Anthropology posts
- January 17, 2013
- 11:26 AM
- 194 views
A New Perspective on Medieval Leprosy
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Leprosy was an epidemic disease that not only infected millions of people over a span of thousands of years, but it still remains a threat in Third World countries. Due to its destructive effects on the flesh of those infected, leprosy created a history of fear and segregation caused by misconceptions and rumor. In the … Continue reading »... Read more »
Roffey, S., & Tucker, K. (2012) A contextual study of the medieval hospital and cemetery of St Mary Magdalen, Winchester, England. International Journal of Paleopathology, 2(4), 170-180. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2012.09.018
- January 15, 2013
- 08:44 AM
- 153 views
The Swept Up Remains of Infants
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
The treatment of infants in the past can vary significantly from their treatment in modern times; which is why a recent find from Italy has caused discussion. The excavation at Poggio Civitate in Tuscancy has revealed a number of infant bones within garbage debris along the floor of the villa. The site dates to the late … Continue reading »... Read more »
Maureen Carroll. (2011) Infant death and burial in Roman Italy. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 99-120. info:/
- January 14, 2013
- 02:52 AM
- 141 views
What Happened to the Fremont?
by teofilo in Gambler's House
As I mentioned in the previous post, the most mysterious thing about the Fremont is what happened to them. Unlike the Anasazi, who obviously became the modern Pueblos, the Fremont have no obvious connections to any modern groups. Fremont sites appear to disappear around AD 1300 in most areas, although there is some regional variation [...]... Read more »
Aikens, C. (1967) Plains Relationships of the Fremont Culture: A Hypothesis. American Antiquity, 32(2), 198. DOI: 10.2307/277904
Armelagos, G. (1968) Aikens' Fremont Hypothesis and Use of Skeletal Material in Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity, 33(3), 385. DOI: 10.2307/278710
Gunnerson, J. (1962) Plateau Shoshonean Prehistory: A Suggested Reconstruction. American Antiquity, 28(1), 41. DOI: 10.2307/278076
Madsen, D. (1975) Dating Paiute-Shoshoni Expansion in the Great Basin. American Antiquity, 40(1), 82. DOI: 10.2307/279271
Madsen, D., & Simms, S. (1998) The Fremont Complex: A Behavioral Perspective. Journal of World Prehistory, 12(3), 255-336. DOI: 10.1023/A:1022322619699
Parr RL, Carlyle SW, & O'Rourke DH. (1996) Ancient DNA analysis of Fremont Amerindians of the Great Salt Lake Wetlands. American journal of physical anthropology, 99(4), 507-18. PMID: 8779335
Pendergast, D., & Meighan, C. (1959) Folk Traditions as Historical Fact: A Paiute Example. The Journal of American Folklore, 72(284), 128. DOI: 10.2307/538475
Schroeder, A. (1963) Comment on Gunnerson's "Plateau Shoshonean Prehistory". American Antiquity, 28(4), 559. DOI: 10.2307/278572
- January 12, 2013
- 08:07 AM
- 201 views
Malthus, Darwin, and the (Sustainable?) Future of Humanity
by gunnardw in The Beast, the Bard and the Bot
In 1798, Thomas Robert Malthus, a British scholar, published (anonymously at first) An Essay on the Principle of Population. In this highly influential work on population dynamics, he noted that “the increase of population is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence.”. Put simply, a population can’t keep growing, as the resources it needs are [...]... Read more »
Nekola, J., Allen, C., Brown, J., Burger, J., Davidson, A., Fristoe, T., Hamilton, M., Hammond, S., Kodric-Brown, A., Mercado-Silva, N.... (2013) The Malthusian–Darwinian dynamic and the trajectory of civilization. Trends in Ecology . DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.12.001
- January 11, 2013
- 12:31 AM
- 260 views
English for everyone is unfair
by Ingrid Piller in Language on the Move
Knowledge of English has come to be seen as the key talent of the 21st century, a way to perfect an individual’s character and to modernize societies; a central facet of global development. China, for instance, introduced an ambitious universal … Continue reading →... Read more »
Hu, G., & Alsagoff, L. (2010) A public policy perspective on English medium instruction in China. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 31(4), 365-382. DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2010.489950
- January 8, 2013
- 06:56 AM
- 192 views
Identifying Survivors of the Great Irish Famine
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
It’s odd to say that you can identify survivors when the population you are studying is made up of skeletal remains; but this is exactly what Beaumont et al. (2013) do in their analysis. Usually, the goal of bioarchaeological studies is to understand why the specific population died. However, during periods when you have mass … Continue reading »... Read more »
Beaumont, J., Geber, J., Powers, N., Wilson, A., Lee-Thorp, J., & Montgomery, J. (2013) Victims and survivors: Stable isotopes used to identify migrants from the Great Irish Famine to 19th century London. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 150(1), 87-98. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22179
- January 7, 2013
- 07:12 PM
- 217 views
Early study abroad students in young adulthood
by Bong Jeong Lee in Language on the Move
Readers of Language on the Move will be familiar with South Korea’s English fever, the sweeping zeal for learning English. Parents enrol children in English medium-preschools, arts and sports classes, nursery schools with native-speaking English staff, toddler gyms with English … Continue reading →... Read more »
Cummins, Jim. (2000) Language, power and pedagogy: bilingual children in the crossfire, . Multilingual Matters. info:/
- January 7, 2013
- 03:33 PM
- 314 views
What the heck is Vocal Fry?
by Greg Laden in Greg Laden's Blog
Until a few minutes ago, I didn’t even know what the heck Vocal Fry is. Apparently some people have gotten really annoyed about it, as it is a speech mannerism that has emerged among young folks, who are always annoying, and especially females, who are always annoying. Apparently. (I also did not know that until…... Read more »
Wolk, L., Abdelli-Beruh, N., & Slavin, D. (2012) Habitual Use of Vocal Fry in Young Adult Female Speakers. Journal of Voice, 26(3). DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.04.007
- January 7, 2013
- 11:20 AM
- 228 views
The diffusion of unsuccessful innovations: the myth of raised field agriculture
by Umberto in Up and Down in Moxos
Pre-Columbian raised field agriculture is an extremely interesting topic that we have discussed in this blog before, here, here and here. We call raised fields “any prepared land involving the transfer and elevation of soil above the natural surface of the earth in order to improve cultivating conditions” ADDIN EN.CITE Denevan19741025(Denevan and Turner, 1974)1025102517Denevan, William M.Turner, B. L.Forms, functions and associations of raised fields in the old world tropicsJournal of tro........ Read more »
Baveye, Philippe C. (2013) Comment on “Ecological engineers ahead of their time: The functioning of pre-Columbian raised-field agriculture and its potential contributions to sustainability today” by Dephine Renard et al. Ecological Engineering. info:/
Lombardo, U., Canal-Beeby, E., Fehr, S., & Veit, H. (2011) Raised fields in the Bolivian Amazonia: a prehistoric green revolution or a flood risk mitigation strategy?. Journal of Archaeological Science, 38(3), 502-512. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2010.09.022
Renard, D., Iriarte, J., Birk, J., Rostain, S., Glaser, B., & McKey, D. (2012) Ecological engineers ahead of their time: The functioning of pre-Columbian raised-field agriculture and its potential contributions to sustainability today. Ecological Engineering, 30-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.03.007
- January 6, 2013
- 03:14 PM
- 130 views
dialogue with infidel women in Matthew of Edessa’s chronicle
by Douglas Galbi in purple motes
Via Armenian captive's dialogue with infidel women, Matthew of Edessa points to capabilities of eye and ear beyond grand public prophecy and chronicle. ... Read more »
MacEvitt, Christopher. (2007) The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa: Apocalypse, the First Crusade, and the Armenian Diaspora. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 157-181. info:/
- January 6, 2013
- 02:50 AM
- 140 views
Capturing the Fremont
by teofilo in Gambler's House
Many of the prehistoric cultures of the Southwest are routinely described as “mysterious,” most often in popular accounts and tourist information but also sometimes in the more serious archaeological literature. This is certainly true in a sense, in that a lot of information about any given ancient society, especially one without writing, is gone forever [...]... Read more »
Aikens, C. (1967) Plains Relationships of the Fremont Culture: A Hypothesis. American Antiquity, 32(2), 198. DOI: 10.2307/277904
Armelagos, G. (1968) Aikens' Fremont Hypothesis and Use of Skeletal Material in Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity, 33(3), 385. DOI: 10.2307/278710
Gunnerson, J. (1956) Plains-Promontory Relationships. American Antiquity, 22(1), 69. DOI: 10.2307/276168
Gunnerson, J. (1962) Plateau Shoshonean Prehistory: A Suggested Reconstruction. American Antiquity, 28(1), 41. DOI: 10.2307/278076
Judd, N. (1917) Evidence of Circular Kivas in Western Utah Ruins. American Anthropologist, 19(1), 34-40. DOI: 10.1525/aa.1917.19.1.02a00070
Madsen, D. (1979) New Views on the Fremont: The Fremont and the Sevier: Defining Prehistoric Agriculturalists North of the Anasazi: Reply. American Antiquity, 44(4), 736. DOI: 10.2307/279114
Madsen, D., & Simms, S. (1998) The Fremont Complex: A Behavioral Perspective. Journal of World Prehistory, 12(3), 255-336. DOI: 10.1023/A:1022322619699
Schroeder, A. (1963) Comment on Gunnerson's "Plateau Shoshonean Prehistory". American Antiquity, 28(4), 559. DOI: 10.2307/278572
- January 5, 2013
- 10:06 PM
- 249 views
Spirit Possession as a Trauma-Related Disorder in Uganda
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has waged a long and brutal campaign to overthrow the government of Uganda. Rape and torture are commonly used tactics. Children are kidnapped and forced to serve as soldiers — children and youth comprise almost 90% of the LRA, according to the UN. These child soldiers experience incredibly high rates of trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress, and depression.A recent study examined the culturally-specific psychological syndrome of spirit possession in this popu........ Read more »
Neuner, F., Pfeiffer, A., Schauer-Kaiser, E., Odenwald, M., Elbert, T., & Ertl, V. (2012) Haunted by ghosts: Prevalence, predictors and outcomes of spirit possession experiences among former child soldiers and war-affected civilians in Northern Uganda. Social Science , 75(3), 548-554. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.028
- January 5, 2013
- 05:01 AM
- 264 views
Where Are We On Blastocystis Subtypes?
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
Nine subtypes have been found in humans, but some of them only on rare occasions. A recent study going out from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and led by Dr Alfellani and published just now in Acta Tropica looked at 356 Blastocystis sequences from samples from the UK and Libya, but also from sub-Saharan Africa, namely Liberia and Nigeria.... Read more »
Alfellani, M., Stensvold, C., Vidal-Lapiedra, A., Onuoha, E., Fagbenro-Beyioku, A., & Clark, C. (2013) Variable geographic distribution of Blastocystis subtypes and its potential implications. Acta Tropica. DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2012.12.011
Stensvold, C. (2012) Comparison of Sequencing (Barcode Region) and Sequence-Tagged-Site PCR for Blastocystis Subtyping. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 51(1), 190-194. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02541-12
Domínguez-Márquez, M., Guna, R., Muñoz, C., Gómez-Muñoz, M., & Borrás, R. (2009) High prevalence of subtype 4 among isolates of Blastocystis hominis from symptomatic patients of a health district of Valencia (Spain). Parasitology Research, 105(4), 949-955. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-009-1485-y
Stensvold, C., Alfellani, M., & Clark, C. (2012) Levels of genetic diversity vary dramatically between Blastocystis subtypes. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 12(2), 263-273. DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.11.002
Stensvold, C., Christiansen, D., Olsen, K., & Nielsen, H. (2011) Blastocystis sp. Subtype 4 is Common in Danish Blastocystis-Positive Patients Presenting with Acute Diarrhea. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 84(6), 883-885. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2011.11-0005
- January 4, 2013
- 11:43 AM
- 243 views
The Science of Choosing Space Pioneers
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
I often ask others if they would live in space or on another planet if given the opportunity. More often than not, the answer is in the affirmative. But what if you were given the chance and actually wanted to go, but were declined because you weren’t selected by a computer algorithm as one of [...]... Read more »
Yusof, N., & van Loon, J. (2012) Engineering a Global City: The Case of Cyberjaya. Space and Culture, 15(4), 298-316. DOI: 10.1177/1206331212453676
Saaty, T., & Sagir, M. (2012) Global awareness, future city design and decision making. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering, 21(3), 337-355. DOI: 10.1007/s11518-012-5196-z
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- January 4, 2013
- 08:29 AM
- 205 views
Asking the Right Question about Ethnicity
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
I’ve been reading two very different sorts of reading materials recently. The first are journal articles and scholarly books on the Late Antique and Early Medieval period in Western Europe as part of my preparation for my PhD exams that are coming up this Spring. The second are the works of Terry Pratchett as a … Continue reading »... Read more »
Hakenbeck, Susanne. (2011) Roman or barbarian? Shifting identities in early medieval cemeteries in bavaria. Post - Classical Archaeologies. info:other/
Halsall, Guy. (2011) Ethnicity and early medieval cemeteries. Arqueología y Territorio Medieval. info:/
- January 3, 2013
- 06:30 PM
- 281 views
The exotic Chinese language
by Chen Xiaoxiao 陈潇潇 in Language on the Move
Ingrid’s blog post “Character challenge” has set me thinking about Chinese language learning these days. I have found her observation about learning Chinese characters as “the most intriguing pastime” particularly impressive, especially when I look again at the data I … Continue reading →... Read more »
Jaworski, A., Thurlow, C., Lawson, S., & Ylänne-McEwen, V. (2003) The Uses and Representations of Local Languages in Tourist Destinations: A View from British TV Holiday Programmes. Language Awareness, 12(1), 5-29. DOI: 10.1080/09658410308667063
- January 2, 2013
- 02:07 PM
- 142 views
Tree climbing and human evolution
by sahelanthropus in EvoAnth
The modern human foot and ankle has lost many ape-like traits in favour of an anatomy useful for walking bipedally. For example, the grasping toes of apes have become shorter rigid toes in humans that can propel us forwards as we walk. Many bones in the foot and ankle have become larger to better support … Continue reading »... Read more »
Venkataraman VV, Kraft TS, & Dominy NJ. (2012) Tree climbing and human evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 23277565
- January 1, 2013
- 05:57 PM
- 175 views
Gog and Magog behind Alexander the Great’s wall in China
by Douglas Galbi in purple motes
Gog and Magog, Alexander the Great's wall, and a great wall in China coalesced in an official report to Abbasid Caliph al-Wathiq about 845.... Read more »
Donzel, E. J. van, Andrea B. Schmidt, and Claudia Ott. (2009) Gog and Magog in early Syriac and Islamic sources: Sallam's quest for Alexander's wall. Leiden: Brill. info:/
- January 1, 2013
- 03:48 PM
- 203 views
Who was the hobbits ancestor?
by sahelanthropus in EvoAnth
Homo floresiensis, also known as “the hobbit”, is probably the most famous hominin of the 21st century. Even my barber had heard of it. This popularity seems to stem from how strange the creature is, ensuring it is very popular with the media. Measuring in at just over a meter tall it’s the smallest member of … Continue reading »... Read more »
Argue D, Morwood MJ, Sutikna T, Jatmiko, & Saptomo EW. (2009) Homo floresiensis: a cladistic analysis. Journal of human evolution, 57(5), 623-39. PMID: 19628252
- December 31, 2012
- 09:33 AM
- 318 views
Ethical Challenges for Clinical Genome Sequencing
by Daniel Koboldt in Massgenomics
Clinical genome sequencing holds great promise for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease, but also brings many ethical challenges. What if key variants are found in the genome of a patient who died? Should those results be returned to the family, and if so, how? [...]... Read more »
Chan, B., Facio, F., Eidem, H., Hull, S., Biesecker, L., & Berkman, B. (2012) Genomic Inheritances: Disclosing Individual Research Results From Whole-Exome Sequencing to Deceased Participants’ Relatives. The American Journal of Bioethics, 12(10), 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2012.699138
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