Summary

Dr. Sara Juengst of UNC – Charlotte talks about bioarchaeology, trepanation, pre-Columbian Titicacans, power structures detected via human remains, field work, and potatoes. 

Recommendations

• What to read to learn more and what she’s reading for work: The Body as Material Culture by Joanna Sofaer
• What she’s reading for fun: The Huntress by Kate Quinn
• BONUS – Second fun book: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
• BONUS – What I was reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Reference articles

Juengst, Sara. (2018). Complexity and Power: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Socioeconomic Change on the Copacabana Peninsula, 800 BC–AD 200. Bioarchaeology International. 2. 1-19. 10.5744/bi.2018.1013.

Juengst, Sara & Hutchinson, Dale & Chávez, Sergio. (2017). High altitude agriculture in the Titicaca basin (800 BCE-200 CE): Impacts on nutrition and disease load: High Altitude Agriculture in the Titicaca Basin. American Journal of Human Biology. 29. e22988. 10.1002/ajhb.22988.

Murphy, Melissa & Juengst, Sara. (2019). Patterns of trauma across Andean South America: New discoveries and advances in interpretation. International Journal of Paleopathology. 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.09.004.

Juengst, Sara & Chávez, S. & Hutchinson, D. & Chávez, K.. (2015). Trauma in the Titicaca Basin, Bolivia (AD 1000-1450). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 10.1002/oa.2469.

Juengst, Sara & Chávez, Sergio. (2015). Three trepanned skulls from the Copacabana Peninsula in the Titicaca Basin, Bolivia (800 BC–AD 1000). International Journal of Paleopathology. 9. 10.1016/j.ijpp.2014.11.005.

Summary

Dr. Rachel Watkins of American University talks about the current state of race in biological anthropology. We discuss the importance of diversity and problems the field is currently facing. See below for a link to her article.

Recommendations

• What to read to learn more: The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould
• What she’s reading for work: Colleagues’ work
• What she’s reading for fun: There, There by Tommy Orange
• BONUS – Second fun book: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• BONUS – What I was reading: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• BONUS – Book mention: Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

Reference articles

Watkins, Rachel. (2019). An Alter(ed)native Perspective on Historical Bioarchaeology. Historical archaeology. 53. 10.1007/s41636-019-00224-5.

Summary

Dr. Levy talks about cold adaption in ancient and modern populations. She explains the three-part system that helps keep us warm: cultural adaptions, short-term changes in the body, and evolutionary changes to the body’s structures. Along the way, we discuss Bergmann’s Rule and Allen’s Rule. Both help to explain why groups living in certain climates have the proportions they do. Dr. Levy also shares her innovative methodology to help measure brown fat deposits that aid in non-shivering thermogenesis.

Recommendations

• What to read to learn more: Levy Human Biology Lab page or
• What she’s reading for work: Levy, Stephanie & Klimova, Tatiana & Zakharova, Raisa & Federov, Afanasiy & Fedorova, Valentina & Baltakhinova, Marina & Leonard, William. (2018). Brown adipose tissue, energy expenditure, and biomarkers of cardio-metabolic health among the Yakut (Sakha) of northeastern Siberia. American Journal of Human Biology. 30. 10.1002/ajhb.23175. (Longer outline coming)
• What she’s watching for fun: Schitt’s Creek (Available on Netflix and Hulu)

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.

Summary

Dr. Wood discusses what we can actually know in paleoanthropology — something that’s difficult and important when you’re looking at very old, very small, and very skewed samples. The professor then meditates on why it’s important to study paleoanthropology in the first place. He also gives some great advice to students along the way.

Book recommendations

• What to read to learn more: Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction by Bernard Wood
• What he’s reading for work: The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
• What he’s reading for fun: Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution by Randal Keynes
• BONUS – What I was reading: On Call in the Arctic by Thomas J. Sims

Reference articles

• Smith, Richard & Wood, Bernard. (2017). The principles and practice of human evolution research: Are we asking questions that can be answered?. Comptes Rendus Palevol. 16. 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.11.005.
• Wood, Bernard. (2017). Evolution: Origin(s) of Modern Humans. Current Biology. 27. R767-R769. 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.052.

Hi there, folks! I just published a trailer for the podcast on iTunes. You’ll be able to find an RSS feed of all my episodes on this page, along with any additional content that may accompany individual episodes.

Happy New Year! And Happy New Podcast!