Anthropology studies humankind from a broad comparative and historical perspective:

• The biological evolution of the human species and aspects of the biology of living human populations
• The comparative study of living primates
• The origins of languages and cultures
• The long-term development of human cultures over many millennia
• The social life of humans in groups ? families, communities, and nations

Anthropologists attempt to describe specific cultural traditions, forms of social structures, languages, and specific transitions in human evolution and cultural history. They compare cultures and societies to assess what cultures are similar or different, and why.

Anthropology is at once a biological science, a social science, and one of the humanities.