SoS 266: Beyond the Checklist: Systematic Reviews and the SCRIBE Toolkit w/ Dr. Varela-Silva

We’re long overdue for this conversation. In this episode, Chris and Courtney sit down with Dr. Inês Varela-Silva, Reader in Biocultural Studies and Community Health at Loughborough University, to talk about methods and why evidence synthesis matters for equity in science. We trace her path into anthropology and human biology before diving into the SCRIBE (SystematiC Reviews In Biocultural rEsearch) toolkit, recently published in the American Journal of Human Biology. We explore why biocultural research has historically underused systematic reviews and how excluding biocultural factors can bias evidence against Indigenous, minority, and small-scale populations. We also discuss SCRIBE’s six-step framework and the value of tools like Notion and Trello, alongside reflections on The Maya Project. ------------------------------ Find the work discussed in this episode: Varela-Silva, M. I., N. Rush, and N. Pearson. 2025. “ Conducting Scoping and Systematic Reviews With a Focus on Biocultural Research: The SCRIBE Toolkit.” American Journal of Human Biology 37, no. 9: e70133. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70133. https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/The_SCRIBE_toolkit/29364935?file=57972535 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Varela-Silva: M.I.O.Varela-Silva@lboro.ac.uk ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: Courtney.Manthey@umconnect.umt.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,