Anthropology is the study of humankind everywhere, throughout time. Anthropology involves the study of people, their origins, biological variations and characteristics, their languages and cultural patterns, their social structures and institutions, and their adaptation to their environment. Anthropologists strive to create useful generalizations about people and their behavior in hopes of bringing about the fullest possible understanding of human diversity. Anthropology is unique among the social sciences because of its comprehensive scope, unique methods, and particular focus on people from non-Western societies.