AnthroBiology Podcast (Gaby Lapera)

Dr. Kate Clancy of Indiana State University Urbana-Champaign joins the show to talk about her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation. We touch on what periods are, why humans might menstruate, factors that affect menstruation, the study of women's health in general, and a few things to keep in when doing research.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles:

• Clancy, K. (2023). Period: The Real Story of Menstruation. Princeton University Press. (Audiobook version)
• Dr. Clancy's website
• Dr. Clancy's faculty profile at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Dr. Clancy's Bluesky profile
• Dr. Clancy's Buttondown profile
• Ellison, P.T. (2003). On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Human Reproduction. Harvard University Press.
• Van Der Sijpt, E. (2018). Wasted Wombs: Navigating Reproductive Interruptions in Cameroon. Vanderbilt University Press.
• Nguyen, M. (2024). The Promise of Beauty. Duke University Press.
• Gladstone, M. (2012). Three Parts Dead. Tor Books.

Dr. Tanya Smith of Griffith University talks about teeth -- everything from individual development to using teeth to understand past environments and lifestyles. She also discusses some of the cultural practices surrounding teeth.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology

Dr. Scott Williams of NYU talks about transitional fossils, the evolution of different forms of locomotion, old books, and new ideas. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology!

Dr. Robert Anemone of the University of North Carolina - Greensboro joins the show to talk about how advances in geospatial tech can help paleoanthropologists find productive sites, along with how he's used it in his real life field work in the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming. Helpful background: Fossil GPS, Scientific American, May 2014, Anemone & Emerson

Dr. Anemone's webpage

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. DiGangi from SUNY-Binghamton and Dr. Bethard from the University of South Florida joined the show to discuss their position papers on the use of ancestry in forensic sciences and in the justice system. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Agustin Fuentes of Princeton and Dr. Barbara King joined the show to discuss the scientific community's responsibility for animals used in research. Should it be done? Is it possible to carry out ethical research involving animals? 

Want to learn more? Read the article the episode is based on: "Towards an Anti-Maleficent Research Agenda"

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Goodson (Cambridge University) and Dr. Trombley (Augustana University) join forces on the show to discuss their bioarchaeological-historical collaboration to understand the Medieval mouth. 

Books, articles, and selected people mentioned in this episode:

• Medieval Mouths in Context: Biocultural and MultiScalar Considerations of the Mouth and the Case of Late-Medieval Villamagna, Italy
• Dr. Roberta Gilchrist, Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course
• Dr. Virginia Burruss, Earthquakes and Gardens: Saint Hilarion’s Cyprus
• Dr. Karl Jacoby, The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire
• Dr. Roberta Gilchrist, University of Reading
• Dr. Shannon Novak, Syracuse University
• Dr. Lauren Hosek, University of Colorado - Boulder
• Dr. Stephen Brookfield, Discussion as a Way of Teaching
• Adrian Miller, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
• Jim Auchmutey, Smoke Lore: A Short History of Barbecue in America

 Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Julia Boughner of the University of Saskatchewan talks about the evolution of human teeth. Why do adults have ~32 teeth? Are our jaws shrinking? What's the deal with wisdom teeth? Does modern dentistry change our evolutionary path?

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Christian Crowder from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office joins the show to talk about his experiences in forensic anthropology, using histology for forensic cases, and how anthropologists are a crucial component of the response team for mass fatality events. Dr. Crowder also talks about his work on the editorial boards of peer-reviewed publications like the Journal of Forensic Anthropology.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Christine Drea of Duke University joined the show to talk about mechanisms of female dominance, which is when females of a species are more dominant in groups than males. Dr. Drea looks at how genetics, hormones, and social dynamics interact with each other to result in female dominance in hyenas, meerkats, and lemurs.

Content warning: We talk about animal genitalia and hyenas' traumatic birthing process.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles:

• Dr. Drea’s faculty page at Duke University
• Dr. Drea’s website
• Dr. Drea’s ResearchGate profile
• Dixons, A. (2012). Primate Sexuality: Comparative Studies of the Prosimians, Monkeys, Apes, and Humans. Oxford University Press.
• Ellison, P. (2003). On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Human Reproduction. Harvard University Press.
• Grebe, Nicholas & Sheikh, Alizeh & Ohannessian, Laury & Drea, Christine. (2023). Effects of Oxytocin Receptor Blockade on Dyadic Social Behavior in Monogamous and Non-Monogamous Eulemur. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 150. 106044. 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106044.
• Bornbusch, Sally & Clarke, Tara & Hobilalaina, Sylvia & Reseva, Honore & LaFleur, Marni & Drea, Christine. (2022). Microbial rewilding in the gut microbiomes of captive ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in Madagascar. Scientific Reports. 12. 10.1038/s41598-022-26861-0.
• Drea, Christine & Grebe, Nicholas. (2022). Intraspecific Aggression and Social Dominance. (chapter in The Routledge International Handbook of Comparative Psychology, ed. by Freeberg, Ridley, and d'Ettorre)
• Bornbusch, Sally & Greene, Lydia & Rahobilalaina, Sylvia & Calkins, Samantha & Rothman, Ryan & Clarke, Tara & LaFleur, Marni & Drea, Christine. (2022). Gut microbiota of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) vary across natural and captive populations and correlate with environmental microbiota. Animal Microbiome. 4. 10.1186/s42523-022-00176-x.
• Grebe, Nicholas & Sheikh, Alizeh & Drea, Christine. (2022). Integrating the female masculinization and challenge hypotheses: Female dominance, male deference, and seasonal hormone fluctuations in adult blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur flavifrons). Hormones and Behavior. 139. 105108. 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105108.
• Drea, Christine & Davies, Charli & Greene, Lydia & Mitchell, Jessica & Blondel, Dimitri & Shearer, Caroline & Feldblum, Joseph & Dimac-Stohl, Kristin & Smyth-Kabay, Kendra & Clutton-Brock, Tim. (2021). An intergenerational androgenic mechanism of female intrasexual competition in the cooperatively breeding meerkat. Nature Communications. 12. 10.1038/s41467-021-27496-x.
• Conley, Alan & Place, Ned & Legacki, Erin & Hammond, Geoffrey & Cunha, Gerald & Drea, Christine & Weldele, Mary & Glickman, Stephen. (2020). Spotted hyaenas and the sexual spectrum: reproductive endocrinology and development. Journal of Endocrinology. 247. 10.1530/JOE-20-0252.
• Smyth, Kendra & Caruso, Nicholas & Davies, Charli & Clutton-Brock, Tim & Drea, Christine. (2018). Social and endocrine correlates of immune function in meerkats: Implications for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis. Royal Society Open Science. 5. 180435. 10.1098/rsos.180435.
• Drea, Christine & Coscia, Elizabeth & Glickman, Stephen. (2018). Hyenas. (chapter in The Encyclopedia of Reproduction from Academic Press, ed. Michael Skinner)

Dr. Eric Bartelink of CSU - Chico guides us through an intro to stable isotope analysis, and how it can be used in forensic and historic or ancient contexts to understand how people migrated and what their diets were like. Dr. Bartelink highlights the importance of embracing a multi-disciplinary approach to advancing anthropology. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Tara Cepon-Robins of the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs joined me to talk about worms. She talks about humans' evolutionary arms race with parasites, measuring disgust, and her work among the Shuar people and in the rural southern United States. Check out Dr. Cepon-Robins' site. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. David Raichlen of USC talks about using evolutionary biology to understand modern health consequences. For example, can aerobic exercise paired with mental stimulation result in the formation of neurons? If so, why? And how can we apply that information to helping modern humans live healthier lives?

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology!

Dr. Barbara J. King joins us in this week's episode to discuss animal cognition and emotion. Along the way, we hear about her start in biological anthropology studying baboons and how her career shifted several times to focus on animal cognition more broadly, followed by a turn towards advocacy and science communication. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. David Braun of George Washington University's Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology in the Anthropology Department chats about the cycles of tool use and niche construction. We talk about how one affects the other and vice versa in cycles, plus the interplay of greater environmental and climate change. Dr. Braun also discusses how we can look into the near and deep past to figure out environmental change.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Rick Coste, host of the Evolution Talk podcast, talks about his new book (Evolution Talk) and how he became interested in science.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. John Verano of Tulane University wades into forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology. He discusses some of the realities of working with the recently deceased before switching gears to talk about a giant sacrifice site that he's been working on in Peru. Plus, find out what mummies smell like. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology!

Dr. Robert Mann of the University of Hawaii talks about his winding path in biological anthropology. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Bill Schutt, zoologist and author, joins the show to talk about his latest book, Pump: A Natural History of the Heart. We chat about the evolution of hearts, how people learned about how hearts work, and science writing.  Check out his book here.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Rebecca Gilmour of Mount Royal University talks about bones, their mechanics, and how we can use both to understand humans' lives in the past -- especially around her main focus of disability and care in ancient Rome.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles:

• Ed. CS Hirst, RJ Gilmour, FA Cardoso, KA Plomp. (2023). Behaviour in our Bones: How Human Behaviour Influences Skeletal Morphology. Elsevier.
• Gilmour, Rebecca & Plomp, Kimberly. (2022). The Changing Shape of Palaeopathology: The Contribution of Skeletal Shape Analyses to Investigations of Pathological Conditions. (OPEN ACCESS). Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. 10.1002/ajpa.24475..
• Battles, Heather & Gilmour, Rebecca. (2022). Beyond Mortality: Survivors of Epidemic Infections and the Bioarchaeology of Impairment and Disability. (OPEN ACCESS). 6. 23–40. 10.5744/bi.2021.0003.
• Gilmour, Rebecca & Brickley, Megan & Jurriaans, Erik & Prowse, Tracy. (2018). Maintaining mobility after fracture: A biomechanical analysis of fracture consequences at the Roman Sites of Ancaster (UK) and Vagnari (Italy). International Journal of Paleopathology. 24. 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.09.002..
• Gilmour, Rebecca & Prowse, Tracy & Jurriaans, Erik & Brickley, Megan. (2017). Well-Trodden Roads: Skeletal Evidence for Sex-Related Mobility at the Roman Site of Vagnari, Italy. Conference presentation: American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
• Gilmour, Rebecca. (2017). Resilient Romans: Cross-Sectional Evidence for Long-Term Functional Consequences of Extremity Trauma. PhD thesis completed at McMaster University.
• Cunningham, C., Scheuer, L., Black, S. (2016). Developmental Juvenile Osteology. Academic Press.
• White, T. & Folken, P. (2005). The Human Bone Manual. Academic Press.
• Eds. Hirst, C.S., Gilmour, R.J., Cardoso, F.A. (2023). Behaviour in Our Bones: How Human Behaviour Influences Skeletal Morphology. Elsevier Science Publishing.
• Canci, Alessandro & Marchi, Damiano & Caramella, Davide & Sparacello, Vitale. (2024). A severe case of bilateral humerus varus deformity from the Middle Bronze age necropolis of Olmo di Nogara, Northeast Italy: The contribution of biomechanical analysis to paleopathological study. International journal of paleopathology. 47. 12-20. 10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.07.005.
• Ed. Laes, C. (2024). A Cultural History of Disability in Antiquity. Bloomsbury Acadamic.
• Van Pelt, S. (2022). Remarkably Bright Creatures. Ecco Press.
• Holmes, R. (2024). Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide. Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
• Blum, D. (2011). The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. Penguin Books.

Dr. Cara Ocobock of Notre Dame joins the show to discuss human energetics in high-latitude populations, and the potential downstream health consequences of a changing environment. (Learn why reindeer herders are rad!) She also shares insights on science communication and how we can do it better. (Learn how to talk to your science-averse relatives today!) If you want to find out more, visit Dr. Ocobock's website at sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/.

Rhianna Drummond-Clarke, PhD candidate at the Max Planck Institute (Dept. of Human Origins), joins the show to discuss her most recent article examining how environments affect chimp locomotion. She also chat about her time in the field.

See her article here: https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.add9752 

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Lauren Butaric of University of Florida joined the show to talk about sinuses - what they are, why we have them, how they can be used in forensic contexts, and what they can tell us about people.

I personally love these anatomy-based discussions. It's just so exciting to do a deep dive into these dark cavities.

Here are some of the articles I found helpful while prepping for this episode:

• Campbell, Jessica & Butaric, Lauren. (2022). Technical Modifications for the Application of the Total Difference Method for Frontal Sinus Comparison. Biology. 11. 1075. 10.3390/biology11071075.
• Butaric, Lauren & Campbell, Jessica & Fischer, Kristine & Garvin, Heather. (2022). Ontogenetic patterns in human frontal sinus shape: A longitudinal study using elliptical Fourier analysis. Journal of Anatomy. 241. 10.1111/joa.13687.
• Butaric, Lauren & Richman, Allison & Garvin, Heather. (2022). The Effects of Cranial Orientation on Forensic Frontal Sinus Identification as Assessed by Outline Analyses. Biology. 11. 62. 10.3390/biology11010062.
• Butaric, Lauren & Nicholas, Christina & Kravchuk, Katherine & Maddux, Scott. (2021). Ontogenetic variation in human nasal morphology. The Anatomical Record. 305. 10.1002/ar.24760.
• Kim, Suhhyun & Ward, Lyndee & Butaric, Lauren & Maddux, Scott. (2021). Ancestry‐based variation in maxillary sinus anatomy: Implications for health disparities in sinonasal disease. The Anatomical Record. 305. 10.1002/ar.24644.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites:

• Dr. Lauren Butaric's faculty page at University of Florida
• Dr. Butaric's website
• Dr. Butaric's ResearchGate profile
• Nestor, J. (2020). Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Riverhead Books.
• Lieberman, D. (2011). The Evolution of the Human Head. Harvard University Press.
• Jemisin, NK. (2015). The Broken Earth Trilogy. Orbit.
• Jordan, R. (1990-2007). The Wheel of Time series.
• Stephen King
• Gaby's fantasy rec: Anything by Ilona Andrews

Jill McCormick is a historic preservation officer working for the Quechan Tribe near Yuma, Arizona. This week, she joins the show to discuss what it's like to be an archaeologist trying to preserve Tribal history, Tribal perspectives on working with CRM archaeology firms, and how folks can get involved if they're interested. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Ms. Selina Carlhoff, PhD candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, talks about the basics of DNA, what you should know about ancient DNA, and some of the ethical complexities that come with studying prehistoric populations. She also fills us in on her article in Nature, "Genome of a middle Holocene hunter-gatherer from Wallacea." Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Jeremy DeSilva of Dartmouth joins the show to discuss bipedalism -- why anthropologists are obsessed with it and how it might have come to be. 

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Clark Spencer Larsen of Ohio State joins the show to discuss his history in the field, bioarchaeology, and how we can use biological anthropology to understand human health in the past. 

Links mentioned in the show:

• Dr. Larsen's faculty page
• The past 12,000 years of behavior, adaptation, population and evolution shaped who we are today (2023 PNAS article - opens as a website)
• Paleosyndemics: A bioarchaeological and biosocial approach to study infectious diseases in the past (2022 Centaurus article - PDF)
• Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton (2015 Cambridge University Press book - link to Alibris)

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Christopher D. Lynn of the University of Alabama joins the show to talk about tattoos and what they can tell us about immune function, health signaling, and cultural meanings. Plus, we talk about sci comm! Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Check out Dr. Lynn's website here: https://cdlynn.people.ua.edu/ 

Dr. Herman Pontzer of Duke is on the show this week to talk about human metabolism and his new book, Burn. He helps answer questions like: How much energy can a person burn in one day? Does exercise help you lose weight? Do people with different subsistence strategies have different metabolisms? We also talk about his work with the Hadza. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Stine Carlsson is a PhD candidate at Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland. We discuss strategies for finding a good grad program, dealing with toxic academic environments, choosing a path, and skeletal stress indicators. 

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Sean Tallman talks about crafting new sex estimation methods for modern populations and the importance of DEI in forensics and anthropology. How can diversity shift how research is done? What are some ways to make the field more inclusive? Listen to Dr. Tallman's take on all of it in this episode. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. John Lindo of Emory talks about ancient DNA -- how it works, what you can understand from it, and why it's important. He explains how he's using ancient DNA to understand the biological diversity of pre-contact indigenous groups in the Americas.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Nicole Iturriaga of UC - Irvine joined the show to talk about her book: Exhuming Violent Histories: Forensics, Memory, and Rewriting Spain’s Past. In this episode, we discuss the history of the Spanish Civil War, how forensics can help change perceptions and heal communities, and how the general public perceives forensic anthropology.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

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. Find a link to her article at AnthroBiology.com.

Dr. Daniel Lieberman of Harvard talks about considering human evolution through adaptations to run. He also explains mismatch diseases and the types of preventative care we can take to keep ourselves healthy. We also chat about diversity and the importance of including your study population in your work. 

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology

What can we actually know about the evolutionary past? Dr. Wood grapples with this question and others about the nature of science. The professor also gives some valuable advice for students along the way.

Visit anthrobiology.com for show notes and book recs.

Dr. Daniel Benyshek of UNLV joins the show to discuss plancentophagy. Check out his lab page for more info on placentophagy.

Note: There is a special addition at the end of this episode.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Sholts of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History joins the show to discuss her new book, The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from Our Bodies to Our Beliefs. Dr. Sholts uses an anthropological lens to understand epidemics. She touches on One Health, historical and current epidemics, the role misinformation plays in the spread of disease, and science communication.  

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode:

• Sholts, S. (2024). The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from our Bodies to Our Beliefs. MIT Press.
• Dr. Sholt's Google Scholar profile
• Dr. Sholt's NMNH profile
• Lieberman. D. (2014). The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Vintage Books.
• Garrett, L. (2020). The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. Picador USA.
• Villarosa, L. (2023). Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives. Anchor Books.
• Hatzfeld, J. (2006). Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak. Picador USA.
• Hatzfeld, J. (2007). Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak. Other Press.
• Hatzfeld, J. (2008). Into the Quick of Life: The Rwandan Genocide - The Survivors Speak. Serpent’s Tail.
• Hatzfeld, J. (2010). The Antelope’s Strategy: Living in Rwanda After the Genocide. St. Martin’s Press-3PL.
• Lachenal, G. & Thomas, G. (2023). Atlas historique des épidémies. Autrement.
• St John-Mandel, E. (2015). Station Eleven. Vintage Books.

Dr. Griffin of San Francisco State University joins the show to discuss dental caries and toothwear in pre-contact Native American groups. 

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode:

• Griffin, MC. (2014). Biocultural implication of oral pathology in an ancient central California population. Am J Phys Anthropol, 154(2), 171-188.
• Griffin, MC. (2018). The End of Prehistory in the Land of Coosa: Oral Health in a Late Mississippian Village. In S Chappell Hodge & KA Shuler Bioarchaeology of the American Southeast: Approaches to Bridging Health and Identity in the Past (1st ed., pp 69-91). University of Alabama Press.
• Ed Yong. (2016). I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life. Ecco.
• Kathleen McAuliffe. (2016). This Is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society. Mariner Books.
• Clinical literature on auditory exostoses
• Cardinal (detective drama, currently on Hulu as of June 2024)
• MC Beaton, Agatha Raisin series (Books + TV series -- I've only read the books, but I hear the show is great)
• cozy-mystery.com [My bad, y’all. I said the wrong URL on the show. There are like 5 sites that also do this, but this is the one I was thinking of. The clip art is perfect.]
• Sister Boniface Mysteries (Nun solves crimes in British countryside, currently on BritBox as of June 2024)
• Father Brown (Priest solves crimes in British countryside, currently on BritBox as of June 2024)
• Cadfael (Medieval monk solves crimes. Books + TV series)
• Grantchester (Anglican vicar solves crimes. Short stories + TV series)

Dr. Jesse Goliath of Mississippi State University joins the show to talk about forensic anthropology, including how he ended up in forensic anthropology and how he developed the Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons. We also talk about the complicated relationship between race and forensic anthropology, along with the importance of bringing diverse perspectives to the field.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles:

• Dr. Goliath's personal website
• Dr. Goliath's faculty profile page at MS State
• Dr. Goliath's ResearchGate profile
• The Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons
• Forensic Pioneers of Color
• Goliath, J.R., Yim, A., & Juarez, J.K. (Eds). (2024). Contemporary Concerns and Considations in Forensic Anthropology. [Special issue]. Humans, 4(1).
• Hagerman, M.A. (2024). Children of a Troubled Time: Growing Up with Racism in Trump's America. New York University Press.
• Barber, W.J & Wilson-Hartgrove, J. (2024). White Poverty: How Exposing Myths about Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy. Liveright Publishing Corporation.

Dr. Nathan Young of UCSF discuss evolutionary developmental biology using the limb as a model to understand the perspective. We talk about the importance of marrying all three disciplines to discover insights that otherwise wouldn't be within the purview of a single field. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Check out the book here. 

Jon Marks' website is here.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Janna Andronowski of Memorial University of Newfoundland talks about bone histology. We're bringing it back to basics with how bones grow, how they "know" what shape they should be, and how bones regulate themselves. Also, we discuss what a cellular examination of bone can tell you about a person. Visit the Andronowski Lab to learn more about her work. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Dr. Trent Trombley of Augustana University joins the show to talk about his research at Villamagna, a medieval settlement outside of Rome. He uses macroscopic analysis of teeth along with a few other methods to understand life in the past.

Links mentioned in the show:

• Dr. Trombley's ResearchGate profile
• Making Sense of Medieval Mouths: Investigating Sex Differences of Dental Pathological Lesions in a Late Medieval Italian Community
• Growing up at Villamagna: Sex, Gender, and Stress During Growth and Development in a Medieval Italian Community

Dr. Kirsty Graham from the University of St. Andrews discusses how bonobos use gestures to communicate, which winds into a chat about what that means for ape communication generally -- especially humans. They also have some insights into field research.

Check out the article about humans understanding nonhuman ape gestures here: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001939 

Listener discretion advised: Bonobo behavior is discussed in this episode, which includes sexual habits.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

I couldn't get up the gumption to edit an interview this week. Instead, I put together a list of things that we can do right now to help. I'm also making a commitment to ensure more diversity and more active discussion of race on the show. You can find links to learn more about Black Lives Matter on the website at AnthroBiology.com.

Meet Chris Webster, a CRM archaeologist, anthropology podcast mogul, and all-around hustler. He joins the show to give a different perspective on making a career out of anthropology and what it's like to work in commercial settings as a cultural resource management archaeologist. Webster also discusses what it's like working with biological anthropologists and tribal monitors. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology.

Some anthropologists try to reconstruct activities during life by using changes to the skeleton. Dr. Wilczak talks about occupational stress markers in this episode, along with providing advice for folks thinking about majoring in anthropology.

Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug from the University of North Carolina - Greebsboro discusses some of the projects her lab is working on, including skeletal and dental pathology in past populations and istopic analysis of human remains. She also touches on the importance of integrating biological anthropology into climate change and global health policies.

These two articles are great examples of how bio anthro could inform policymaking:

• G. Robbins Schug, S. E. Halcrow, Building a bioarchaeology of pandemic, epidemic, and syndemic diseases: Lessons for understanding COVID-19. Bioarchaeol. Int. 6, 179–200 (2022).
• G. Robbins Schug et al., Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120 (2023).

Honestly, we probably could have done an entire show on just one article. And I might do that in the future. For now, I encourage you to read the articles. They illustrate how answering questions about our past can help us build a better future.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Robbins Schug's faculty page at UNCG
• Robbins Schug Human Diversity Lab Website
• G. Robbins Schug, S. E. Halcrow, Building a bioarchaeology of pandemic, epidemic, and syndemic diseases: Lessons for understanding COVID-19. Bioarchaeol. Int. 6, 179–200 (2022).
• G. Robbins Schug et al., Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120 (2023).
• Grauer, A. (Ed.) (2015). A Companion to Paleopathology. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Buiktra, J. (Ed.) (2019). Ortner's Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains (3rd edition). Academic Press.
• Resnick, D. (2001). Diagnosis of Bone and Joint Disorders: 5-Volume Set. Saunders.
• Planetary Health Alliance
• Sholts, S. (2024). The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from our Bodies to Our Beliefs. MIT Press.

Dr. James Cole from the University of Brighton joins the show to talk about how studying stone tools can reveal insights about the evolution of cognition in humans. Along the way, we touch on brain size, theory of mind, and social groups.

Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology. Email the host at gaby.lapera@anthrobiology.com.

Dr. Wescott of Texas State University joins the show to discuss the Texas State body farm (Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State - FACTS) and the forensic research carried out there.

Books, articles, and selected people mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Wescott's ResearchGate profile
• Haglund & Sorg, Advances in Forensic Taphonomy: Method, Theory, and Archeological Perspectives
• DO Carter, D Yellowlees, M Tibbett  “Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecology”, Science of Nature 94(1), 2007
• Lee Lyman, Vertebrate Taphonomy
• PS Barton, D Lindenmeyer, AD Manning, SA Cunningham, “The role of carrion in maintaining biodiversity and ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems”, Oecologia 171(4), 2012
• John Currey, Bones: Structure and Mechanics
• David Burr, Basic and Applied Bone Biology
• C Ruff, B Holt, E Trinkaus, “Who’s afraid of the big bad Wolff?: Wolff’s Law and bone functional adaptation”, Am J Phys Anthropol, 129(4), 2006
• P Capodaglio, et al. “Effect of obesity on knee and ankle biomechanics while walking,” Sensors (Basel), 21(21), 2021
• BA Sanford, et al. “Hip, knee, and ankle joint forces in healthy weight, overweight, and obese individuals during walking” 2014
• Neil Shubin, Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body
• Ed Yong, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

Dr. Bill Billeck is the program manager for the National Museum of Natural History repatriation office at the Smithsonian. Dr. Billeck explains how repatriation works and what it's like working with tribes. Find links to articles, books, and pics at AnthroBiology.com. Find the show on Instagram and Twitter @AnthroBiology!