Sausage of Science

Cristina and Anahi chat with Dr. Gonzalo Figueiro about his groundbreaking research in ancient DNA, kinship, and population genetics. Dr. Figueiro is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of the Republic, Uruguay, and holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the Basic Sciences Development Programme (PEDECIBA), Uruguay. His main research interests are the genetics of ancient and modern human populations and the bioarchaeology of prehistoric populations in Uruguay. He also reflects and writes on the ethics of working with DNA samples and human remains from the past. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Figueiro, G. (2024). Simulating the effects of kinship and postmarital residence patterns on mitochondrial DNA diversity in mortuary contexts. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, e24910. ------------------------------ Contact Gonzalo via email: gonzalo.figueiro@fhce.edu.uy ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu Anahi Ruderman, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: aniruderman@gmail.com Twitter:@ani_ruderman

Cristina guest hosts her first episode with special guest Dr. Marina Watowich: an Evolutionary Biologist and current NIH F32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Watowich earned her Ph.D. in Biology in 2022 from the University of Washington, where she specialized in Data Science. Her research focuses on how environmental perturbations impact long-term health-related phenotypes and why some individuals are more resilient/susceptible to adverse conditions. To do this, she uses a combination of genomic approaches, computational techniques, and long-term observational data to understand how the environment 'gets under the skin' to result in phenotypic variation. Marina was recently awarded an F32 grant from the National Institutes of Aging to explore the consequences of differential immune investment on molecular aging phenotypes in subsistence-level populations. ------------------------------ Find the papers discussed in this episode: Watowich, Marina M., et al. "Natural disaster and immunological aging in a nonhuman primate." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119.8 (2022): e2121663119. Watowich, M. M., Arner, A. M., Wang, S., John, E., Kahumbu, J. C., Kinyua, P., ... & Lea, A. J. (2024). The built environment is more predictive of cardiometabolic health than other aspects of lifestyle in two rapidly transitioning Indigenous populations. medRxiv. ------------------------------ Contact Marina: website: https://mwatowich.github.io/; email: marina.watowich@vanderbilt.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Cristina Gildee, Host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu

Maria Florencia Cesani es Licenciada en Antropología y Dra. en Ciencias Naturales por la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Es investigadora independiente de CONICET y se desempeña como directora del Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Ontogenia y Adaptación (LINOA) de la Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, de la Universidad Nacional de la Plata, donde también es Profesora de Antropología Biológica. Sus temas de investigación giran en torno al estudio del crecimiento y estado nutricional infantil y adolescente y su relación con factores sociales, económicos y ambientales que los condicionan. Actualmente trabaja en barrios vulnerables localizados en la periferia urbana de La Plata (provincia de Buenos Aires). Maria Florencia Cesani holds a degree in Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the National University of La Plata. She is an independent researcher at CONICET and Director of the Laboratory of Research on Ontogeny and Adaptation (LINOA) of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum of the National University of La Plata, where she is also Professor of Biological Anthropology. Her research interests revolve around the study of growth and nutritional status in children and adolescents and their relationship to social, economic, and environmental factors. She is currently working in vulnerable neighborhoods in the urban periphery of La Plata (Buenos Aires Province). Find the paper discussed in this episode: Cesani, M. F., Montero, M. G., & Serrano, M. D. M. (2025). Anthropometric Studies of Schoolchildren During the First Decades of the 20th Century in Spain and Argentina. American journal of human biology, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24183 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. María Florencia Cesani: florcesani@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/florcesani ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Anahí Ruderman, Guest Co-Host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow. E-mail: ruderman@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar. Twitter: @ani_ruderman Miguel Ochoa, Guest Co-Host E-mail: mochoa88@uw.edu, Cristina Gildee, SoS producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Twitter:@CristinaGildee

Chris Lynn and Courtney Manthey discuss about the role of monkey bars in human development with Dr. Nathaniel J Dominy, an evolutionary biologist and Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth. He study the behavior, ecology, and functional morphology of humans and nonhuman primates. His research philosophy is to integrate tropical fieldwork with mechanical, molecular, and isotopic analyses in order to better understand how and why adaptive shifts occurred during primate evolution. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Luke D Fannin, Zaneta M Thayer, Nathaniel J Dominy. (2024) Commemorating the monkey bars, catalyst of debate at the intersection of human evolutionary biology and public health, Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 12(1), 143–155, https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoae017 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Nathaniel J Dominy: Nathaniel.J.Dominy@dartmouth.edu ----------------------------- Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: aniruderman@gmail.com

Meredith Aulds is a practicing birth doula, community health worker, and medical anthropologist at Purdue University. As a public health worker and anthropologist, she have had the pleasure to work with both governmental and nonprofit organizations that provide free community resources to pregnant people and their families in Indiana. She is also a senior researcher in the Laboratory for Behavior, Ontogeny, and Reproduction (LABOR) at Purdue, where she have supervised undergraduate research projects in maternal-child health. She have experience in program management, grant writing, community-based programs, and qualitative/quantitative research methods. She is also a devoted dog mom, gardener, and quilting novice. In the future, she would love to become a certified yoga instructor with a focus in prenatal yoga. Find the paper discussed in this episode: Aulds, M. (2024). Prevalence of sacroiliac joint fusion in females and males depending on parity status. American journal of biological anthropology, 184(4), e24951. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24951 Contact Meredith Aulds: maulds@purdue.edu Instagram: @meredith_aulds ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: aniruderman@gmail.com

Chris and Courtney sit down with Dr. Thomas Wynn, the Hand Axe Man, AKA: CU Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Colorado. Colorado Springs, where he taught from 1977 until his retirement. Dr. Wynn specializes in the archaeology of the Lower Palaeolithic, led pioneering research in Tanzania, and introduced psychological theory—specifically Piagetian concepts—into Palaeolithic studies, laying the groundwork for evolutionary cognitive archaeology. Dr. Wynn has published over 100 papers and authored key books such as The Rise of Homo Sapiens (2009) and How to Think Like a Neandertal (2012), which he co-authored with Dr. Frederick Coolidge. In 2011, Wynn co-founded the UCCS Center for Cognitive Archaeology, offering online courses on human cognition's evolutionary development. His recent work includes curating First Sculpture, an exhibition on Acheulean handaxes and early aesthetics, which opened at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas in 2018. ------------------------------ Find the book discussed in this episode: Wynn, Thomas, and Frederick L. Coolidge. How to think like a Neanderthal. Oxford University Press, 2011. ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Wynn via e-mail: twynn@uccs.edu ------------------------------ 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, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Twitter:@CristinaGildee

Listeners, please welcome Courtney Manthey to the show ...as a guest! In this episode, Courtney takes a break from running the HBA social media accounts and being on the elected student committee to talk about her research regarding Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Also, the human biology word of the day is: hirsutism. Find the publication discussed in today’s episode via this citation: Manthey, C., Cepon-Robins, T., & Warrener, A. (2024). Hyperandrogenism associated with polycystic ovary syndrome may have a protective effect against fracture risk in female athletes: A pilot study. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council, 36(8), e24070. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24070 ------------------------------------------------------------ Courtney Manthey is a PhD student at the University of Montana, where she studies ancient DNA under the guidance of Dr. Meradeth Snow. She is also a Research Affiliate at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, a Research Collaborator on the Rural Embodiment and Community Health (REACH) project, and Project Manager for the NSF-funded project, “The Effects of Shared Markers of Identity on Inflammation and Stress,” among other initiatives. Courtney’s research interests include reproductive health, maternal-fetal evolutionary genetics, energetics, and women’s diseases. She is the Principal Investigator for the "PCOS in the Pacific" project, which examines the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome across the Pacific region through ancient DNA and disease prevalence studies, as well as the "PCOS Patient, Partner, Parent Stigma" project. Additionally, Courtney serves on the research and patient advisory boards of the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association and the PCOS Multidisciplinary Clinic at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is also a Patient Family Partner at the Preeclampsia Foundation and a Junior Service Fellow at the Human Biology Association. In her free time, Courtney is a childbirth doula, specializing in supporting adolescent mothers through the birthing process. ------------------------------------------------------------ Courtney Manthey, Special Guest, Website: www.HolyLaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu Chris Lynn, HBA Public Relations Committee Chair Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn at ua.edu, Cara Ocobock, Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:cocobock@nd.edu Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation Website: humbio.org/, Instagram: humbioassoc

Chris and Cristina share a bookclub favorite: "The Human Disease How We Create Pandemics, from Our Bodies to Our Beliefs" with author Dr. Sabrina Sholts. Dr. Sholts is a Curator of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), received her PhD in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara, and was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Human Evolution Research Center (HERC) and at Stockholm University in the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry. Dr. Sholts is also the Director of the Smithsonian Institution Bio-Imaging Research (SIBIR) Center, Lead Curator of the Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World exhibition, and a World Economic Forum Young Scientist. Her research uses museum collections to explore intersections of human, animal, and environmental health. ------------------------------ Find the book discussed in this episode: Sholts, Sabrina. The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from Our Bodies to Our Beliefs. MIT Press, 2024. ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Sholts: Website: http://profiles.si.edu/individual/nSholtsS2252014, Twitter: @sabrinasholts E-mail: SholtsS@si.edu ------------------------------ 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 Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Twitter: @CristinaGildee

Co-host Chris Lynn joins Tom Brutsaert to dive deep into spleen variability and how it relates to intense exercise in high altitude populations. Dr. Tom Brutsaert is a professor at the Syracuse University. He has broad interests in how gene and environment interact to produce variation in human athletic ability and health and disease. He conducts field research on high altitude natives in the Andes, with some focus on gas exchange and the control of breathing. He and his collaborators have been using genome-wide approaches to elucidate the genetic basis of variation in specific altitude adaptive traits in several Andean populations, including the Quechua, in Peru, and the Aymara, in Bolivia. Brutsaert also has a laboratory-based program that focuses on how early life (intrauterine) developmental effects influence later-life adult exercise capacity, physical activity, body composition, the response to training, and the future risk for chronic disease. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Brutsaert, T. D., Harman, T. S., Bigham, A. W., Kalker, A., Jorgensen, K. C., Zhu, K. T., Steiner, B. C., Hawkins, E., Day, T. A., Kunwar, A. J., Thakur, N., Dhungel, S., Sherpa, N., & Holmström, P. K. (2024). Larger spleens and greater splenic contraction during exercise may be an adaptive characteristic of Nepali Sherpa at high-altitude. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council, 36(9), e24090. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24090 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Brutsaert: tdbrutsa@syr.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow. E-mail: aniruderman@gmail.com, Twitter: @ani_ruderman Cristina Gildee, HBA Junior Fellow, SoS producer Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Twitter:@CristinaGildee Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Eric Griffith, Guest Co-Host, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: eric.griffith@duke.edu Cara Ocobock, Co-Host, Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:cocobock@nd.edu, Twitter:@CaraOcobock

Co-Hosts Chris Lynn and Anahí Ruderman talk abot how religion impacts fertility and maternal and child health with Dr. John Shaver, a biocultural and evolutionary anthropologist in the Department of Anthropology at Baylor University. Most of his work to date has focused on understanding cultural variation in solutions to collective action and collective resource problems, and how these solutions may impact health and well-being. This research has involved fieldwork in Fiji, The Gambia, Mauritius, New Zealand, and the United States. His work is interdisciplinary and has been published in anthropology, biology, neuroscience, religion, psychology and general science journals. He is a co-editor of Religion, Brain & Behavior, a journal dedicated to the biological study of religion. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Shaver, J. H., Chvaja, R., Spake, L., Hassan, A., Badjie, J., Prentice, A. M., Cerami, C., Sear, R., Shenk, M. K., & Sosis, R. (2024). Religious Involvement Is Associated With Higher Fertility and Lower Maternal Investment, but More Alloparental Support Among Gambian Mothers. American journal of human biology, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24144 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. John Shaver: John_Shaver@baylor.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Twitter: @ani_ruderman, E-mail: aniruderman@gmail.com Courtney Manthey, Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Cristina Gildee, Co-Host, HBA Junior Fellow, SoS producer, Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Twitter:@CristinaGildee Cara Ocobock, Co-Host, Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:cocobock@nd.edu, Twitter:@CaraOcobock