completely.

The largest ape ever discovered is Gigantopithecus from fossil sites in China, India, and Vietnam. It existed from the Miocene epoch to about 500,000 years ago, but is now known only from its massive jaws and huge teeth (especially its premolars and molars). In part, the extinction of Gigantopithecus may have been due to the evolutionary success of a competitor, Homo erectus. Evidence suggests that, astonishingly, this fossil pongid might have stood over 9 feet tall and could have weighed at least 500 pounds. Future research may discover a skeleton of this astonishingly huge ape, which is related to the living orangutan through primate evolution.

The gorilla is the largest of the four great apes, and the two isolated subspecies are found living only in the forested areas of equatorial Africa. In the footsteps of zoologist George B. Schaller, Dian Fossey dedicated her research to studying the wild mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes in central East Africa (Fossey, 1983). Not content with merely observing them from the safety of trees, she was the first primatologist to actually make contact with this large pongid. Her efforts were rewarded with surprising findings that demolished the traditional view of the gorilla as a dangerous and ferocious ape. In fact, Fossey discovered that the gorilla is actually a shy, gentle, intelligent but introverted pongid.

Gorillas are very intelligent and live in small social groups, each dominated by an adult silverback male who determines when the group members will move, eat, or rest. There are also loner adult males. Gorillas eat fruits and leaves, and fear few predators (except human poachers with weapons). Unfortunately, the natural range and population of wild gorillas are diminishing due to the ongoing encroachment of human settlements.

For about 50 years, Jane Goodall has devoted her efforts to studying the wild chimpanzee or common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) at the Gombe Stream National Park near Lake Tanganyika in central Africa (Goodall, 1986, 2000). She has made significant discoveries about the social behavior of this very humanlike great ape. Chimpanzees are very intelligent, are both arboreal and terrestrial, systematically make and use simple tools, and are capable of learning and communicating through symbols. They exhibit both intriguing and disturbing behavior patterns. Chimpanzees are aggressive, promiscuous, live in loosely structured and constantly changing social groups, and are capable of killing both their own infants and adults.

Chimpanzees communicate through distinct sounds, body movements, facial expressions, and social grooming. One remarkable discovery is that they modify twigs in order to “fish” ants and termites from their mounds, adding these insects to their diet. Chimpanzees crack open nuts using rocks or branches, and also use a bone pick to extract bone marrow. They also hunt and kill monkeys, adding meat to their otherwise usual diet of fruits, nuts, seeds, and leaves. One particular activity is especially interesting: adult males will participate in a so-called “rain dance” during a thunderstorm.

Since 1929, scientists have known about the chimpanzeelike bonobo (Pan paniscus) or the so-called pygmy chimpanzee. Nevertheless, only during the past two decades have a few biological anthropologists studied the wild bonobos in the forests of Zaire in central Africa (de Waal & Lanting, 1997). Although they frequently walk on their knuckles, bonobos are capable of walking upright for short distances; they are taller and thinner than the common chimpanzee. Bonobos eat fruits, plants, and monkeys. There is strong bonding among adult females, and social groups may even be dominated by them. The social behavior of this peaceful pongid is grounded in “make love, not war” (in sharp contrast to the sometimes vicious behavior of the common chimpanzee). Sexual activity is pervasive among bonobos, strengthening group interactions and diminishing social tensions. Like chimpanzees, bonobos share about 98% of their DNA with the human animal.

Several primatologists have focused their research on ape communication studies; for example, Francine Patterson has taught two lowland gorillas American Sign Language. However, her success and similar work by other biological anthropologists have come under sharp criticism by scientists who claim that the great apes are merely mimicking the behavior of their teachers. Even so, anthropological research has revealed that pongids have greater mental ability than is suggested by merely observing their social behavior in natural habitats.

Forensic Anthropology

Since the middle of the 20th century, the discipline of anthropology has striven to be relevant in terms of solving problems in the modern world. One area of applied anthropology is forensic anthropology (Birx, 2002; Komar & Buikstra, 2008), which has increased greatly in its popularity during the last 10 years. An outgrowth of biological anthropology, forensic anthropology focuses on the skeleton of our own species. As such, forensic anthropologists analyze and describe a human skeleton in order to determine the biological characteristics of a human corpse and, ideally, to make a positive identification of the deceased individual.

All human beings belong to the same genus, the same species, and the same subspecies: Homo sapiens sapiens. Consequently, each human individual is a biological variation on a common theme, that common theme being the genetic unity of humankind. Biological anthropologists specialize in understanding and appreciating our species in terms of primate evolution and human variation. The detailed study of a skeleton is crucial to forensic inquiry (Schwartz, 2007). The human skeleton has 206 bones, ranging from the large femur to the three small ear bones or ossicles (Birx, 1991a); the glaring similarity among the hominid and pongid skeletons, of both living and fossil species, is convincing evidence for human evolution and our common ancestry with the great apes. Osteological and dental remains help the forensic anthropologist determine the age, gender, height, weight, health, and ethnic background of an individual. Such studies may also reveal anomalies, mutations, and the results of past diseases and injuries. However, when present, other biological evidence may also determine the cause or manner of death, as well as help to identify suspects. Yet, in some cases, a positive identification is never achieved.

Furthermore, forensic anthropologists help to reconstruct a death scene. Forensic inquiry may determine that the death of an individual is due to murder, accident, suicide, or a natural cause; in some cases, the cause of death may remain unknown.

Forensic anthropologists use methods that have emerged in the history of biological anthropology and prehistoric archaeology (e.g., in the methods they use for the careful investigation of a death scene). Today, data banks of human bones and genetic fingerprints are now available for comparative studies, as well as the use of modern computers. Additional information comes from the DNA molecule, serology, entomology, toxicology, and ballistics (among other areas of specialty).

Forensic anthropologists may study such diverse subjects as Neanderthal fossil remains, the 5,200-year-old Iceman (named Ötiz) from the Alps, mummies from ancient Egypt (e.g., the remains of King Tut) and the Incas of Peru, and individuals from bogs, war grave sites, and recent catastrophes. Likewise, forensic scientists help to reconstruct both a death scene and the face of a human corpse. However, only human remains from the past 50 years have legal significance; in these cases, the forensic anthropologist may be an expert witness at a trial.

The discipline of biological anthropology continues to shed light on the origin, evolution, and diversity of our own species, as well as its relationship to other primates (both fossil and living forms). Each year, new discoveries in paleoanthropology add more empirical evidence that enhances our understanding of and appreciation for hominid evolution. No doubt, over the coming decades, other exciting findings will be made in both Africa and Asia. Ongoing discoveries of fossil specimens will likely help to explain the emergence of both bipedality and our modern cranial capacity. As such, the present model of hominid evolution will be modified in order to accommodate all the new facts and concepts. Likewise, more nonhominid fossil specimens will be found, shedding new light on the evolution of primates throughout the Cenozoic era.

Ongoing advances in genetics and psychology will clarify the biological, social, and evolutionary relationships among the primates. Findings from continued primate behavior studies, both in captivity and in the wild, will help to narrow the gap between the human animal and the great apes, especially in terms of language acquisition (Bickerton, 2010) and the making of stone implements. One urgent need is to protect the nonhuman primates from the threat of extinction. It is deeply regrettable that the four pongids (orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo) are now vanishing animals primarily because of the encroachment of human civilization. It would be a tragedy if these wonderful species became extinct. Of course, there is a need to protect all the primates. It is also important that future biological anthropologists continue to research the relationship between humans and apes in terms of the origin and transmission of infectious diseases within ever-changing environments.

Human growth and development research, especially twin studies, will help clarify the dynamic relationship between biology and culture, discrediting unfounded racial classification systems and overcoming their resultant entrenched racism. And there is also a need to examine the influence of culture and the environment on the human gene pool and the biological variations that emerge from external changes in the natural world.

Of course, the ongoing teaching of both biological anthropology and the evolutionary framework is quintessential for the spread of rational thought and scientific evidence necessary for a proper interpretation of our human species within natural history. Consequently, research in biological anthropology needs to remain open to new facts, concepts, hypotheses, and perspectives.

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The Process of Writing Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Ethnology is attractive because any student can study other people’s cultures and share the knowledge gained through research work. If you study physical anthropology, you have a unique opportunity to plunge into the life of other nations and learn valuable facts that will allow other people to explore the values of the inhabitants of a particular area several hundred years ago.

Despite the fascination of studying this discipline, it involves studying a huge amount of material, as well as writing many medical anthropology research papers, including linguistic anthropology and physical anthropology essays. Having the right approach to this process will not cause difficulties but will only bring joy. Let’s consider a simple guide to anthropology research paper topics right now. ‘

Anthropology Paper Topics Selection

Choosing anthropology essay topics is very important when writing a research paper in forensic anthropology since this discipline is not very popular and quite difficult. Suppose you have the opportunity to choose interesting physical anthropology topics. In that case, you should focus on the theme with which you are more or less familiar and in which you are personally engaged. Interesting cultural anthropology or physical anthropology essay topics or even a somewhat shocking ones will attract your reader’s attention from the start.

At the same time, when choosing anthropology research paper topics, make sure that it is relevant to the discipline. This will allow you to write a forensic anthropology paper professionally. In addition, it will be valuable to cultural anthropology or biological anthropology science.

Notes and Planning Before Anthropology Paper Writing

After choosing cultural anthropology, biological anthropology or physical anthropology topics for a more efficient organization of the process of writing an anthropology paper, you need to take notes. For example, messages can take the form of text entries from literary sources that you will refer to in your work. Such notices should contain the name of the head, its creator, and the page number.

At the end of the work, these notes will be useful for compiling a list of references and identifying citations. It’s useful for cultural anthropology, medical anthropology and biological anthropology.

Be careful when working with numbers and quotes; organization and accuracy, in this case, are the best assistance while writing cultural anthropology or biological anthropology essay.

Also, at this stage, remember that quotations should only make up 10-15% of the entire article, so you should concentrate on using the most important information that will reveal the forensic anthropology paper topics.

At this stage, you can make a plan for completing all the tasks necessary for writing an anthropology paper. If you have a deadline, define goals for every day. This will allow you to evenly distribute the workload while you will not experience stress and turn in the work on time.

Outline Creation for Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Before you begin writing your anthropology research paper topics:

Create a structure for your future cultural anthropology or biological anthropology essay
Briefly describe what each section will include
Identify key phrases that will open up the anthropology research paper topics

At this stage, it is great to use the citations that were defined earlier. The formation of the structure of the cultural anthropology or biological anthropology essay has a beneficial effect on the purposeful execution of tasks.

Write the thesis of your forensic anthropology research paper. The theory indicates your position on the subject you are working on. The statement should be placed in the introduction of the essay, but it will also be duplicated in conclusion. The information given in the cultural anthropology or biological anthropology essay will confirm or refute this thesis.

Anthropology Research Paper Topics Draft Creation

After researching the anthropology essay topics and collecting information that can be used in work, you should start writing a draft. Follow the steps you defined in your anthropology paper plan.

First, use facts as the basis for an article. The author’s ideas are not chaotic; each statement has its background, confirmed or refuted by facts. So, you must back up all claims with reliable data from truthful sources. With this approach, the work will be valuable to readers. At this stage, it is worth checking the facts mentioned in the biological anthropology essay several times, their reliability, and the appropriateness of using them in this anthropology paper.

Anthropology Topics Final Version Creation

After writing a draft of a biology anthropology essay, it is recommended to pause. A fresh look at the anthropology paper topics will allow you to understand which components need to be improved.

At the stage of writing the final version of the biology anthropology essay, you can look at additional sources, but if you think that the text perfectly reveals the anthropology paper topics and the work contains enough facts to substantiate a particular statement, then you can safely proceed to edit and correct the text. These tasks can be delegated to third parties, such as friends or a dedicated service.

The Structure of Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Good anthropology essay writing is different from writing other types of anthropology topics. So, if your task is to write an anthropology essay, then when writing it, you should follow the features that distinguish it from other types of anthropology topics. But, first, let’s look at its structure.

Introductory Part of Anthropology Research Paper Topics

An essay, like any other anthropology paper, contains an introduction. The purpose of this part of the text is to interest the reader in reading the entire essay. In the introduction, as a rule, writers talk about the problem – it can be formulated as a rhetorical question or a quote. The author needs to create a unique emotional mood that will inspire the reader to explore the problem with the writer.

Main Part of Anthropology Research Paper Topics

The main part of the anthropology essay is intended to reveal different points of view on the described statement. This part of the text is divided into several parts, each of which has its plan:

Thesis (a statement that the author seeks to confirm or refute)
Justification (the facts used to confirm or deny the idea)
A brief conclusion (a short answer to the main question of the anthropology paper)

Facts in an essay mean statements the author makes to prove to the reader the truth of his thoughts. Arguments can be various situations from life, opinions of scientists, etc.

If we talk about the sequence of providing arguments in the anthropology essay, then the author can focus on the following plan:

Explanation

Conclusion of Anthropology Research Paper Topics

At this stage, the author mentions all the conclusions made for each statement in the body of the paper on anthropology topics. In this part, the problem under consideration and the final decision should be re-described.

Remember that the purpose of the introduction of the paper for anthropology topics is to interest the reader; the conclusion is to inspire the reader to think, to leave a mark on his memory.

How to Find the Most Relevant Anthropology Essay Topic?

If the teacher compiles the anthropology paper topics, and you need to choose one of them, you should rely on your analysis:

Will you be able to work with unfamiliar forensic anthropology essay topics in your anthropology essay? If not, you should look at other tasks.
Will you be ready to navigate the thesis? It is necessary to indicate not only terminology but also a personal opinion. To do this, all questions on the anthropology essay topics need to be worked out.
Will you cope with the professionalism of other writers? If the anthropology research paper topics are familiar, you must work out its questions from different angles in your anthropology essay. Personal opinion will be the defining vector of how well the author knows and understands this niche.

Undoubtedly, some interesting anthropology topics sound too abstract. To decide on the choice of one of them, it is often necessary to mark the boundaries of a large-scale area to detail and designate your subject.

If there are no anthropology essay topics for an anthropology essay, this is most difficult to define boundaries. At the same time, the author usually is allowed to choose from the majority – of what he wants to write about in the paper about anthropology topics. In order not to fall into the abundance of diversity, the following tips will help the author:

Choose anthropology research paper topics that sound familiar to everyone.
Decide on the model – a contradiction or agreement with other authors.
Indicate those boundaries you cannot go beyond when drawing up a plan. Write point by point: what will be analyzed, the arguments for this, and further down the list. If the direction is already chosen, for example, ethnologist, you can confine yourself to specific events or facts that have occurred in history.

Below you can view the most interesting anthropology topics for writing an anthropological essay and, if you wish, reveal the subject more interestingly, backing it up with facts.

The role of ethnology in criminology
Funeral rituals in American culture
The beginning of human life
Bigfoot existence
Why don’t people repay their debts?
The influence of ethnology on music
Different views on the supernatural
The impact of TikTok on European culture
Gender issues and gender equality in Southeast Asia

The Best Linguistic Anthropology Essay Topics

Linguistic anthropology has interesting anthropology paper topics. Below we will look at the most relevant issues that you can use in your anthropology essay:

The role of mythology in the culture of Europe
Basic theories of linguistic anthropology
The part of non-verbal communication in raising a child
Approaches to learning a foreign language in different cultures of the world
The role of language in the development of Bengali immigrants

The Best Ethnographic Anthropology Essay Topics

Do not confuse ethnographic anthropology essay topics with cultural anthropology paper topics. Instead, look at the following themes to understand the difference:

Differences in academic performance of children from wealthy and low-income families
The impact of school uniforms on children’s performance
The attitude of US service personnel to people
How European immigrants express their identity
The attitude of the inhabitants of Eastern European countries to gays
Association of poor academic performance with homeschooling
Homeschooling and low grades
Differences in children’s behavior at home and school
Features of the behavior of homeless children in Africa

The Best Physical Anthropology Essay Topics

Physical anthropology studies man, including his origin, evolution, his adaptation to various societies. Physical anthropology is a good chance for students to write an interesting and unique paper. There are a lot of physical anthropology essay topics, but let’s consider the most interesting for your essay.

The effect of smoking on women’s skin quality
Features of aging people in Asian countries
The connection between breastfeeding and the intellectual development of the child
The harmful effects of drugs on American culture
Classical music influence the fetus’s growth in the womb

The Best Biological Anthropology Paper Topics

Biological anthropology studies the variability of normal human biology in time and space. Although this is a very interesting discipline, there are many directions to reveal one or another phenomenon from a different angle in an anthropology essay.

Impact of Minamata Disease on the Population of Japan
The effect of coronavirus on humankind: panic attacks in recovered patients
How do military activities in Ukraine affect the lives of the people of the country?
Comparison of strategies to combat the depression in Europe and the USA
The severity of mental disorders in Japan
Cultural implications of same-sex marriage in the United States

The Best Unique Anthropology Paper Topics

Uniqueness always adds value, so students who want to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and ability to explore in a forensic anthropology essay can use more interesting anthropology topics. Let’s look at the options.

Consequences of the presidency of Barack Obama for the country’s black population?
Linking climate change to the threat of world hunger
The connection between social media and hate between nations
The evolution of sex discrimination in modern US society
The impact of video games on the performance of high school students

The Best Forensic Anthropology Paper Topics

Forensic anthropology is the same interesting discipline as medical anthropology and biological anthropology. Feel free to choose one of the themes below:

The role of DNA databases in the search for criminals
The Importance of creating approaches for the identification of new drugs
The feasibility of involving animals in forensic research in the 21st century
Risks of using artificial intelligence in forensics
The value of crime scene photography in forensic science

Tips to Write a Quality Anthropology Essay

Please do not use too long sentences while writing anthropology research paper topics. Instead, it is recommended to dilute the text with short, understandable sentences. This is especially important when you work with medical anthropology research topics, forensic anthropology essays, cultural anthropology paper, biological anthropology works, linguistic anthropology essays, and physical anthropology paper. With this approach, your linguistic anthropology text will look more dynamic, and the reader will understand the essence of the statements and your forensic anthropology research paper topics.

It is not recommended to use incomprehensible terms. If you still want to use words unfamiliar to the reader in your linguistic anthropology or medical anthropology research topics, then you need to use them so that the meaning is clear.
The use of statements without sense should be avoided. Your phrases should be unique, reflecting your approach to researching forensic anthropology topics.
Use humor in your linguistic anthropology or forensic anthropology essay carefully; for example, sarcasm can irritate the reader.
Use your personal experience to back up your beliefs and back them up with research evidence.
When writing an anthropology essay, stick to the main anthropology research paper topics and do not use unnecessary details in the text.

Common Mistakes Made by Students While Writing Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Knowing the most common mistakes students make when writing a forensic anthropology essay will allow you to reduce the likelihood of making them to a minimum.

Mistake 1. Poor quality work on details for your anthropology research paper topics. Students often cannot support their thesis with reliable arguments, as they did not work with literature well enough. This mistake is common for linguistic anthropology and medical anthropology research topics.
Mistake 2. Exclusion of important statements from the text for fear that they will remain incomprehensible to the reader. The result of such actions is not a unique text.
Mistake 3. Misunderstanding the meaning of the forensic anthropology research paper topics on which the anthropology essay is being written or incorrect interpretation of the main idea.
Mistake 4. Using other people’s statements without indicating their authorship, the lack of formed personal opinions. This mistake often happens in linguistic anthropology and medical anthropology research topics.

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Unique Anthropology Research Topics That Are Sure to Make an Impact

Table of Contents

“The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences” – Ruth Benedict.

Do you aim to frame an anthropology research paper that successfully enables you to stand apart in the herd? But, before you even begin, is choosing a remarkable idea for your anthropology research paper driving you up the wall? If such is the case, no need to fret as we have got your back.

Choosing inspiring and intriguing anthropology research topics is critical to the success of your written paper. An excellent research topic can always spark further analysis and help you make a valuable contribution to the field of study.

But, there exists an abundance of topics that can plunge deep into. So, how to make a perfect choice and ensure you’ll hook your readers successfully?

Today’s comprehensive post will navigate you through certain remarkable guidelines to choose the best research paper topics in anthropology. We also ensure to walk you through an enticing list of anthropology topics for research papers that will surely help you stay above the rest.

Ready? Let’s get started, then!

Anthropology: The Research Areas it Entails

Anthropology implies the study of humanity. The field of study covers human behavior and biology, societies, linguistics, and culture in the past and the present. Due to its diverse nature, the discipline can be broken down into several specific units, with each emphasizing a particular area –

Social Anthropology

This area focuses on studying human cultures and society through a comparative lens. It seeks to comprehend how humans reside in societies and the ways they make their lives worthwhile.

Cultural Anthropology

This area of anthropology hugely emphasizes the culture, with the inclusion of norms and values prevailing in society.

Biological Anthropology

It is the study of the evolution of human beings as well as their adaptation and variability to tensions of the environment.

Linguistic Anthropology

Unlike other research areas, this sub-field of anthropology aims to figure out how language affects the lives of humans.

Archaeological Anthropology

This research area studies human beings in the past. In certain jurisdictions like Europe, this area is deemed a complete disciple like history or geography.

With this clear overview in mind, you are now all set to find out how to choose unique and intriguing anthropology research questions!

How to Choose Perfect Anthropology Research Topics?

The scope of an anthropology research paper depends mostly on a remarkable topic. Half the battle of turning in an impressive anthropology research paper will be won when you choose inspiring and interesting anthropology research paper topics.

Check out these below-mentioned guidelines that will enable you to choose a theme that’s perfect for you –

To choose perfect cultural or social anthropology Assignment , it is significant to concentrate on the theme you are less or more well-versed with and in which you’re engaged personally.
Ensure the topic you choose is relevant to the discipline.
Scour through historical records, artefacts, journals, newspapers, etc., to brainstorm potential ideas. You can also go through credible websites like Anthropology News, Science News, and The Conversation to generate current topics in anthropology.
Try to always go for anthropology topics for research papers that interest you and your readers.
Select a topic that enables you to conduct in-depth research and present your opinions or arguments effectively.
It is also crucial to opt for anthropology project ideas that comprise a lot of supporting evidence and offers extensive information for discussion.
Avoid anthropology research questions that are too broad or too specific. If your topic is too broad, ensure to narrow it down effectively.

As you explore different anthropology research paper topic examples, you must naturally incline toward exciting and intriguing subjects. It is always wise to comprehend what makes your heart beat a little fast and follow that curiosity.

Now, let us spoil you with an extensive list of spectacular anthropology research paper topics. With these fantastic and impressive topics at your disposal, you will be prepared for the war effectively.

Here you go!

A Comprehensive List of Unique and Intriguing Research Topics in Anthropology

Cultural anthropology topics.

Present your views on the importance of cultural diversity in the study of human evolution in anthropology.
Present an in-depth evaluation of the religious beliefs of two groups that are traditional in Europe.
Homosexuality in Africa – Discuss the social and cultural revolution that led to it.
What is the role of storytelling in the advancement of Native American cultures?
Present a detailed forensic overview of the importance of political organizations in countless Middle Eastern countries.
Discuss the ways superstitions impact the African way of life
Do you think homosexuality impacts the cultural and social landscape of the world? If yes, how so?
Discuss the connection between contemporary media and cultural imperialism.
Homelessness in the US – Discuss the causes and effects
Present your views on the family and structure and marriage rituals in two countries of your preference.

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Eugenics in the society of the current era – Discuss the benefits and consequences.
Discuss the influence of the environment on the skin colour of human beings.
Various stages of drowning till death – Evaluate six literature pieces
Present your views on the underlying Egyptian belief in the conservation of the dead
Present a detailed account of the importance of women in ancient Egypt
Impact of smoking on the physical appearance of human beings – Discuss
What are the essentials of physical anthropology ?
Write about the remarkable contribution of Henry Walter Bates to the field of Anthropology.
Discuss the evolution of the human brain in comparison to other animals
Discuss the relationship between anthropology and genetic engineering

Medical Anthropology Research Questions

Culture and health implementing medical anthropology – Discuss the connection.
Write about applied medical anthropology from the approach of holistic medicine.
Ethnobotany’s role in medical sciences – Present your views
Discuss the ways nursing ethics is becoming pragmatic in the career of eminent professionals
Present your views on the different risks associated with In Vitro Fertilisation
What is the connection between complications of watchdogs or whistle-blowers and big pharma?
What complications arise in the treatment of the periodontal disease?
Write about the medical threats of depression in the communities of South Asia.
Orthodox and unorthodox medicines in Native Americans – Discuss the strengths and weaknesses.
Present your views on critical concepts and tools in public health anthropology.

Ethnographic Research Ideas for College Students

Discuss the boundaries of involvement of citizens in intensive healthcare
The role played by psychologists in the progression of special education – Present a detailed expository study.
Write about the development and expansion of anthropology in the 20 th -21 st centuries.
Handover of patients in the health care of Europe – Present an ethnographic overview
How to use ethnographic sources of information to evaluate intensive public healthcare?
Discuss the condition of racism theories.
Do you think ‘Shariah’ can be favourable for Islamic societies or not? Conduct a detailed and extensive study.
Assess ways journalists can cope with stress and ways it impacts their profession.
Do you think the value of education has been enhanced through ethnographic innovations? If so, how?
Present your views on how stereotypical concepts related to sexual orientation affect the mental health of children worldwide.

Biology Anthropology Research Topics

Discuss how biotechnology and pharmaceutical organisations developed contemporary medicine.
What is the function of ethnography in software technology?
Malnutrition, chronic disease, and violence in any society – Discuss the relationship and present a comparison.
Do you think traditional institutions can conserve cultures? Evaluate.
Present your views on how maladaptation impacts migrants in any country worldwide.
Healthcare in contemporary society – Write about the commercialisation and commodification of medicines.
Risk and vulnerability in public health care – Present a detailed analysis
Cultural revolution of medicine in any country in Africa – Evaluate
Human evolution – Discuss how geographical locations can help in describing it
How can fossil records be used in palaeoanthropology?

Forensic Research Topics in Anthropology

Are the present methods of creating the behaviours of criminals effective?
Do you believe insects are the quickest decomposition agents?
Forensic technology – What are the common techniques implemented in the field?
Present an overview of the evolution of police canines over time.
Discuss the influences of environment and migratory paths on the survival and appearance of Neanderthals.
Present your view of the updated archaeological methods of dating in oncology.
Do you think DNA evidence is accurate in the criminology of testing and matching?
Present a detailed study on a case with a confession situation and make sure to outline the unique features of the case.
Do you think the techniques used in Egyptian mummification were effective?
Write how Darwin’s evolution theory and its implementation in the field of forensic anthropology.

Linguistic Anthropology Topics for Research Papers ‘

Endangerment of language – Discuss
Present a detailed analysis of the classification of language
Verbal vs. sign communications – Present a comparison analysis
Present your views on how language is the most vital component among immigrants from Bengal
Discuss the essential aspects that resulted in the emergence of linguistics anthropology
Present your views on the effect of colonisation on the language of a certain society worldwide.
Write how Dell Hymes contributed to the field of linguistic anthropology
Present a comprehensive research work on language and gender
Discuss the language of American and African women
Present a recent perspective on the comprehension of intercultural communications

Interesting Anthropology Research Topics

Discuss the crucial changes in theories behind linguistic anthropology
Classification of language – Present a detailed analysis
Write about the crucial aspects that fostered cultural hatred in a society that’s diverse
Present your views on the evolving concepts of matrimony in Asia
Write a detailed overview of the ways the Roman Catholic Church enhanced the sculpting and architectural science
American vs. Chinese societies – Present a detailed analysis of the greeting gestures
Write about the importance of women in ancient Egypt
American consumerism culture vs. Scandinavian minimalism culture – Discuss
What do you think is the psychology behind the genocide, and how it impacts the human relationship?
Present an anthropological evaluation of human behaviour in the ‘Lord of the Flies.’

Current Topics in Anthropology

Present your views on the reconstruction of skeletal systems
Give a detailed interpretation of archaeological research
What are the methods of embalmment?
Write about contemporary industrialisation.
Present your views on family, marriage systems, and kinship
What do you think about oral traditions and culture?
Investigate the sexuality of women and ways culture impacts their sexual health.
Present your views on how AIDS or HIV has impacted the gay community since its innovation.
Discuss why abortion can be considered the first choice for sexual assault and domestic violence victims.
Discuss how sex worker has helped in curbing the spread of AIDS or HIV in Central Europe.

Good Anthropology Project Ideas

Medical procedures various countries have discovered independently – Present a comparison and contrast analysis.
Economic anthropological concerns prevailing in pre and post-capitalist communities – Present a comparison and contrast analysis.
How can mental processes be examined in the psychological analysis of anthropology?
Discuss the role played by reality shows on television in the social life of humans.
Infectious and vector-borne diseases – Write about the political ecology
Present your views on the impact of cross-cultural experiences in the modern world
Accuracy of radioactive carbon dating – Present a critical evaluation
Discrimination in the workplace – Discuss the process of evolution
Maya vs. Aztec civilisations – Present a detailed comparison analysis
Present a detailed study of pagan rituals worldwide

Unique Anthropology Research Essay Topics

Present a detailed study of ways the Roman Catholic Church enhanced the science of architecture and sculpting.
Discuss the influence of Greek culture on Italian culture and languages
Write about the cultural constructions of human society and the ways they assist the evolution
European politics monarch vs. Western democracy – Present a detailed criticism
Discuss the ways polygamy is practised in various societies of Asia
Discuss the close connection between science and magic
Aztec and Maya civilisations – Present a detailed comparison analysis
Write about the traditional practices of healing in Africa
Present your views on the significance of the presidency of Barack Obama on the black population in the US
Discuss the common childbirth rituals in various societies around the world

Top-Notch Anthropology Research Questions

Explain the ways the internet fostered Westernisation.
Discuss the role played by the folklore in transgenerational retainment and defence of cultures.
Present your views on modern and amazing facts that support homo habilis’ existence.
Write about the long-term impacts of physical labour on the physical appearance of human beings.
Discuss ways Kyphosis is connected to human senescence
Describe the role played by literature in the development of human beings
What do you know about the Quechua people residing in Peru
Describe the different rituals and folklore in the society
Discuss the implications of the use of cocaine in South America
Present your views on the beliefs in magic and supernatural occurrences
Discuss the impact of the catastrophes of Hiroshima, Chornobyl, and Nagasaki on the development of human beings
Who did you think set the standards of traditional and non-traditional sexual orientation?
Alaska vs. Asian Native imagination of law – Present a comparative analysis.
Why do you think gay marriages were and are still banned in various cultures around the world?

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a good research topic for anthropology.

Discuss the role played by chemical science in the pharmaceutical science of rural communities.
Assess how journalists cope with immense stress.
Biological vs. physical anthropology – Present a comparison and contrast analysis.

What are examples of research in anthropology?

Immersion of an individual in a culture
Evaluation of ways people interact with their environment
Linguistic evaluation
Evaluation of human biology
Archaeological evaluation

What is anthropology, and what are some of its sub-fields?

Ans : Anthropology denotes the systematic study of humanity. It aims to comprehend the evolutionary origins of humans, their distinctiveness as a species, and the diversity in our social existence forms around the world. The sub-fields of anthropology are –

Archaeology

What are some examples of cultural anthropology research topics?

Present an extensive analysis of the philosophy of two societies of your preference.
Present your views on music, dance, and parties in contemporary society.
Discuss your views on feminism in patriarchal societies
Discuss the evolving role of women in countries of Asia.

What are some examples of linguistic anthropology research topics?

Phonetics and phonology
Sociolinguistics
Multilingualism
Semantics and pragmatics
Sign language

What are some current issues in anthropology research?

What is the connection between global forensic anthropology and forensic pathology?
Eugenics – Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
Present your views on sex, networks, and AIDs in unimagined communities of Uganda
Discuss ethical and political issues that arise while living in closed societies

How do anthropologists conduct their research?

Ans : While conducting research, anthropologists use countless qualitative methods as well as complementary quantitative data in a study of mixed methods. They employ informal conversations, questionnaires, formal interviews, surveys, and sound or video recordings. They also conduct archival or historical research, public records, and reports based on their research area.

How can anthropology research benefit society?

Ans : The field of anthropology offers the possibility of learning each aspect of human existence. It also answers every query about us, our past, present, and future. Further, it helps in connecting everyone around the world.

What are some career paths for anthropologists?

Forensic detective
Contract archaeologist
Epidemiologist
Arts promoter
Zoo curator

What are some ethical considerations in anthropology research?

Anthropologists must make sure their involvement with a community does not cause harm or embarrass their informants.
They must acquire informed consent from their informants before delving deep into the research.
They should maintain the anonymity and privacy of informants
They should make their final outcomes accessible to other researchers and participants

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Biological anthropology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Biological anthropology is the subdiscipline of anthropology that investigates the origins and evolution of hominins. Techniques include both the analysis of fossils and the behaviour, morphology and genetics of living humans.

Latest Research and Reviews

Diversity-dependent speciation and extinction in hominins

In an analysis of how biotic interactions regulate hominin evolutionary dynamics, the authors show that speciation is negatively related to species diversity in Australopithecus and Paranthropus , in the same way that it is in many other vertebrates, whereas the genus Homo is characterized by positive diversity-dependent speciation and negative diversity-dependent extinction.

Laura A. van Holstein
Robert A. Foley

The Caribbean and Mesoamerica Biogeochemical Isotope Overview (CAMBIO)

Claire E. Ebert
Sean W. Hixon
Douglas J. Kennett

The Miocene primate Pliobates is a pliopithecoid

Pliobates cataloniae is a small-bodied Miocene catarrhine primate with unclear systematic status. Here, the authors present additional dental remains from this species, conducting cladistic analyses that indicate it is a pliopithecoid convergent with apes in elbow and wrist morphology.

Florian Bouchet
Clément Zanolli
David M. Alba

The Persian plateau served as hub for Homo sapiens after the main out of Africa dispersal

The timing and chronology of the movement of Homo sapiens after migration out of Africa remains unclear. Here, the authors combine a genetic approach with a palaeoecological model to estimate that the Persian Plateau could have been a hub for migration out of Africa, suggesting the environment may have been suitable for population maintenance.

Leonardo Vallini
Carlo Zampieri
Luca Pagani

Palaeoproteomic investigation of an ancient human skeleton with abnormal deposition of dental calculus

Yoko Uchida-Fukuhara
Shigeru Shimamura
Takumi Tsutaya

Cross-cultural perception of strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness and helpfulness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength

Marina L. Butovskaya
Victoria V. Rostovstseva
Albert Davletshin

News and Comment

The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from india.

Millions of skeletal remains from South Asia were exported in red markets (the underground economy of human tissues/organs) to educational institutions globally for over a century. It is time to recognize the personhood of the people who were systematically made into anatomical objects and acknowledge the scientific racism in creating and continuing to use them.

Sabrina C. Agarwal

Signalling Palaeolithic identity

The sense of belonging to a larger group is a central feature of humanity but its identification in Palaeolithic societies is challenging. Baker et al. use a pan-European dataset of personal ornaments to show that these markers of group identity form distinct clusters that cannot be explained simply by geographical proximity or shared biological descent.

Reuven Yeshurun

A broader cultural view is necessary to study the evolution of sexual orientation

The causation of sexual orientation is likely to be complex and influenced by multiple factors. We advocate incorporating a broader cultural view into evolutionary and genetic studies to account for differences in how sexual orientation is experienced, expressed and understood in both humans and nonhuman animals.

Vincent Savolainen
Nathan W. Bailey
Karin J. H. Verweij

Differences between male and female height in Early Neolithic Europe are likely to have been driven by culture

Using a large dataset of individuals from Early Neolithic Europe, we analysed DNA, diet and pathology to determine which factors most affected skeletal height. We found that the male–female height differences in north-central Europe were exceptionally large, and that the short stature of female individuals in this region possibly reflects a cultural preference to support male individuals. By contrast, in the Mediterranean, it is male individuals who were short, probably as a consequence of environmental stress.

Human altriciality is driven by postnatal brain growth

Humans are considered to be altricial (strongly underdeveloped at birth) with respect to other primates, but this observation is driven by the strong postnatal enlargement of human brains. We inferred that the developmental stage of human brains at birth does not differ substantially from that of other fossil hominins.

Bioarchaeological data reveal cycles of violence in the ancient Middle East

Trends in interpersonal violence have been reconstructed using data on violence-related injuries from more than 3,500 excavated skeletons from the ancient Middle East. Documenting variations in the patterns of violence in this key historical setting broadens perspectives on the long history of conflict.

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Potential Topics
Primary sources? where?
Citations and Bibliographies

Potential topics-- some suggestions

How to (build a presentation, etc.)
Plagiarism/Academic dishonesty

Genetics Cystic Fibrosis Progeria Albinism Down’s syndrome Edward’s syndrome Cat Eye Syndrome Achrondroplasia Human genome project Sickle cell anemia Tay Sachs Antibiotic resistance: human and pathogen co-evolution CCR5 gene, AIDS, and potential previous disease exposure and selection Founders effect Old Order Amish the Eugenics Movement

Primate and Hominid Paleontology Ida – Darwinius masillae Evolution of Language Human Life Cycle Gigantopithecus Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) Neandertals Extinction of giant lemurs on Madagascar

Primate Adaptations Comparing bones of bipeds and quadrupeds Primate Diet Evolution Evolution of the tapetum lucidum

Other Topics in Human Evolution Exercise impacts on bone Hair—theories on loss in humans High altitude adaptation Tool use -humans/hominids -primates Evolution of the brain Evolution of language

Forensic Anthropology and Pathology Determining Age from Bones Forensic identification of genocide victims Effect of Syphilis on bones Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Scoliosis NAGPRA Spina bifida The Body Farm and the University of Tennessee

Primatology Chimp/Bonobo comparison Lemurs Tarsiers Gibbons Orangutans Gorillas Kanzi Koko Macaque Monkeys Black and White Colobus Monkey Aye-Aye Capuchins Proboscis monkeys Pygmy marmoset Slow loris Poaching, habitat destruction, and primates Bush babies Ape cognition and language abilities Baboons Howler monkeys

Biographical Jane Goodall Thomas Malthus and Populations Charles Darwin Profile Dian Fossey Birute Galdikas Harry Harlow and his experiments on monkey bonding Alfred Russell Wallace

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140 Best Anthropology Research Topics to Focus On
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List Of 110 Research Paper Topics & Ideas On Anthropology
The Excellent List Of 110 Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Without further ado, here are 110 anthropology research paper topics for free! With 18 topics each from the six main subcategories of anthropology, you can't get it wrong! Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Eugenics — its merits and demerits in the 21st-century world.
195 Leading Anthropology Topics For High Quality Papers
Interesting Anthropology Topics. Investigating how religious beliefs impact the Hispanic cultures. A review of the evolution of sexual discrimination. The impact of culture on same sex marriages: A case study of LGBT community in France. A closer look at racism in modern societies.
Top 300 Anthropology Research Topics
Top 15 Research Topics On Visual Anthropology Areas of Study. Ethnographic Filmmaking and Storytelling. Visual Ethnography and Cultural Representation. Anthropology of Photography. Visual Arts and Cultural Identity. Media and Visual Culture in Anthropological Contexts. Visual Documentation of Rituals and Traditions.
69759 PDFs
Explore the latest full-text research PDFs, articles, conference papers, preprints and more on PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Find methods information, sources, references or conduct a literature review ...
Anthropology Research Paper Topics
Anthropology Research Paper Topics. This collection of anthropology research paper topics is aimed to provide students and researchers with a comprehensive list of topics within this vast field of study. Anthropology is a multidisciplinary field, covering a wide range of topics that include cultural practices, human evolution, language, and more.
Phys.org
In a paper published in the Yearbook of the American Physical Anthropology Association, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai ... Archaeology Apr 5, 2021
259 Captivating Anthropology Research Topics: Cool Concepts
Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics. This is a field of anthropology interested in the history, evolution, and distinguishing features of humans. The field impacts, most importantly, human behavior and anatomical transformations. You can consider these Anthropology research paper topics for your class or personal research study:
Anthropology Research Topics: 100+ Ideas
Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Physical anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and diversity. If you're interested in researching and writing about physical anthropology, then here are some interesting topic suggestions that you can consider: Genotype-environment correlation study: an overview
American Journal of Biological Anthropology
Impact Factor Information. AJBA's Impact Factor, under its previous title American Journal of Physical Anthropology, is 2.8 for 2022. As the journal went through a name change in 2022, the new title American Journal of Biological Anthropology has no 2022 Impact Factor but the 2022 Impact Factor for AJPA is still valid, as it is the same journal. When the 2023 Impact Factors are released, there ...
Internationalizing Physical Anthropology : A View of the Study of
In this paper we present an overview of an increasingly global community of physical (biological) anthropologists as it pertains to the study of living human variation (human biology) and as it is represented in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (AJPA), focusing especially on the period of 2001-2007, when Clark Spencer Larsen served as editor in chief. The journal was founded by ...
Anthropology
Anthropology articles from across Nature Portfolio. Anthropology is the study of humans, their close relatives and their cultural environment. Subfields of anthropology deal with hominin evolution ...
Top 100 Anthropology Topics For Research Paper Writing
Here is a medical anthropology research topics list worthy of your exploration. The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation. Local interpretations of different bodily processes. Domestic health care and health culture practices. Body projects' changes and the valued attributes.
140 Best Anthropology Research Topics to Focus On
Physical Anthropology Research Topics. The advantages and consequences of eugenics in today's society. Analyze five pieces of literature on the stages of drowning till death. Aging in Asian countries and what it means for them. Analyze the physical concept of re-adjusting newborn babies by nursing mothers.
Topic: How to do Anthropological Research
Looking for background information before developing a research topic will save you time and help you develop a better research question for your paper. ... Topics covered: physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology. Also included are relevant articles on geology, paleontology and much more.
Physical and Biological Anthropology
History of Physical Anthropology by Frank Spencer (Editor) Call Number: Ref. GN50.3.H57 1997. The comparative study of humans as biological organisms, their evolution, and their physiological and anatomical functions and ecology of primates surveys the entire field and summarizes and organizes the basic knowledge, fundamental principles and ...
Biological Anthropology Research Paper Topics
This list of biological anthropology research paper topics provides some ideas for narrowing down your ... READ MORE. How it Works Prices +1 312 56 68 949 Chat now Sign in Order. Menu. ... (1752-1840) is considered to be the father of biological anthropology (previously known as physical anthropology) because he focused on studying the human ...
Research Paper Topics Physical Anthropology
Research Paper Topics Physical Anthropology - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. research paper topics physical anthropology
Top Anthropology Research Paper Topics
Physical anthropology is a good chance for students to write an interesting and unique paper. There are a lot of physical anthropology essay topics, but let's consider the most interesting for your essay. The effect of smoking on women's skin quality. Features of aging people in Asian countries.
120 + Unique Anthropology Research Topics for Students
Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Eugenics in the society of the current era - Discuss the benefits and consequences. Discuss the influence of the environment on the skin colour of human beings. Various stages of drowning till death - Evaluate six literature pieces.
Biological anthropology
Biological anthropology articles from across Nature Portfolio. Biological anthropology is the subdiscipline of anthropology that investigates the origins and evolution of hominins. Techniques ...
Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics
Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics 2. Analysis Of Solar By Ian Mcewan In Ian McEwan s novel Solar, the audience must suffer through the perspective of the obese, self centered, womanizing main character Michael Beard whose interest in climate change stems from a desire to reap economic ...
Topic for Physical Anthropology Research Paper : r/Anthropology
Topic for Physical Anthropology Research Paper . I have a topic proposal due soon in my physical anthro class. The class is called Human Evolution and Variation so the only real limit on topic is that it has to have something to do with humans. As of now I was thinking of doing something with the evolution of bipedalism since that interests me ...
Potential Topics
Potential topics-- some suggestions. Forensic Anthropology and Pathology. Determining Age from Bones. Forensic identification of genocide victims. Effect of Syphilis on bones. Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. Scoliosis. NAGPRA. Spina bifida.

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