That Anthro Podcast

This is the third and final episode of the Bioarchaeology series. This episode tackles the question "why is bioarchaeology an important area of study?"

The first part, featuring interviews with Dr. Haagen Klaus, Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug, and Dr. Jessica O'Reilly, regarding the applications of bioarchaeology to climate change research. The second part focuses on some of the changes necessary to further grow the field and better engage with the public. Finally, Dr. Jane Buikstra, Dr. Amy Anderson, and Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug, explain why they think bioarchaeology is an important area for future research.

The cover art was designed and created by Jona Schlegel. Follow her on instragam @archaeoink or check out her website https://jonaschlegel.com/

References:

Buikstra, J. E., DeWitte, S. N., Agarwal, S. C., Baker, B. J., Bartelink, E. J., Berger, E., … Zakrzewski, S. R. (2022). Twenty‐first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 178(S74), 54–114. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24494

De la Cova, C. (2022). Ethical Considerations for Paleopathology. In The Routledge Handbook of Paleopathology (1st ed., pp. 381-396.) Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003130994

Robbins Schug, G.. (2020). A Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change. In G. R. Schug (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change (1st ed., pp. 1–16). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351030465-1

Robbins Schug, G., Buikstra, J. E., DeWitte, S. N., Baker, B. J., Berger, E., Buzon, M. R., … Zakrzewski, S. R. (2023). Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(4), e2209472120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209472120

This is episode two of three in the Bioarchaeology, the past, present, and future series. This episode, Assessing the Present, builds off the previous episode's discussion on the methods bioarchaeologists use, and presents some of the newer, developing methods and technologies that are shaping current research in the field. This episode also dives into some of the important ethical considerations surrounding this type of research, and specifically discusses this as it relates to Native American groups and descendants.

Additionally, this episode features interviews with several bioarchaeologists: Dr. Haagen Klaus, Dr. Amy Anderson, Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug, and PhD student Meg Hardie.

The cover art was designed and created by Jona Schlegel. Follow her on instragam @archaeoink or check out her website https://jonaschlegel.com/

References:

Agarwal, S. C. (2024). The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from India. Nature Communications, 15 (1), 1692. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45738-6

Anderson, A. (2022). Skeletal indicators of early life stress: Insights into cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis in a living subsistence population. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Anderson, A. S., Sutherland, M. L., O’Donnell, L., Hill, E. C., Hunt, D. R., Blackwell, A. D., & Gurven, M. D. (2021). Do computed tomography findings agree with traditional osteological examination? The case of porous cranial lesions. International Journal of Paleopathology, 33, 209–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.04.008

Boldsen, J. L., Milner, G. R., Konigsberg, L. W., and Wood, J. W. (2002). Transition analysis: A new method for estimating age from skeletons. In R. D. Hoppa and J. W. Vaupel (Eds.), Paleodemography (1st ed., pp. 73–106). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511542428.005

Brooks, S., and Suchey, J. M. (1990). Skeletal age determination based on the os pubis: a comparison of the Acsádi-Nemeskéri and Suchey-Brooks methods. Human Evolution, 5, 227-238.

Colwell, C. (2019). Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the fight to reclaim native america's culture. University of Chicago Press.

Rasmussen, M., Li, Y., Lindgreen, S. et al. (2010). Ancient human genome sequence of an extinct Palaeo-Eskimo. Nature. 463, 757–762.

Robbins Schug, G., Killgrove, K., Atkin, A., & Baron, K. (2021). 3D Dead: Ethical Considerations in Digital Human Osteology. Bioarchaeology International, 4(3–4). https://doi.org/10.5744/bi.2020.3008

Schug, G. R. (2020). A Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change. In G. R. Schug (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change (1st ed., pp. 1–16). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351030465-1

Stewart, N. A., Gerlach, R. F., Gowland, R. L., Gron, K. J., & Montgomery, J. (2017). Sex determination of human remains from peptides in tooth enamel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(52), 13649–13654.

This is the first of three episodes in the Bioarchaeology, past, present, and future series. This series answers the question "what is bioarchaeology" in an understandable yet nuanced way.

This episode, Addressing the Past, covers the basics of bioarchaeology, including how it differs from archaeology, basic methods used, and the history of physical anthropology. It also includes interviews with several prominent bioarchaeologists (Dr. Jane Buikstra, Dr, Clark Larsen, and Dr. Haagen Klaus) about their take on the development of this field of study.

The cover art was designed and created by Jona Schlegel, follow her on instagram @archaeoink or check out her website https://jonaschlegel.com/

Follow @thatanthropodcast on Instagram

References:

Agarwal, S. C. (2024). The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from India. Nature Communications, 15(1), 1692. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45738-6

Armelagos, G. J., & Cohen, M. N. (Eds.). (1984). Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture. Orlando, FL: Academic Press. 

Buikstra, J. E. (1977). Biocultural dimensions of archaeological study: a regional perspective. In Biocultural adaptation in prehistoric America, pp. 67-84. 

Cook, D. C. (2006). The old physical anthropology and the New World: a look at the accomplishments of an antiquated paradigm. In Buikstra, J. E., and Beck, L. A. (eds.) Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Analysis of Human Remains. Routledge. 

de la Cova, C. (2022). "Ethical issues and considerations for ethically engaging with the Robert J. Terry, Hamann-Todd, and William Montague Cobb anatomical collections." In American Journal of Biological Anthropology, vol. 177, pp. 42-42. Wiley.

de la Cova, C. (2020a). Making silenced voices speak: Restoring neglected and ignored identities in anatomical collections. In C. M. Cheverko,J. R. Prince-Buitenhuys, & M. Hubbe (Eds.), Theoretical Perspectives in Bioarchaeology. Routledge, pp. 150–169.

de la Cova, C. (2019). Marginalized bodies and the construction of the Robert J. Terry anatomical skeletal collection: a promised land lost. In Mant, M. and Holland, A. (eds.) Bioarchaeology of Marginalized People. Orlando: Academic Press, pp. 133-155.  

Larsen, C. (2015). Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton. Cambridge University Press.

Morton, S. (1839). Crania Americana or a Comparative View of the Skulls of Various Aboriginal Nations of North and South America: To Which Is Prefixed an Essay on the Varieties of the Human Species; Illustrated by Seventy-Eight Plates and a Colored Map. Philadelphia: J. Dobson.

Stienne, A. (2022). Mummified: The stories behind Egyptian mummies in museums, Manchester: Manchester University Press.

van der Merwe NJ, Vogel JC. (1978). 13C content of human collagen as a measure of prehistoric diet in Woodland North America. Nature. 276: 815–816.

Washburn, S. L. (1951). SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY: THE NEW PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 13(7 Series II), 298–304. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2164-0947.1951.tb01033.x

This is a trailer for a three part mini-series entitled "Bioarchaeology, the past, present, and future" airing on That Anthro Podcast, Wednesday May 8th.

This series will dive into the history of what was once known as physical anthropology, as well as how various events and shifts in research paradigms have led us to the field of bioarchaeology as it exists today. I will also unpack the prominent methods utilized in bioarchaeological research, and addressing some of the changes that still need to be implemented to make the field even more ethical.

In this series you won’t just hear from me, you’ll hear from some of the researchers themselves regarding their work, their vision for the future, and why bioarchaeology is an important area for continued study. Such guests include Dr. Jane Buikstra, Dr. Clark Spencer Larsen, Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug, Dr. Jessica O’Reilly, Dr. Amy Anderson, and Dr. Haagen Klaus.

Tune in May 8th to listen to all three episodes:

Episode one: Addressing the Past

Episode two: Assessing the Present

Episode three: Ensuring a Future

Today on the podcast I interview my Master's advisor at George Mason University, Dr. Daniel Temple. Dr. Temple is an Associate Professor who studies early life stress and resilience in prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations primarily in Japan, Alaska, the Aleutian islands, and Siberia. We cover a wide range of topics including his academic journey starting with community college to where his is today at GMU. Dr. Temple received his PhD from The Ohio State University where he worked with Dr. Clark Spencer Larsen. His dissertation was a large scale study of the consequences of the agriculture transition in prehistoric Japan to gain a comprehensive understanding of the response to agriculture in the region. We touch on his previous positions as a Professor, getting his master's degree in England, how he met Dr. Haagen Klaus, and his experience working with Don Ortner at the Smithsonian. Additionally, he explains the goals of an ongoing international and interdisciplinary project focused on producing high resolution life histories of hunter gatherers in the Eurasia region from 8,000-4,000 years ago, called the Baikal Archaeology Project https://baikalproject.artsrn.ualberta.ca/. We end our discussion by talking about where he sees the need for change in bioarchaeology and the importance of public facing anthropology. 

If you would like to contact Dr. Temple about the graduate program at GMU please do so via the email listed on the department website linked here https://soan.gmu.edu/people/dtemple3

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Brought to you in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association check out their podcast library here https://www.americananthro.org/StayInformed/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1629

In this episode I interview my friend, classmate, and housemate Gréta Kühne. Gréta is originally from Budapest, Hungary and moved to the United States 2018 to attend the University of Idaho where she was a part of the track and field team. We talk about how she decided to major in anthropology and how she fell in love with bioarchaeology in particular. We also dive into her experiences in graduate school so far, including the NSF funded research trip she took this summer to Peru to collect her thesis data. Gréta shares about her time in Peru both collecting data and visiting museums and archaeological sights. We also preview what our 2024 will look like as we both enter our last semester of school and work on our theses. Enjoy!

Today Dr. Jacquelyn Williamson, an Associate Professor of Art and Archaeology (of the Mediterranean World) at George Mason University, joins the podcast to talk about her research in Egypt. Dr. Williamson focuses her research on issues of gender and religious power in Ancient Egypt, such as at the site of Tell el-Amarna, the site of Nefertiti’s Sun Temple. Dr. Williamson received her BA at Sarah Lawrence in Ancient History and Art History, and her MA/PhD The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Williamson shares her deep love and scholarly fascination of Egypt in our conversation. She recounts her first visit, as well as subsequent visits to the Tell el-Amarna site, including the discovery of the Sun Temple. She also explains and helps unravel some of the mystery of King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti through artistic representations of them in the temple. Dr. Williamson champions that art is an artifact, and discusses the process of interpreting the history of this Ancient Egyptian site. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.

https://historyarthistory.gmu.edu/people/jwilli98

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Today Dr. Jamie Clark an Associate Professor of Archaeology at George Mason University joins That Anthro Podcast. We discuss her academic journey including her dissertation research at Sibudu Cave in South Africa. We also discuss her first teaching appointment at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and what it was like to live and teach in Alaska. Then we cover the next phase of her career teaching at GMU, including her class that I took called "Archaeology of Climate Change." Dr. Clark is an archaeologist who studies human-environmental relationships in the late Pleistocene through the lens of zooarchaeology. We also chat about her most recent project that brought her to Sefinum, Israel this summer. I hope you enjoy this episode!

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