Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

Exploring The Evolution Of Altruistic Punishment Using A Pde Model For Multilevel Selection, Daniel Cooney

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Minimum Number Of Individuals (Mni) For Skeletal Collections With Consideration To The Introduction Of Procurement Bias, M. Elizabeth Dyess, T. Heil

2023 Symposium

Of the competing methods for the estimation of the number of individuals represented within a skeletal assemblage, variations of the calculation of MNI (Minimum Number of Individuals) are most often employed. This presentation provides the preliminary results of an exhaustive study designed to determine the minimum number of individuals represented within a collection of 1,065 skeletal elements and fragments, belonging to the Eastern Washington University Anthropology Program. Results produced by established methods of computation were reinterpreted to account for the introduction of Procurement Bias in the calculation of MNI.

Detecting Bacterial Species From Ancient Human Skeletal Samples, Ariel Owens, Daisy Mcgrath, Tsai-Tien Tseng

Symposium of Student Scholars

Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) via morphological analysis is difficult and often inconsistent. With next-generation sequencing (NGS), ancient host microbiomes can be subjected to metagenomic analyses for the detection of TB in silico. Suitable bioinformatic workflows are needed for reliable ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of causative agents. This study aims to enhance available bioinformatic screening methods to create more suitable bioinformatic processes and generate insights in relation to TB.

This research utilizes publicly available NGS data accessed through the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Initial quality control steps included adapter trimming with Trim …

Assessment Of Arm Position In Egyptian Mummies, Emily King

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The arm position of Egyptian mummies had not been studied in an in-depth manner. The goal of this research was to use the IMPACT Radiological Database (Nelson & Wade, 2015), a large sample size of CT scans and X-Ray images of mummies, to discuss the evolution of arm position of adult Egyptian mummies throughout time. The results from this research demonstrate that with an increase in sample size, an increase in variability also occurs. In addition, we were also able to conclude that arm position reflects long term societal trends as opposed to short/frequently changing trends. Finally, what our research …

Osteoarthritis In Early To Middle Epipalaeolithic, Aasiyah Sheri Ms

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The study of human remains allows insight into the past. Studying an individual's bones and any diseases or abnormalities that may present themselves allows archaeologists to construct an image of what life might have been like for the individual. How old they were when they died, the type of work they did, and their overall health are all factors that can tell us a great deal about a person.

An Analysis Of Ground Stone Celts On The Late Woodland Middle Ontario Iroquoian Dorchester Village Site (Afhg-24), Patrick J. Seddon

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A comprehensive analysis of ground stone celts on the Late Woodland Middle Ontario Iroquoian Dorchester Village Site (AfHg-24). Metric and non-metric traits of the celts were analyzed to gain a better understanding of ground stone tools and their uses. A greater understanding of site formation processes and the development of Late Woodland Iroquoian villages may be attained through the creation of typologies, and an analysis of tool metrics, manufacturing and use wear traits, non-chert detritus produced through manufacture, and intra-site spatial data.

Analysis Of Vertebrae Pathologies Of Grave A650 Chryssi Island, Crete, Greece, Abbey E. Bartmess, Susan Kirkpatrick Smith

Symposium of Student Scholars

This study of multiple, co-mingled adult individuals located in grave A650 on Chryssi Island, Crete, Greece, examines the prevalence of several pathologies of the vertebrae. This grave was built into a collapsed Late Minoan period house (1400-1100 B.C.E.). Grave A650, which likely dates to the 5th – 7th century C.E., shows evidence of being used over a long period of time and may have served as an ossuary. The pathologies of approximately 30 recovered vertebrae, both complete and incomplete, show signs of degenerative joint disease, spondylolisthesis, and body expansion. Researching this data aims to accomplish a comprehensive understanding of what …

Dating The Seals Of Harappa: A Radiocarbon Approach, Grace Abernathy

Symposium of Student Scholars

For many years, Indus seals have puzzled archaeologists with their detailed motifs and undeciphered script. There is no pattern to the relationship between motifs and inscriptions, as each motif has been found scattered across the greater Indus region. In looking at the context of the seals and radiocarbon dating of charcoal, bone, and shell in a singular site, there may be a definitive pattern between certain motifs and the time periods they were used. This study uses contextual analysis to identify chronological patterns of seals discovered at the site of Harappa. Should any patterns arise, this research study could be …

Laryngeal Vocals In Old World Locals: Air Sacs Usage In Bonobos, Chelsea Trenbeath

Symposium of Student Scholars

Except for humans, extant great apes have evolutionarily conserved lateral ventricular air sacs extending from laryngeal saccules. Humans are the only species of Hominidae that lack this anatomical feature attached to the primary vocal apparatus. As we are the only species that produces spoken language, this association has led to hypothesis that the loss of lateral ventricular air sacs was necessary for the evolution of spoken language. However, why these sacs are conserved in all other hominids remains unclear. Computer modeling has indicated that air sacs may increase resonance properties, but there are no data from great apes indicating which …

The Impact Radiological Mummy Database, Precious Adebola Adekoya

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The IMPACT Radiological Mummy Database permits users to access X-ray and CT datasets of Egyptian mummies - thus allowing researchers to non-destructively analyze the remains and the mummification processes.

This project involved revamping and updating the IMPACT website, which serves as a landing point prior to accessing the database. The project also involved updating the Mummy information docs that are a part of a context database that give researchers background information about the mummies prior to accessing the datasets. Furthermore, screenshots of the datasets were taken and labelled accordingly to give users a preview and to facilitate ongoing research projects. …

Detecting Bacterial Species From Ancient Human Skeletal Samples, Ariel Owens, Daisy Mcgrath, Tsai-Tien Tseng

Symposium of Student Scholars

This paleopathological study aims to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and other Mycobacterium species in silico from skeletal samples that belonged to 28 Polish individuals in the Neolithic period under PRJNA422903 from the Sequence Read Archive (SRA). After next-generation sequencing (NGS), bioinformatics methods are heavily relied upon for identification of pathogens from complex samples. We implemented a bioinformatics pipeline, with custom-built databases, utilizing the following software tools: Trim Galore! and Kraken2. After adapter trimming, Kraken2 was used for taxonomic classifications. We have found that Mycobacterium is present in all 28 individuals. The average percentage of MAC …

The Genetic Links Between Archaic And Modern Humans, Maria J. Orellana Rosales

Thinking Matters Symposium

Our modern physiology is the mixture of many archaic humans that once roamed our planet. The evidence of these archaic humans is still present in our DNA. This poster reviews how our understanding of ancient human genetics has drastically changed due to advances in molecular genetics. Neanderthal and Denisovan remains have been sequenced for nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Neanderthal and Denisovan genetic ancestry have been identified by genomic studies in modern human populations across Eurasia and Pacific Island regions. Studies have shown a gene flow of 4±1% from Neanderthals to present-day Eurasians. Whereas, Papuan and Melanesian individuals share 4±0.7% more …

Dental Disparities: A Quantitative & Regional Analysis Of Male Oral Health In The United States, Hannah Merritt, Gordon Rakita

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Project of Merit Winner

Multiple factors contribute to the oral health of male individuals in the United States, including economic, regional, and gender disparities. My study compares health care coverage and poverty rates to indicators of oral health status and dental care access such as percentage of tooth lost, number of dental visits, and oral health services at federally qualified health centers. This oral health data is drawn from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention across all fifty states in the year 2018 and from the United States Census. By examining this data, I will be able to answer …

Embodied Injustices: Covid-19, Race, And Epigenetics, Maria Encinosa

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Digital Projects Showcase Exhibitor Award Although historical and even modern accounts of race assume significant biological differences between racial groups, race has little biological meaning. Nonetheless, the social construct of race has real consequences. Racial identity defines boundaries of community and impacts the experiences of individuals, including how people live and die during a pandemic. COVID-19 has disproportionately affected minority communities in the United States, triggering many explanations for racial disparities in health. Through an analysis of sources spanning from popular media to traditional academic journals, I analyze the potential for epigenetic research to serve as a missing link that …

399— Rates Of Tuberculosis Mortality Rates In Urban And Rural Areas Of New York State Before The Age Of Antibiotics, Jillian Demaria

GREAT Day Posters

From the late nineteenth and early twentieth century industrialization changed many aspects of American life. Mortality rates in the pre World War I era (1838 and 1930) changed due to many improvements of public health. The creation and emphasis over vaccinations, sewage systems, inspections of foods, and overall improvements in living and working conditions improved public health outcomes in all parts of America, in both rural and urban areas. As the changes occurred, tuberculosis mortality rates declined. This study explores death rates of tuberculosis in rural and urban areas, as well as the general population of Rochester, in the nineteenth …

137— Skulls Tell Tales: A Comparative Study Of Un-Provenienced Crania, Alice Lee

GREAT Day Posters

In this study I have conducted a detailed analysis of several crania that have yet to be provenienced in the skeletal collection of the Physical Anthropology Lab. While some of these skulls have previously been matched to the correct post-cranial skeleton most of them have not and as such all were studied alone separate from any other skeletal material. The skulls were then compared analytically with a focus on any commonalities of sex, ethnicity, and age which may be present along with what determinations could actually be made with the parts of each skull that were available as some were …

280— Exploring The Geographic Distribution Of Childbed Fever Deaths In Mid-19th Century Rochester, Ny, Meaghan Parks

GREAT Day Posters

Childbed fever, formally called puerperal fever or puerperal septicemia, is an infection typically contracted by women after childbirth. Historically, childbed fever was a serious threat to maternal health. Childbed fever is caused by exposure of open wounds or abrasions, which are common after giving birth, to group A and B Streptococcal bacteria. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that hand washing using a chlorinated solution reduced cases of childbed fever in 1847. This project reviews the instances of death from childbed fever in Rochester, New York from 1837-1860 and later from 1907-1919 and attempts to determine which areas of the city had the …

Hematogenous Osteomyelitis In Juveniles: An Examination Of Pathophysiology And Variation In Occurrence In The Archaeological Record And Contemporarily

Symposium of Student Scholars

Osteomyelitis is a general term for a group of diseases that cause inflammation of the bone. In most cases, the cause is infectious agents entering the bloodstream from other infected areas, especially traumatic or surgical wounds (hematogenous osteomyelitis). The main causative agents are Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and Streptococcus (strep). Other causes of osteomyelitis include indirect infection from soft tissue infections or sepsis (Ortner 2003, 181). Although osteomyelitis can occur at any age, hematogenous osteomyelitis is especially prevalent among juveniles. The location of occurrence is related to the timing of development of the growth plates, as well as the vascular supply …

Trauma Analysis From Rapid Staircase Descension, Srinanti Bhattacharya

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

This experiment was designed after the release of the Netflix show called the “The Staircase.” A true documentary, a woman’s fall down the staircase results in her death, but the investigators question whether it was an accident or murder. The woman’s husband was initially accused of murder, but after a lengthy trial and the review of additional evidence, it was ruled an accident. In the autopsy results, there was evidence of blunt force trauma (Figure 1) inconsistent with an accidental fall. Therefore this research asks what is the difference in trauma from an accidental fall versus a intentional, assisted descent?

Determination Of Intersex Humans In Human Remains, Audria Payne

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

Currently, there isn’t much research on whether forensic anthropologists include the identification of intersex humans in human remains. Forensic anthropologists tend to have varied training that is related to identifying skeletal remains, but there isn’t much research about how to identify intersex humans after death or whether they have come across intersex in skeletal remains at all, besides those they have classified as ambiguous. In this paper, I will be researching various skeletal remains to see if the current identification methods of identifying sex are accurate in identifying intersex. I will also research ambiguous and undetermined remains to see if …

Identifying Cystic Fibrosis (Cf) Skeletally: A Proposed Differential Diagnosis, Clare Remy

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disorder that affects the mucosal lining of the lungs and digestive system due to a defective gene that causes blockages of tubes, ducts, and passageways. The type of mutation correlates with the severity of the condition, but with modern medicine individuals can live into their 50s. We propose a differential diagnosis for identifying CF in the skeleton based on bony pathologies that occur in higher frequency in CF patients. CF patients exhibit chronic sinusitis, clubbing of hands and feet, vertebral fractures/collapse and abnormal curvature, significantly shorter stature, lower bone density, rib fractures, and an …

Prehistoric Plant Resources In The Cedar Valley: How Prehistoric People Utilized Flora In Subsistence Practices, Lyn Tackett

Research in the Capitol

Over the last 10,000 years, the Cedar Valley in northeastern Iowa has seen an influx of plants and people; both of which have impacted the native flora of the region. Prairie grasses, wetlands, and other natural features of the Iowa landscape have been altered to accommodate the use of the land by humans. Some of the clues to what attracted various cultures to this region are hidden within the native flora. Therefore, a comparative study of the Cedar Valley area was done to determine what plants were available to Prehistoric native people when they came to the Cedar Valley. After …

Medical Concerns, Kelly Partin, Mary Cronin, Jibin Jacob, Patricia J. Campos, Katy N. Lee, Batoul C. Zalkout, Janelle Clark

Collin College Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference

Panel Chair, Greg Cox

Papers Presented:

"Ebene: Psychedelic Snuff of the Yanomami" by Kelly Partin

"Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: A Survey" by Mary Cronin

"Kinematic Analysis of Universal Joint using Catia V5" by Jibin Jacob

"Effects of Preterm Birth" by Patricia J. Campos

"Proposal for ETT Research using Picutre-Induced Neural Signatures" by Katy N. Lee

"Severe Mental Illness in the Homeless" by Batoul C. Zalkout

"Asthma Disease of the Respiratory System" by Janelle Clark

Variations Of Age Of Suture Closure Between Males And Females, Martin Bach

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Questions On The Divergence Of Rhinopithecus Bieti, Melissa Reed

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honors Society (Lab): Bridging The Gap Between Coursework And Career, Adriana Stein, Stefanie Berganini

Student Research Symposium

Many anthropology majors gain an academic familiarity with the subject through coursework, but lack an understanding of how to utilize their anthropological skills outside of academia in future careers. To remedy this issue, the Lambda Alpha Beta Honor Society (LAB), a student-led anthropology organization at Portland State University, provides opportunities for participation in events that get students involved with our local community, such as non-profit organizations and local cultural institutions. Some of these organizations include the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Clark Public Utilities, The Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Potluck in the Park, and Habitat for Humanity. As an …

Bone Deterioration Due To Domesticated Rodent Scavenging, Logan N. Howard

Symposium of Student Scholars

This project examines the deterioration of bone caused by rat scavenging. Additionally, it will focus on what types of bones rats prefer when scavenging remains. The expected outcome is that the rodents will prefer the antler, with concentrated scavenging on the diaphysis due to the marrow withim the core.

The purpose for this project is to compare the markings left upon bones from rat gnawing. Knowing the effects of rat markings on remains are important when differentiating between traumatic damages and postmortem scavenging. Rat gnawing on human bones sometimes causes breakage associated with skeletal trauma, so distinguishing between the two …

Examination Of Blunt Force Skeletal Injuries As A Result Of Falls From Heights, Michele Kumar

Symposium of Student Scholars

Michele Kumar - Email: mkumar1@students.kennesaw.edu

Title: Examination of Blunt Force Skeletal Injuries as a Result of Falls from Heights

Damage to the skeleton can be extensive with falls from heights. Using measurements such as the height of the fall, the weight of the individual to calculate acceleration due to gravity, velocity of the launch speed, and the take-off distance in cases of homicide or suicide, certain occurrences can be predicted (Cross 2006:93). The position of the body, in conjunction with the surface and angle of impact can identify skeletal trauma in cases where the manner of death is unknown. Although …

Positional Relationship Of The Fibula Relative To The Tibia In Collegiate Athletes, Kat Lane

Symposium of Student Scholars

The research being conducted for a Practicum in Anthropology is related to the cross-sectional geometric properties of the tibia and fibula. Wolff’s Law states that form follows function, or that when stresses are placed on bone, the bone will remodel through either absorption or deposition in order to maintain optimal strain levels. The majority of research in cross-sectional bone geometry has been on the femur, and that which has been examining the lower leg usually focused on only the tibia. The tibia has managed to escape the focus of research due to the assumption of its lack of importance due …

An Astro-Anthropological Paradigm, Patrick Soutar

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.