Explain how it's important for anthropologists to have an holistic perspective (different from other disciplines that study humans) and how thy use the biocultural model when interpreting the fossil record of our past. Give specific examples of how biology has affected culture and also how culture affected biology.

In anthropology, holism represents an integrative approach that provides a framework from which to conceptualize human beings and their activities.  

The biocultural model allows the integration of cultural data with biological data from the fossil record

Culture and biology are mutually interrelated because nature (e.g., developmental biology and human genetics) is closely associated with nurture (i.e., environmental factors that shape human identity)

Explanation:

In anthropology, holism is the idea that all the parts that form the human condition (e.g. mind, body, individuals, environment, etc) should be viewed as a whole, not only as a collection of parts and subsystems. The biocultural model is an integrative approach encompassing both biological anthropology and social anthropology, by which cultural information can be systematically collected and integrated with biological/environmental data. The study of the fossil record (e.g., fossilized bones) of our ancestors may help to understand current health epidemics by examining the diet of past civilizations. Finally, biology and culture are mutually related since biological factors associated with human development (eg., fat, gut flora, reproductive habits, etc) are integrated into the culture from an anthropological holistic perspective. Moreover, food habits (which are a basic part of the culture) may also shape the surrounding environment and biological communities (e.g., human activities have modified the physical environment by clearing lands for agriculture).

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