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paleoanthropology

American  
[pey-lee-oh-an-thruh-pol-uh-jee, pal-ee-] / ˌpeɪ li oʊˌæn θrəˈpɒl ə dʒi, ˌpæl i- /

noun

  1. the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.


paleoanthropology Scientific  
/ pā′lē-ō-ăn′thrə-pŏlə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of extinct members of the genus Homo sapiens by means of their fossil remains.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of paleoanthropology

First recorded in 1915–20; paleo- + anthropology

Vocabulary lists containing paleoanthropology

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Their team tested several competing ideas about human evolution and migration in Africa, drawing from models proposed in paleoanthropology and genetics.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

Prior to that, she was a paleoanthropology researcher and received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2016 for work focused on hominin bipedalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

It also bears mentioning that much of the research into exercise physiology, paleoanthropology, archaeology and ethnography has historically been conducted by men and focused on males.

From Scientific American • Oct. 17, 2023

When exactly the breakthrough occurred, however, has been one of the most contested questions in all of paleoanthropology.

From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022

He begins at the beginning, with paleoanthropology, then moves on to the Babylonian epics, which influenced the early chapters of Genesis, and on to a sketch of the life of St. Augustine.

From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2017

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