ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Biological anthropology

Biological anthropology is the study of humans and other primates from the biological perspective. It explores things like how we were created, how we evolved over time, how our bodies work, and how we’re different from other species of animals. This field helps us understand human evolution, different human populations and cultures, and how humans adapt to different environments.

Let’s imagine you are building a Lego house. Biological anthropology is like studying the different Lego pieces that make up the house, how they fit together, and how they work to create the final product. It’s like trying to understand not just the house itself but also the individual bricks that made it all possible.

Biological anthropology is also like being a detective. Scientists in this field use different clues, such as fossils, genetics, and the anatomy of living primates, to figure out how humans evolved and what ancestral species are now extinct. They also study how people in different cultures and locations interact with their environments and how this affects their biology.

So, in simpler terms, biological anthropology is like being a scientist who studies how human beings came into existence, how our bodies work, and how we have adapted over time to different environments. It’s a way of understanding the Lego pieces that make up our existence, and how they all fit together to make us human.