Evolutionary anthropology combines natural sciences and social sciences to understand the evolution of humans, both past and present, and their relationship with non-human primates (hominids and non-hominid primates). It integrates multiple disciplines, including archaeology, behavioral ecology, psychology, primatology, and genetics, to explore how humans have evolved biologically and culturally.

Biological anthropology explores human evolution, biological diversity and primate behavior. Research in this area examines how humans emerged as a species, how we vary today and how biology interacts with environment and culture. From fossil evidence to living populations, biological anthropology connects deep history to present-day questions about health and adaptation.

Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is a DNA-copying method used in Biological Anthropology when you need to amplify one specific segment of DNA from a very small sample. Instead of trying to work with all the DNA in a cell or bone fragment at once, PCR targets one region and makes enough copies for analysis.
The process depends on repeated temperature changes. First, the DNA is heated so the two strands separate, which is called denaturation. Then short primers bind, or anneal, to sequences on either side of the target region. After that, DNA polymerase extends from the primers and builds new complementary strands.
That cycle happens again and again, usually 20 to 40 times. Each round doubles the amount of target DNA, so the amount grows very fast. A tiny starting sample can become millions of copies, which is why PCR is so useful when the DNA is scarce, damaged, or mixed with lots of other biological material.
In Biological Anthropology, this matters because researchers often work with old bones, teeth, hair, or environmental samples that do not contain much intact DNA. Ancient DNA is often fragmented, so PCR is one way to focus on a small region that can still be copied. The method does not create the original DNA sample out of nowhere, it only multiplies the part already present.

 
From a genomic perspective,
we are all Africans.

19世紀以降、生命科学の研究は、それまで宗教や人文社会科学の領域だと考えられていた分野に進出するようになりました。ダーウィンの進化論によって「神」の存在を前提とせずに生物の多様性を説明できるようになり、脳科学の進歩によって心の理解にも大きな進展がありました。そうして生命科学は、ヒトに関わる既存の学問、特に人文科学の分野に大きな影響を与えてきました。
一般にはまだそれほど認識はされていないかもしれませんが、近年の古代DNAの研究は、同じくらい大きなインパクトを考古学や歴史学、言語学の分野に与えており、さらには「人間とは何か」という巨大な問いにも新たな答えをもたらそうとしているのです。