Living in Hawai'i Frequently Asked Questions Physical Anthropology at the University of Hawai'i Physical, or biological, anthropology is one of the four major subfields of anthropology that examines adaptations, variability, and evolution of humans and their relatives, living and extinct. Although a biological science, physical anthropology is also a social science because human biology and other aspects of the discipline are studied in the context of human culture and behavior.
Forensic anthropology is a relatively new applied area within physical anthropology.
Courses and seminars are offered in the theory of physical anthropology, human evolution, skeletal biology, forensic anthropology, human biology, primate behavior and ecology, and related areas within the Department. The Department's collection of fossil casts and human and primate study skeletons, used in teaching and research, are stored in the physical anthropology lab. The Department also stores, for research, an important collection of early bronze age archaeological human remains from Ban Chiang , northeast Thailand. The physical anthropology section maintains important links to the Bishop Museum, the US Army's Central Identification Lab at Hickam Air Force Base, and the Medical Examiner's Office. Nina L. Etkin , Ph.