Anthropology is the holistic study of human cultures. It deals with our origins; physical and cultural development; biological characteristics; belief systems; social, political, and economic organization; and customs of peoples and cultures. Through the many perspectives of anthropology, the field is linked to psychology, biology, sociology, chemistry, medicine, history, and the earth sciences. Because of its broad and holistic approach to the study of culture, anthropology is unique in comparison to other fields of inquiry.