Summary
Dr. Wilczak talks about functional adaptions of the skeleton, or occupational stress markers. She explains how bioarchaeologists use changes in the skeleton to deduce what an individual’s regular physical activity patterns might have been like. Dr. Wilczak provides plenty of examples and also discusses the limitations of the science. Additionally, Dr. Wilczak and I talk about uses for an anthropology degree beyond academia.
Book recommendations
- What to read to learn more: Smithsonian Magazine or the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
- What she’s reading for work: See Reference Articles section
- What she’s reading for fun: Calypso by David Sedaris
Reference articles
- Milella, Marco & Alves Cardoso, Francisca & Assis, Sandra & Lopreno, Geneviève & Speith, Nivien. (2015). Exploring the Relationship Between Entheseal Changes and Physical Activity: A Multivariate Study. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 156. 10.1002/ajpa.22640.
- Karakostis, Fotios & Wallace, Ian & Konow, Nicolai & Harvati, Katerina. (2019). Experimental evidence that physical activity affects the multivariate associations among muscle attachments (entheses). 10.5061/dryad.ksn02v70p.
- Karakostis, Fotios & Hotz, Gerhard & Tourloukis, Vangelis & Harvati, Katerina. (2018). Evidence for precision grasping in Neandertal daily activities. Science Advances. 4. eaat2369. 10.1126/sciadv.aat2369.
- Zumwalt, Ann. (2006). The Effect of Endurance Exercise on the Morphology of Muscle Attachment Sites. The Journal of experimental biology. 209. 444-54. 10.1242/jeb.02028.
AnthroBiology Podcast 
Hia! I found this episode years ago and it has always had a death grip on me. I found it so interesting and educational. I was glad that as a novice you guys were able to so perfectly explain all the terms.
This year I had the honor of taking a Forensics Anthro class in college and was asked to do a presentation on a related topic of our choosing. I knew exactly what I was going to do a presentation about!
Now coming back to this episode there are so many things that I understand better thanks to the class.
Thanks for sparking my interest in a new subject!
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Hey! I’m so glad you liked it. I’ll pass your comment along to Dr. Wilczak. Feel free to stay in touch 🙂
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