AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Christopher Schmitt of Boston University joins the show to talk about how he uses life history theory and epigenetics as a lens for his work with vervets and woolly monkeys. We also chatted about the highs of fieldwork, along with understanding how identity can affect an individual's experience of the field. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Dr. Schmitt's personal website Dr. Schmitt's faculty profile at Boston University Schmitt, C., Service, S., Jasinska, A. et al. Obesity and obesogenic growth are both highly heritable and modified by diet in a nonhuman primate model, the African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). Int J Obes 42, 765–774 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.301 Carrey, N. (2011). The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance. Stearns, S.C. (1992). The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford University Press. Turner, T. R., Schmitt, C. A., & Cramer, J. D. (2019). Savanna Monkeys: The Genus Chlorocebus. Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Kate Clancy of Illinois 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. 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. 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. 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. 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

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. 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. 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