Human Form and Function
Compared to other primates, compared to other mammals, human anatomy and physiology are fundamentally strange. These unusual characters distinguish us as a species; define the limits of what is possible behaviorally; reflect the selective pressures that shaped our evolution; and more often than not play a foundational role in the suite of modern mismatch diseases that prematurely disable and shorten lifespan. Courses in this area provide an introduction to human anatomy and physiology, focusing on our novel traits against the backdrop of the ancestral ones that we share with other primates, mammals, and vertebrates.