Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

The Naming Of Homo Bodoensis By Roksandic And Colleagues Does Not Resolve Issues Surrounding Middle Pleistocene Human Evolution, Eric Delson, Chris Stringer

Publications and Research

Roksandic et al. (2022) proposed the new species name Homo bodoensis as a replacement name for Homo rhodesiensis Woodward, 1921, because they felt it was poorly and variably defined and was linked to sociopolitical baggage. However, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature includes regulations on how and when such name changes are allowed, and Roksandic et al.'s arguments meet none of these requirements. It is not permitted to change a name solely because of variable (or erroneous) later use once it has been originally defined correctly, nor can a name be modified because it is offensive to one or more …

We Can Still Feed Ourselves: Food Sovereignty, Aid, Sickness, And Health In Eastern Kentucky, Annie Koempel

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

Over forty percent of eastern Kentucky residents are classified as obese. From a biomedical perspective, obesity is linked to a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure and is caused by particular lifestyle behaviors that lead to an increase in calorie consumption and decrease in calorie expenditure. However, these links – individual behavior leads to obesity which leads to chronic disease - do not take into account a wide range of personal, social, environmental, political, and economic conditions. In addition to the assumptions of what it means to become and be obese, Kentucky is regularly …

National Barriers Impeding The Implementation Of Nagpra: Suggestions From A Small Institution, Zoe Milburn

Honors Program Theses

This thesis focuses on the impact and unrealized potentials of NAGPRA for Indigenous Americans and professional archaeologists following the first thirty years of the law’s existence. After providing some necessary background on the NAGPRA legislation and the context of the law’s passage, I examine these issues through three distinct methods. The first method focuses on a review of published Indigenous and archaeological literature to identify changes in sentiment around the law as well as to identify known hurdles within the process. The second revolves around my experience preparing a NAGPRA inventory for the Rollins College Archaeology Lab. Specifically, I reflect …

Anthropological Responses To Covid-19 In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article reflects on the roles anthropologists have played in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, and identifies the challenges – from the methodological to the political – they faced in fulfilling these roles. Drawing on the author's personal and professional experiences in the country, as well as on interviews with other anthropologists, this article identifies three major roles for anthropologists: conducting ethnographic research; bearing witness to the pandemic through first-person accounts; and engaging various publics. All these activities have contributed to a greater recognition of the role of the social sciences in health crises, even as anthropologists …

Preliminary Study In More Effective Utilization Of 87sr/86sr Analysis In The Field Of Forensic Anthropology, Samantha Powers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Isotopic analyses are gaining attention in the field of anthropology. The current utilization of strontium isotopes primarily focuses on residence and migration patterns of past populations extracting data from tooth enamel to indicate early-life residence This study aims to identify a skeletal feature to be set as a field standard in strontium analysis of modern remains when seeking end-of-life residence, the impact of diagenesis on modern remains, and to test the accuracy of the petrous as an alternative to tooth enamel.

The results of this research were unable to suggest such a standard but gathered helpful data to be used …

Identifying Skeletal Trauma Markers Associated With Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv), Haley K. Omeasoo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Objectives: This is a validation study of Biddle (2019), where much of the same materials are used, with the addition of new data from other databases to include more Native American and minority samples. A comparison database will also be analyzed against this data, with known cases of live individuals assaulted and assessed by health officials, some in IPV situations. All data is analyzed to discover which fracture locations are most common in IPV situations and which ethnic, sex, and age groups are most affected. Most fractures analyzed are those of the maxillofacial area, concentrating on the Zygomaticomaxillary Complex (ZMC) …

The Effects Humidity & Temperature Has On Dna Contamination During Storage, Samantha L. Ramey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Studies have been conducted on DNA cross-contamination throughout the criminal investigation process in order to evaluation the possibility that DNA from one sample could potentially influence the outcome of another. However, no published studies have examined the potential for contamination during the storage of genetic evidence after samples have been taken from crime scenes or suspects. This study is a continuation of a preliminary project, which examined storage drying time in relation to cross-contamination. The current study tested temperature and humidity for the potential of cross-contamination during storage prior to extraction. Prior to storage, 50 μl of male saliva was …

A Comprehensive Forensic Case Report With The University Of Montana Forensic Anthropology Lab University Of Montana Forensic Case #167, Tyler J. Trettin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This report consists of an inventory of the skeletal remains of case# 167, assessment of the minimum number of individuals (MNI), a biological profile if possible, and a literature review of the assessment and understanding of ballistic trauma. The skeletal remains are consistent with an MNI of one. The remains are likely from a male individual, and skeletal features are representative of a person of Caucasian ancestry. The individual is estimated to be between of 35-65 years old with an estimated stature of between 5’5” and 5’9”.

Y-Chromosome Dna Extraction From Post-Cranial Skeletal Elements, Mykala D. Ward

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The use of DNA in forensic science has become an integral tool for victim and perpetrator identifications, missing person’s cases, paternity testing, etc. A major use of DNA is in the identification of unknown deceased individuals. With a reported number of individuals well over 8,000 in the United States, improved methods to accurately collect and analyze DNA from modern human bone are needed.

This project took the preliminary steps to improve DNA sampling and extraction methods by analyzing the Y-chromosome DNA yield from the two bone types. While both types are composed of the same materials, cortical bone is the …

Assessing Stress Biomarkers As Embodied Identity In Kentucky’S Green River Archaic, Anna-Marie Casserly

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

The primary goal of this bioarchaeology dissertation research is to investigate the relationship between evidence of social identity and indicators of biological stress in the Green River region of Kentucky during the Late Archaic period (5,000-3,000 BP). Utilizing a biocultural perspective, I examine the ways that aspects of identity and social organization are embodied through the experience of biological stress. This research explores how social differences influence the patterning of osteological stress markers in an Archaic population while problematizing categories of difference that are often naturalized in bioarchaeology, such as gender or age cohorts. In so doing, it contributes to …

Morphometric Ancestral Analysis Of Infraorbital Foramen And Maxillo-Facial Landmarks Of Adult North American Skulls Using X-Ray And Computed Tomography Scans, Anna-Marie Lynn David

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Skeletal remains provide a variety of information about a species population and the sub populations within that species. The infraorbital foramen has previously been used to understand dietary niches, paleoecology, the nervous system, and the effect of the nervous system on other bone functions in the facial region in humans and other mammals. In medicine, the precise location of the infraorbital foramen has been studied to aid and guide maxillo-facial procedures and surgeries. In this research project, the null hypothesis states that the placement and location of the infraorbital foramen in relation to other facial landmarks were the same between …

Examining The Function Of Stone Wrapping Behavioral Pattern In Balinese Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca Fascicularis), Patricia Mitchell

All Master's Theses

Long-tailed macaques (LTMs, Macaca fascicularis) have multiple stone handling (SH) patterns that vary in form and complexity across different populations, but little is known about the group of Balinese LTM’s motivation to wrap stones in the Monkey Forest of Ubud, Indonesia. This study focuses on whether the SH pattern, wrap (WRP), is an object play behavior with the potential of becoming a more functionally complex behavior (e.g., tool use). SH sequences were collected using all-occurrence and focal sampling and examined using the program Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS). In total, 322 minutes of footage were reviewed for both stones …

Energetic Tradeoffs, Infection, And Immunity In Wild Chimpanzees Of Uganda And Tanzania, Sarah Renee Phillips

Anthropology ETDs

Infectious disease is a primary source of mortality for most mammal species, but scientists have little understanding of factors driving variation in infection and immunity between individuals, populations, and species in the wild. Life history theory provides an evolutionary framework for delineating distribution of available energy to competing physiological demands, including growth, reproduction, and maintenance. Early life reproduction should be favored over late life survival, but, in long-lived species, reproductive success is strongly tied to survival to old age. Slower pace of reproduction could allow investment in immunity, reducing risk of morbidity and mortality to infectious disease. Additionally, several host …

Investigating Depth Estimation To Archaeological Magnetic Source Bodies, Jeremy G. Menzer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magnetometry is the most widely applied archaeo-geophysical technique. Current practice standards employ the technique to map only in a two-dimensional plan view fashion, but in deep geologic studies depth estimators are routinely applied to magnetic datasets. These estimators provide three-dimensional information to magnetic source-bodies. There are many different depth estimators employed in geologic study that all require various degrees of processing complexity. This study investigates two mathematically simple techniques, half-width rules and multi-height methods. Half-width rules are likely the oldest depth estimators within the field while multi-height techniques are but a minor footnote in the literature. The applicability of these …

Canine Microwear In Relation To Diet In Sumatran Primates And African Great Apes, Putu Pujiantari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers canine microwear in relation to diet in five Sumatran primates (Pongo abelii, Hylobates lar, Hylobates agilis, Presbytis thomasi, and Macaca fascicularis) and two African great apes (Pan paniscus and Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) using both microwear texture analysis and microwear feature analysis techniques. Statistical results for texture analysis show that there are significant differences in scale of maximum and heterogeneity. This indicates that some species have large pits on their canine surfaces, having these dominated by deep features at coarse scale yet have a slight microwear heterogeneity. For feature analysis, all variables show statistically significant variation. Variance in …

A Preliminary Investigation Into The Effects Of Lucilia Sericata (Meigen) Blow Fly Larval Feeding On Sharp Force Trauma (Sft) Wound Patterns In Decomposing Bones Of Sus Scrofa Domesticus, Erica L. Klafehn

Student Theses

An important aspect of forensic investigations involves the characterization and analysis of bone related trauma as this can provide valuable information regarding the manner and circumstances of death. Bone trauma can be classified into three main categories, which include Sharp Force Trauma (SFT), Blunt Force Trauma (BFT), and Gunshot Trauma. Previous experiments have explored SFT on flesh and bones, specifically made with knives or saws, coupled with various microscopic analytical methods. Minimal research has been done integrating both a forensic entomology and forensic anthropology approach, so it is imperative to understand previous literature detailing the behaviors of insects (blow flies), …

An Assessment Of The Neurovascular Structures Of The Trigeminal Nerve And Their Relationship To Diet In Primates, Caitlin Yoakum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) enters the mandible via the mental foramen, supplies nervous sensation to the mandibular teeth as it travels through the mandibular canal, and exits the mandibular foramen to send information to the brain to maintain chewing cycles and protect the teeth from damage. Although bony canals and foramina have been shown to form around soft-tissue structures, there are some examples (e.g., the hypoglossal nerve/canal) where the nervous structures do not comprise most of the canal/foramina space. It is important to know the size of nerves because it has been established that larger nerves convey more information …

Detecting Gsr Indicative Particles On Decayed Bones Using A Novel Field Kit, Sven Engling

Student Theses

Decomposed human remains are complex forensic puzzles, escalating in difficulty as the remains’ age obscures evidence, like trauma. Research has shown that scanning electron microscopes with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometers (SEM-EDX) are capable of detecting and identifying gunshot residue (GSR) particles on bones. However, SEM-EDX work is time consuming, expensive, and not accessible to every forensic department. Therefore, a preliminary field test capable of detecting GSR indicative particles, like lead, could save departments money and assist in trauma identification. This study examines the viability of using either the 3M Lead Check Test swabs or a sodium rhodizonate solution as part …

Attitude Toward Companion And Guard Dogs In Hawaii: Health And Welfare Implications, Lynn Morrison, Julie Ann Luiz Adrian, Marina Kelley, Johana Hill, Zachariah Tman, Dana-Lynn Ko'omoa-Lange

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

The island of Hawaii exhibits extremes in dog welfare ranging from dogs as family members to dogs used as commodities, either as guard or hunting dogs, with many lacking appropriate care. This study offers a preliminary exploration of people’s attitudes toward companion and noncompanion dogs and the health and welfare implications for humans and dogs. Data collection included interviews and surveys conducted among 20 companion dog/human and eight guard dog/human dyads. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored during interviews to assess stress. The results of the interview data led to five themes. The first two themes describing contexts of dog welfare …

Trade-Offs In Growth And Development: A Life History Approach, Anna Medendorp Rautman

Anthropology ETDs

Life history theory (LHT) is the conceptualization of tradeoffs in resources allocation. Plasticity, the ability of phenotypes to vary in response to environmental cues, is integral to LHT. Prior to completed maturation, resources are distributed towards maintenance or somatic maturation, a combination of growth and development (G&D). This dissertation presents an examination of intragroup variation in the G&D of the dental and skeletal systems within a sample of 20th century White females to consider whether they provide evidence for tradeoffs within the subadult interval. In a series of individual research chapters, I consider the following: 1) how does the relative …