Human Biodiversity

<p>Are humans unique? This simple question at the very heart of the hybrid field of biological anthropology poses one of the false of dichotomies—with a stereotypical humanist answering in the affirmative and a stereotypical scientist answering in the negative.</p><p>The <em>study </em>of human biology is different from the study of the biology of other species. In the simplest terms people's lives and welfare may depend upon it in a sense that they may not depend on the study of other scientific subjects. Where science is used to validate ideas—four out of five scientists preferring a brand of cigarettes or toothpaste—there is a tendency to accept the judgment as authoritative without asking the kinds of questions we might ask of other citizens' pronouncements.</p>