Stay ConnectedThe Arch and Anth Podcast aims to provides entertaining and educational content about archaeology and anthropology. Hosting the show is Dr Michael B. C. Rivera, an expert in the study of human biology, human behavior and human societies worldwide, from the earliest beginnings to modern times. Episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, featuring a special guest talking about their work.
More info at: http://archandanth.com/
Copyright: The Arch and Anth Podcast © 2019
For this episode, Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan (Scripps Research) takes us through their work in bioinformatics, venom microbiology and data science and education.
How does Sabah see bioinformatics research influencing and benefiting our daily life and how the natural or human world operates around us? What are examples of evolutionary, ecological and biological questions we can answer through a big data approach and analysis? What was their first experience in computational biology, and how did they get started looking at the Californian cone snail morphologically and the microbes in the venom glands of these gastropods?
We also talk about the coronavirus pandemic and how crucial it is that Scripps and other research institutions work on improving data literacy. This is to fight misinformation and to give public audiences the tools they need to understand what data mean and do not indicate, which, in these times, is so important.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
Sabah can be found on Twitter if you have any questions or feedback.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
In this episode, An-Di Yim (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) talks to us about his PhD research looking into the various environmental and genetic factors that contribute to skeletal growth and skeletal form before human adulthood.
What is the 'population genetics' approach and how can anthropologists use it to quantify the degrees to which various evolutionary influences affect skeletal growth? Why do some children and teenagers have shorter or longer limbs than others across the world, and do juvenile skeletons globally exhibit these trends right from birth? How does An-Di combine data from forensic samples, genome databases, and archaeological material from different world populations, in his analyses?
We also talk about teaching biological anthropology, as well An-Di's previous work interning and going out into the field practicing forensic anthropology in real-world situations. Being both from East Asia, Michael shares his impressions of biological anthropology in Hong Kong, while An-Di talks about Taiwanese anthropology, both with an eye of improving the representation of East and Southeast Asian sketal samples in future anthropological work.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for An-Di, you can find him on Twitter and on his website.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram too.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
Today, Amanda Wissler (Arizona State University) talks about her PhD research investigating frailty and resilience among human skeletons dated to 1918 and associated with the Spanish Influenza pandemic.
What are the basic definitions of 'frailty' and 'resilience' in the fields of palaeopathology and bioarchaeology? What signs of non-specific stress can we identify from the teeth and bones belonging to historical victims of Spanish Flu, tuberculosis, pnuemonia and other ailments? What inspired Amanda to become a bioarchaeologist and how did she prepare to do this research in the early stages?
In addition, are there parallels or noticeable differences between the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic and the current COVID-19 situation Amanda has found? How is she adapting or coping with the present circumstances while in Cleveland for a data collection trip that is being affected by the pandemic right now? How important is it to have engaging and educational information about biology and anthropology, either to keep folks informed about history and science, or help students and audiences live through these times?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Amanda, you can find her on Twitter and her website.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
On this episode, Dr. Earvin Cabalquinto (Deakin University) talks about communications between Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Melbourne and their family members in the Philippines, and research themes that surround these communications such as the uses of digital networks and social media, the dynamics of familial and social connections, and lived experiences of mobility and migration.
What aspects of communication between geographically separated Filipino family members can be understood as being part of maintaining connection, and what other aspects can be understood as a form of surveillance? What are the different tactics deploted by dispersed family members to experience, share and comment upon their relatives' lives at a distance? How much of our lives online can be viewed as creative personalizations and curated narrative-building, and can we learn about this through studying the videos of Filipino YouTubers?
Both Earvin and Michael also share their own experiences of moving abroad for study and work, talking about the ways they keep in touch with their families, and also how they navigate the challenging aspect of academic life that requires juggling of many various projects and forms of work.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Earvin to share questions or thoughts, you can find him on Twitter or his personal website.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
In this episode, Megan Kleeschulte (University of Tennessee Knoxville) talks to us about her recent work studying the awareness and implication of NAGPRA laws among medical examiners and coroners (ME/C) working across the United States.
The Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), passed in 1990, established rules governing the handling and return of Indigenous human remains and associated funerary objects owned or possessed by them. For a Master's project, Megan interviewed and surveyed ME/C officers to discover the level to which they were aware of NAGPRA legislation and what resources or information they needed to carry out proper procedures.How are practitioners, academics, medical examiners and coroners working right now towards adaptable and inclusive communications and procedures for analysis and repatriation of human remains?
How do we include Native tribes in this process, and how do we learn from the past when NAGPRA was first passed? How do we make sure Native tribes are included and heard from at every step of this process as we're working on how to implement these laws within the medical-legal system? How does Megan want to contribute to better collaborations and consultations between Native tribes and ME/C offices for her current PhD work?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
You can find Megan on her student page if you have questions for her.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
Historical, industrial and maritime archaeologist Anton Larsson (Stockholm University) is on the podcast today. He shares details about his PhD research looking at the impacts on archaeology and local community of landslides in western Sweden between 1,000–1,900 CE.
How often and to what extent have landslide events affected Swedish communities in recent centuries? What archival data does Anton access to investigate these effects, and what are the challenges with doing archival-historical research? How does he hope his upcoming findings will inform our understandings of human/societal resilience and the landslide risks of contemporary society? How do natural disasters influence the spatial distribution of archaeological materials and sites as well?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Anton to share questions or thoughts, you can find him on Twitter or his university page.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
In her research, Professor Erin Thompson (John Jay College, CUNY) focuses on the legalities and ethics of art theft, curation and repatriations of heritage objects, antiquarian and archaeological foragies, the destruction of archaeological sites, and digital reproductions of cultural heritage sites.
How common is the problem of art crime, and what forms may these crimes take? What circumstances need to align in order for there to be a successful legal prosecution relating to the committing of art forgery, theft or destruction? How do issues of cultural object ownership or destruction (as a strategy in war) get further complicated in transnational cases? What would the results be if states or bodies of individuals do get held to account in a criminal court?
We also talk about what first motivated Erin to pursue this line of work, and her experience of studying antiquities, art and law in a unique career trajectory to get to the point she is at now. In Erin's journey to professorship, when and how did she realize that there was a 'myth of neutrality' in the field of classical archaeology?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
You can find Erin on Twitter or her website if you have any feedback or questions.
You can find Michael Rivera on Twitter and Instagram as well.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
On this episode, we have Dr. Ozak Esu (BRE Centre for Smart Homes and Buildings) to talk about electronic and electrical engineering. While also having done research on wind turbine blades for her PhD, she has also organized and collaborated in the design of electrical infrastructure and smart buildings since 2014.
Ozak was motivated to pursue science, especially in the electricity and energy sectors, since growing up in Calabar (the capital of Cross River State in Nigeria). We talk about her experiences of moving to the UK for her Bachelor's degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, then pursuing her PhD while also working as a graduate engineer full-time. As a Black African woman in STEM, it has also always been important to Ozak and organizations like the Visiola Foundation to advocate for better STEM education for African female students, and improve aspects of diversity, equality and inclusion in science and engineering overall.
What is the experience like for someone who goes from a research environment to working in an industry like construction? What are some examples of government regulation or building design that members of the public may not be aware of? How has technology progressed in recent years, and what are Ozak and her team working on, to ensure smart homes and buildings are livable by tenants and as environmentally sustainable as possible?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Ozak, you can get in contact with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
In this episode, Professor Ripan Malhi (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is on the show to talk about his career so far as a geneticist, genomicist and biological anthropologist, in particular working in the field of paleogenomics closely with Indigenous leaders, communities and research participants.
How have the fields of human genetics and genomics advanced technologically in the last 10–15 years? What was Ripan's experience of studying questions through mtDNA haplogroup analyses, and embracing newer techniques involving next-generation sequencing after completing his PhD? What has his recent studies with collaborators and students been able to reveal about the population history of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific northwest coast?
Ripan also discusses how much of his recent research has been performed in consultation and collaboration with team members who are a part of the Metlakatla community. When questions are asked and studies designed within a First Nations framework, researchers have been able to provide Indigenous representatives with information about ancestral history, diets and foodways in the past, and the consequences of European colonization on ancient individuals' health.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Ripan, you can find him on Twitter and get in contact through his e-mail on his departmental website.
The Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics (SING) Consortium has a website you can check out to learn more. For additional information on the Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Science (IDEAS) program, you can visit the American Association of Physical Anthropology (AAPA) pages.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
Today, Jordan Abell (Lamonet–Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University) talks about his current PhD research and collective body of work in geology, archaeology and paleoclimatology.
One component of Jordan's recent scientific work is using geochemical methods to explain when animal domestication may have began as a practice among ancient people such as those residing at Aşıklı Höyük roughly 10,000 years ago. How is it that Jordan and his team were able to quantify and identify the various urine salts hidden in these archaeological layers? How did he and his researchers combine the discovery of these salts with archaeozoological evidence and studies of baseline salt levels in the environment to tell a cohesive narrative about what happened at this site during the Neolithic?
What other geological and atmospheric science work is Jordan doing to understand air, land and water interactions in the past? What has the experience been for him engaging with and combining all of these different scientific approaches to answer interesting questions about past landscapes?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Jordan, you can find him on Twitter and read more information about his work on his website.
You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
The Arch and Anth Podcast is on Twitter and Instagram, and it has a Facebook page.
If you liked this episode and you want to help contribute to the show, please visit the Patreon page for details on how to do that.
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