Introduction: Palaeo-Anthropology depends on multi-disciplinary approach because different anatomical and cultural aspects of fossils cannot be understood without taking assistance from several disciplines. Once a fossil is discovered, it becomes necessary to determine its precise traits and relationship vis-a-vis other group of animals. Fossils can be remains or impressions of the past and can be in the nature of preserved hard parts such as bones and teeth, impressions of footprints,an object of culture such as tools or product of life activities.
Following are the various approaches in the study of fossil primates.
(1) Comparative Anatomy: Comparative anatomy plays a great role in the recomtimesion of several features of fossil materials. Many missing details in fossils can thus be filled in order to make the fossil study meaningful. At the same time, it can help assessment of the life-style of the fossil species on the basis of available evidence in the form of teeth, jaw build and musculative. Further, it can identify the phylogenetic position of the fossil remains.
(2) Morphometries and Cladometrics- Taxonomists and comparative anatomists help palaeo anthropologists in constituting the phylogenetic position of a fossil in a systematic way. Morphometries is the use of an advanced statistical technique to analyze morphological measurements. Cladomentrics is concerned with the use of morphometric data for analyzing the degree of similarity between the different species. Such practices can provide measures of mutual affinity or distance among fossil specimens both to identify number of species and compare them.
(3) Wear-Analvsis – Nature of the tooth wear provide much information about the nutrition ecology of the fossil species. The various methods adopted in analysts of tooth wearing are polishing, pitting, scratching and micro flaking. Wear analysis of tools is still another area of fossil study. The principal worker in this field was L H. Keeley.
(4) Gait-Analvsis- Anatomical studies of Knee-joint morphology are important in the study of locomotor patterns, Discovery of certain footprints have also been important in the analysis of fossils. Russell Turtle is the leading authority on primate gait. Traditional studies of fossil bones, combined with footprint analysis might clarify many of the doubts associated with fossils.
• Three types of studies, namely configurational analysis, stress analysis and biochemical analysis are important for deciphering locomotor pattern of fossil specimen. Configurational analysis demonstrates configuration of the hip, knee, ankle joint and foot. Stress analysis consider inter-relationship. Bio-chemical analysis bone/joint/muscle relationship in terms of adaptation.
(5) Endocast Analysis – Ralph Holloway has been a leading figure in dealing with endocast studies. Natural casts of crania are sometimes obtained, such as those of first Taung fossil discovered by Dart. Study of the cranium and estimation of the cranial capacity provides important information, Endocasts provides us with information about the surface feature of the brain, which can be known by making plaster cast of the inside of skull, (endocast)
(6) Artefacts – Artefacts associated with fossils do possess a wealth of information. In some respects, they are more directly relevant to psychological evolution than most anatomical data. In this category are included chiefly the stone implements which has survived for the most part of human evolution though horns, shell, wood, cane, art paintings, earnings appear on the later part of evolution.
(7) Fossil DNA -In all studies of ancient DNA so far, the recovered genetic material has been limited to fragments no longer than about 800 base pairs, and more typically 200 by comparison, DNA in living tissues exists as strings of tens of thousands of pairs. A vital factor in the recent surge in ancient DNA research is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Developed in 1985, this bio-chemical method permits vanishingly small quantities of DNA to be multiplied, producing sufficient material for analysis.
Conclusion – Multi-disciplinary approach is the soul and heart of the research strategic of palaeo anthropology because suchvan approach alone can provide aspects of the fossil owners a holistic picture of the biological and cultural cerebral studies , endocast studies, nutrition ecology, fossil DNA studies and Ethnography is well recognized.