Final answer:
Biological anthropology studies the origins, evolution, and diversity of human beings, including their biological and behavioral development. Physical anthropologists and archaeologists examine fossilized remains to understand human evolution, while primatologists study nonhuman primates to gain insights into human behavior. Biological anthropology looks to the deeper past to explore human origins.
Step-by-step explanation:
Biological anthropology, also referred to as physical anthropology or evolutionary anthropology, is one of the four major subfields of anthropology. It focuses on studying the origins, evolution, and diversity of human beings as well as their biological and behavioral development. This includes the study of fossilized remains of ancient primates and humans to understand their biological and behavioral evolution.
In this field of study, physical anthropologists and archaeologists examine the physical morphology of skulls and other skeletal remains to form hypotheses about important milestones in human evolution. They also investigate the genetic makeup of contemporary humans to learn about the distribution of certain genes and traits in different populations. By studying nonhuman primates, primatologists gain insights into what it means to be human and the behavioral and physical attributes of primates.
Overall, biological anthropology looks to the deeper past to explore where humans came from as a species and contributes to our understanding of human physical characteristics and behaviors.