Physiological anthropology and human biology: overlapping interests, differing approaches

This brief review describes multiple overlapping research interests within the fields of human biology and physiological anthropology, for example, human physiological responsiveness to environmental stressors, e.g., heat, cold, hypoxia, constructed environments, and workloads, while also exploring how research approaches, goals, and methodologies often differ significantly across these related disciplines. To begin, this contribution reflects on how following publication of Damon's 1975 edited volume Physiological Anthropology, research on physiological anthropology, expanded and flourished within North American biological anthropology and human biology, and within physiological anthropology, specifically Japan. Since Damon's volume, human biologists and physiological anthropologists have explored multiple topics of mutual interest as reflected in recent publications within the Journals of Physiological Anthropology and the American Journal of Human Biology. By viewing and exploring modern human physiological diversity as responses to experienced physical, social, and ecological settings, including interactions with our constructed, engineered, manufactured, and technological environments, physiological anthropology addresses a broad research agenda. Here, I briefly review several areas of overlapping research, sleep, cold, and aging, within human biology and physiological anthropology, wherein specific goals, methods, and technologies differ.