Anthropology is the study of humankind, dealing with the origin, development and nature of humans and their culture in all its varieties. As such, it is concerned with human phenomena in the widest possible terms, both biological and cultural. It differs from other social sciences in its comparative and historical approach, and in its intimate links with both the natural sciences and the humanities. Anthropology examines societies today and in the past, including relatively remote and small-scale societies, complex civilizations, and contemporary global and transnational interconnections. From this vantage point, Anthropology attempts to understand the common factors underlying human existence and the factors that produce social change and differences between people and cultures. Photo credit: Laurence Lopez