The big picture of physical anthropology.Essentials of Physical Anthropology, Second Edition, uses smart pedagogy and engaging visual tools to help students focus on the most important themes of physical anthropology. Clark Spencer Larsen heads the Department of Anthropology at Ohio State University, Columbus. A native of Nebraska, he received his B.A. from Kansas State University and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Clark’s research is in bioarchaeology, skeletal biology, and paleoanthropology. He has worked in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has taught at the University of Massachusetts, Northern Illinois University, Purdue University, and the University of North Carolina. Since 2001, he has been a member of the faculty at Ohio State, where he is a Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He teaches introductory physical anthropology, osteology, bioarchaeology, and paleoanthropology. Clark has served as president of the American Associations of Physical Anthropologists and as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. In addition to Our Origins, he has authored or edited 25 books and monographs, including Bioarchaeology; Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton, Skeletons in Our Closet, Advances in Dental Anthropology; and A Companion to Biological Anthropology.