The anthropologist

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Video

Abstract

Lynn Poole reads from Carleton S. Coon's The Story of Man to introduce this program on anthropology. Loren Eiseley discusses the range and depth of anthropology and some of its branches, such as cultural, physical, and applied anthropology. William Straus, who specializes in primates and evolution, introduces Dr. Tom, a chimpanzee. He discusses the increase in size and complexity of man's brain compared to apes' and compares several skulls as evidence of man's probable evolution from apes. Dr. Straus also considers a skull from Pithecanthropus man from Java. A film clip of gibbons indicates their similarity to man in many respects. Dr. Eiseley explains a map of early man's migration related to his eating practices and increased brain capacity. He also shows photographs of archaeological sites in Oregon yielding 10,000-30,000 year-old fossils as well as Folsom man projectile points found in New Mexico. He explains that findings can be dated by geological strata, paleontological research of bones, and anatomical determination of human skeleton ages. Thus students seeking careers in anthropology should have a broad background in science, history, and the humanities. Opportunities are increasing as the government, industry, armed forces, and medical education are all beginning to employ anthropologists.