The "holistic" approach refers in anthropology to the four-field approach, which helps to show why anthropology is an all-encompassing science. This includes: 1. Biological or physical anthropology- The study of the physiology of humans throughout their evolution. This can include forensic anthropology and paleoanthropology 2. Linguistic anthropology- The study of human communication evolution, style, and technique, verbal and non-verbal 3. Archaeology- The study of the physical remains of past societies of human beings in an attempt to understand past cultures 4. Socio-cultural anthropology- The study of a present-day society and it's culture. This is usually an intensive, long study that utilizes participant observation. The anthropologist would study kinship, communication, exchange of goods and services, religious customs and other rituals, etc. This is usually in the pursuit of writing an ethnography.