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.
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Copyright: The Arch and Anth Podcast © 2019
In this episode, Dr. Adam Van Arsdale (Wellesley College) gives us an overview of his duties as an Associate Professor and some of his paleoanthropoological research to date.
Adam has excavated and analyzed fossil material from the Lower Palaeolithic site of Dmanisi, Georgia. Here, we have some of the earliest fossil hominins outside of the African continent, daying to approximately 1.8 million years ago. Currently, Adam is also engaged in preliminary investigations of the steppic environment and previous demographic structure of hominin populations in South-Central Kazakhstan.
Adam is also a big advocate for integrative and interdisciplinary anthropology, as well as science communication. Increasingly, ancient DNA evidence, fossil finds and archaeological material are giving anthropologists a complex understanding of the human past and concepts such as ancestry, race and human evolution.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Adam, you can find him on Twitter and read his blog The Pleistocene Scene.
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.
In this episode, Dr. Matthew May (Oakland University) talks about his sociological research that focuses on how religion, health, work and family life intersect with each other.
How do sociologists and social scientists use survey data to give a better understanding of the role of religion in today's society? How does participation in, or doubts surrounding, organized religion influence people's wellbeing, sense of happiness or negative mental health outcomes? Does whether you practice religion affect how people feel concerning their gender roles in work and family life? Do current affairs and recent news inspire sociologists in their development of research questions?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Matt, you can find him on Twitter. You can also find more about Matt's work on his professional 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.
In this episode, Dr. Stacy Hackner (University College London) is on the show to talk about the bioarchaeology of women, focusing on the tibia (or shin bone) and what that can tell scientists about divisions of labor in the past.
We also discuss the history of looking at tibial measurements and robusticity, and how earlier interpretations of biological traits have been influenced by gender- or race-based assumptions or biases. Stacy also works extensively in the area of public education and communication of history and science, working at the British Museum doing outreach, teaching undergraduates feminist theory, and collaborating with various London Museums on object-based learning programs.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
To follow more of Stacy's work or ask her any questions, you can find her on Twitter. She also has a website where you can read a lot more about her research.
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.
On this Monday episode, Ella Beaudoin (The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Human Origins Program) talks about a whole range of topics: science communication with diverse and religious publics, evolutionary anthropology as a discipline and fieldwork experiences at Koobi Fora in northern Kenya.
Why is it important for students and teachers in more religiously conservative parts of the United States to be aware of how evolutionary mechanisms work? What is Ella's favorite object that she has held and studied in her time out in the field? What are some of the challenging situations or comments that science communicators grapple with sometimes and how does Ella address these in her role at the Museum? What are some of the most exciting discoveries in palaeoanthropology this past year?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Ella to share questions or thoughts, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram. More information on the Human Origins Program can be found at their 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, Dr. Craig Poku (University of Leeds) speaks to us about aerosols and their role in the formation of fog.
Because fog can significantly affect surface visibility levels and human life, it is important for climate and atmospheric scientists to study the physical processes that lead to fog formation. An important process in microphysics is fog droplet formation on aerosols (particles or pollutants suspended in the air like sea salt, soot, or organic particles). Craig's research looks at the importance of aerosol–fog interactions in modelling fog formation and how successful modelling may help in other areas of work such as weather prediction and meterology.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
You can find Craig on Twitter if you have questions for him, or follow his baking projects on Instagram as well.
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, Dr. Michelle Cameron (University of Toronto) shares her work in bioarchaeology, bone biomechanics and human ecology.
We first speak broadly about human adaptability and the ways human bone may change shape in reaction to cultural and environmental influences over life. We then dig deeper into Michelle's work looking at skeletal and ecological evidence obtained from southern African contexts. How can we study human skeletons to understand human activity in the past and physical movements across different terrains?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Michelle to share questions or thoughts, you can find her on Twitter.
Michelle is also the co-producer of her own public communication Youtube channel, Humans in 5, together with Dr. Sarah-Louise Decrausaz (our guest on Episode 1 of this podcast). They're also on Facebook and 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.
Today, Dr. Madeleine Mant (University of Toronto, Mississauga) talks about her work looking at historical health-related events by accessing both human skeletal remains and archival documents.
Maddy helps us answer the questions: What do the words 'marginalization' and 'risk' mean in different historical, bioarchaeological and academic contexts? What was the experience of trauma and disease in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century London? How can anthropologists combine approaches from archaeology, history, chemistry and archival studies to uncover the stories of previously underrepresented individuals? What are some innovative ways we can teach students and interested audiences about health in historical individuals?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
You can find Maddy on Twitter 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.
To end the week of primate-focused episodes, we have Dr. Arijit Pal (National Institute of Advanced Studies) on the show to talk about tool use and social dynamics in Nicobar long-tailed macaques.
Macaques like the crab-eating macaque, Rhesus macaque and bonnet macaque are distributed across southern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago. Arijit talks about the repertoire of tool-aided behaviors among Nicobar-long-tailed macaques specifically, which includes manipulative behaviors for processing food and dental flossing.
We also speak about natural disasters and human-caused habitat loss, and the threats they pose to wildlife conservation on these islands and in the south of India. Throughout the episode, Arijit shares his experiences of doing primatological fieldwork and what his upcoming plans are with the Leakey Foundation grant he received recently as well.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Arijit, you can find him on 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, Malcolm Ramsay (University of Toronto) discusses with us his experiences of doing primatological fieldwork in Madgascar and researching mouse lemur ecology and genomics.
There are over twenty species of mouse lemur living on Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world. Owing to anthropogenic factors, exacerbated by high rates of poverty in Malagasy society, multiple species of mouse lemur are endangered and threatened by human deforestation. Malcolm and his team study their genetics to understand the histories of mouse lemur inter- and intragroup relationships. These data may help inform local scientists and conservationists understand what impact habitat loss and fragmentation are having on mouse lemur ecology, adaptability and survival rates.
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you have feedback or questions for Malcolm, you can find him on 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.
Today, Dr. Erin Kane (Boston University) talks about her previous and current work studying primate behavior, ecology and biology.
Why is primatology an important field of research within biological anthropology? How do Erin and her colleagues design their studies to be flexible enough, especially given the unpredictability of field primatology? Do research questions and conditions differ depending on the species of primate under study (for example, orangutans versus Diana monkeys)? What kinds of observational or hormonal data will be useful for understanding primate ecology and diet?
You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.
If you want to get in touch with Erin, 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.
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