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Definition
Medical Genetics: It is the standard method for understanding the inheritance patterns of Mendelian disorders such as Huntington’s disease, Sickle-cell anemia, and Thalassemia.
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Example / case study
Male fruit flies’ Y chromosomes die; females (XX) survive.
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Thinkers
Radcliffe-Brown: Used genealogies to reconstruct descent groups and social structure in Africa. Malinowski: Used them to understand kinship and land inheritance among the Trobriand Islanders. Claude Lévi-Strauss: Used genealogical/kinship data to develop Alliance Theory, focusing on marriage and exchange between lineages. India: S.C. Roy documented Oraon genealogies; Irawati Karve used genealogical mapping to study village kinship and exogamy in Maharashtra.: Applications of Pedigree Analysis.
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Definition
PRADAN: works with govt., promotes SHGs for sustainable livelihoods.
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Example / case study
Male fruit flies’ Y chromosomes die; females (XX) survive.
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Definition
Biological anthropology studies human evolution, heredity, variation and adaptation using scientific methods, while recognising the influence of culture on biology.
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Example / case study
Lactase persistence → long-term milk consumption in pastoral populations → selection for lactose tolerance. Thus, biological anthropology connects genetic evolution with culturally created dietary practices. DNA profiling for crime scene investigations. Victim identification during large-scale disasters.
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Thinkers
Malinowski: Used them to understand kinship and land inheritance among the Trobriand Islanders. Claude Lévi-Strauss: Used genealogical/kinship data to develop Alliance Theory, focusing on marriage and exchange between lineages. India: S.C. Roy documented Oraon genealogies; Irawati Karve used genealogical mapping to study village kinship and exogamy in Maharashtra.
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Definition
DNA profiling for crime scene investigations.
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Example / case study
Male fruit flies’ Y chromosomes die; females (XX) survive.
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Definition
Based on linkage studies and recombination frequency.
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Example / case study
Male fruit flies’ Y chromosomes die; females (XX) survive. If recombinant frequency = 0.76 → distance = 76 cM.
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Definition
DNA profiling for crime scene investigations.
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Example / case study
Male fruit flies’ Y chromosomes die; females (XX) survive. If recombinant frequency = 0.76 → distance = 76 cM.
Short notes for this Anthropology syllabus heading.