Learning about Human Origins of Anthropology is a very complex topic and consists of a lot of information to comprehend
Learning about Human Origins of Anthropology is a very complex topic and consists of a lot of information to comprehend, but it is super interesting. To be honest, I’ve always heard of the term ‘Anthropology’ here and there, but I never knew exactly what it meant. I was able to learn more about what exactly Anthropology meant and how it has four subfields which are Linguistic Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. A topic which I found myself really interested in and surprised was on the topic of Genetics/Cells (specifically the Cell Anatomy).
I recall knowing about some parts of the cell during my middle school years in science class (ex: nucleus, mitochondria, cytoplasm, ribosomes, protein synthesis etc), but I was able to learn more about a typical eukaryotic cell and its functions and how the building block of life is in fact, the cell. One interesting information I learned about the cells is how the basic division of life on Earth is between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These are two terms I have never heard of before in my life. For instance, protein synthesis is the assembly of proteins from amino acids, which occurs in the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. Learning about important functions that take place in a typical eukaryotic cell is connected to other topics (such as DNA functions) and has also allowed me to understand more about DNA/DNA structures better. To be honest, I have always thought that the term “protein” just meant an essential nutrient needed for the human body. In fact, I learned that Proteins are the workhorse molecules in biological organisms and the most common large molecules found in cells. I also learned that hemoglobin is a type of protein molecule found in red blood cells which helps binds to oxygen and transports it throughout the body. Furthermore, enzymes and hormones are also types of proteins, each with different functions. An enzyme being a complex protein and hormones being a natural substance (often a protein) produced by specialized cells in one location of the body. The topic of genetics and DNA is so fascinating because DNA is vital and is found in all living organisms – even plants. In short, DNA is known to be a complex molecule/structure and a part of an individual’s DNA is passed from parents to their offspring during the process of reproduction.
This course was just a core class I needed to take in order to graduate, but truthfully this course (ANTH 1200 and ANTH 1105: Comparitive Studies in cultures and Transformation, another Anthropology course I am taking) has allowed to realize why Anthropology itself is so important. Understanding the origin of humans and its history is important and to also understand global cultures and communities as well. Furthermore, It is meaningful to know and to understand how biology and culture intersect in human behavior.
An understanding of how culture works and how it influences the human behavior is critically important – probably now more than ever.
