Molecular Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of the origin and development of the human species. Molecular anthropology uses the tools and techniques of molecular genetics to answer anthropological questions, especially those concerning the origins and spread of humans across the globe. These questions mainly fall under the heading of physical or biological anthropology, as opposed to cultural anthropology, which studies social relationships, rituals, and other aspects of culture.
Tracing Human Origins Through Genetic Data
Molecular anthropology attempts to answer such questions as whether humans are more genetically similar to chimpanzees than to gorillas; in what region or regions modern humans first developed; what the patterns are of migration and mixture of early human populations; and whether Neandertals were a different species, and whether they died out or mixed in with modern humans. Molecular anthropology is perhaps best known for the studies that surround the discovery of "mitochondrial Eve" (discussed below), although the meaning of that discovery is often misunderstood.
Two major approaches are used in addressing these questions, both of which involve analyzing DNA. The first and most common approach isto compare the DNA of groups of living organisms, for example, comparing humans to humans or humans to primates.
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