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Physiological anthropology

Goodkova L.K.

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia

Goodkova Lyudmila K., Ph.D., D.Sc., e-mail: lkgoodkova@bk.ru

Abstract

The main content of physiological anthropology is the study of adaptive variability, i.e. studying the population level fitness (adaptability) of human organism to the conditions of the environment in terms of changing external and internal features of the body adequately to the requirements of that environment. In Russian anthropology the study of adaptive variability in humans have been identified in 20-th of the past century by V.V. Bunak. In 1964 in Moscow at the VII ICEAS physiological anthropology was officially recognized as an independent scientific discipline. In our country the founder of this branch of science was T.I. Alekseeva. In the end of three decades of intensive development of physiological anthropology (1961-1991) the adaptive biological reactions of various human populations were explored in different geographical environment. It has been shown that the morphophysiological status of indigenous people commensurate with the requirements of the natural habitat. Currently, physiological anthropology refers to the constantly developing fields in the basic natural sciences. One of the main tasks of modern physical anthropology is a holistic approach to the study of intra-group variability of different characteristics. Holistic approach leads to a synthetic view of adaptive population status, on the ability of its adaptive variability, the study of which was from the very beginning and was the main content of physiological anthropology.

Keywords

Lomonosov’ MSU, anthropology, physiological anthropology, adaptation, ecological factors, population variability, holistic approach, human population physiology

Цит.: Goodkova L.K. Physiological anthropology // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2013; 1/2013; с. 52-61