The changing dimension in anthropology

With the introduction of new molecular (DNA) techniques in biological research, the direction of the research has changed. Anthropology is not an odd one out in these changes. With the adoption of these techniques, a new area of study has introduced in biological (Physical) anthropology-‘MOLECULAR ANTHROPOLOGY’ or better term as ‘ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC’. In no time, instead of just sticking to the borrowed techniques, anthropology has developed its own principals and methods of study in this field. Moreover, Anthropology also gives the concept of ‘homogeneous population’ to the other non anthropology biological researchers. No two individuals are genetically identical but a population have a common gene pool which are different from others. So, the frequencies of any mutation are not likely to be same in all the populations. Here comes the importance of the concept homogeneous population in molecular studies. Again, defining a population is purely and anthropological concept.
The main aims of the molecular anthropology are:

tracing the evolutionary history of human being and understanding of gene-environment interactions and contribution of populations to the detection of genes in common and complex diseases.

To achieve these aims anthropologist had used classical markers like proteins and blood groups. This phase, we can called as yesterday’s anthropology. But today’s anthropology is utilizing DNA analysis for the reconstruction of human population structure, histories and evolution. The potential benefits from this research are vast and valuable including; a better understanding of the genetic and evolutionary factors that influence populations; an understanding of genetic architecture of common and complex diseases such as diabetes mellitus, Pregnancy complications, heart diseases, etc.

The human genome consists of 3 billion base pairs of nuclear DNA (nDNA) and around 16.6 Kb of extra- nuclear mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The completion of the Human Genome Project and its descendant, the HapMap project, has provided researchers with enormous opportunities and genetic markers for disease, population and evolutionary studies. It is now well established that less than 5% of nuclear genome codes for proteins and the remaining nuclear genome consists of unique or low copy number sequences and moderate to highly repetitive sequences. This non-coding genome, whose biological function is still not clearly defined, is equally vulnerable to mutations and has become a goldmine for anthropological and population genetic studies. These newly defined DNA markers not only gave a new look to the investigation of human genetic diversity, but initiated a new and important era in the application of anthropological genetics to the field of forensic genetics and molecular medicine.

Future direction: Technology never ends! With ongoing development in technologies, scientist has brought in another area of study/research in biology-‘EPIGENETICS’. In the simplest term epigenetic can be defined as alteration in gene expression without a change in nucleotide sequence. DNA methylation, an epigenetic phenomenon has become a hot area of research because of its role in gene regulation and cellular differentiation.

So, importance of anthropology is not going to fade up rather it will take a key role in the future molecular studies. We have the techniques. We have the concepts. Why should other people do our job????? ……Let’s remember the first lesson that we learnt:

“anthropology is the study of man and its totality”