American Journal of Biological Anthropology最新文献

{"title":"Habitat Use and the Demographics of Object Manipulation by Wild Chacma Baboons","authors":"Rassina Farassi,&nbsp;João d’Oliveira Coelho,&nbsp;Susana Carvalho","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Studying object manipulation may offer insights about the emergence of habitual tool use in the hominin clade. Previous research on object manipulation has focused on habitual tool-using animals such as apes, capuchins, dolphins, and corvids. Investigating object manipulation in wild baboons, a highly social, ecologically adaptable, and terrestrial primate that is not a habitual tool user, can shed further light on the pressures favoring or inhibiting the use of technology. In this study, we investigate factors that influence object manipulation in the chacma baboons of Gorongosa National Park, across demographic and environmental conditions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We collected data using focal and scan sampling, with the aid of the Animal Observer app, and recorded object use and other behaviors. We followed three focal troops: Chitengo, Montebelo, and Floodplain. A total of 2262 observations were recorded across 88 individuals (787 events involved object use).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mixed-effects logistic regressions revealed that habitat, age, and substrate use significantly predicted object use among baboons. Object use was most likely in open forests. Adults are less likely to engage in object manipulation, and this behavior decreases with age, which is in line with previous results reported for bonobos. Interestingly, baboons spend more time manipulating objects arboreally than terrestrially.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings contribute to the current discussions about the contexts that promote tool use across the primate order. Further studies expanding on these results and assessing differential availability of resources can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of tool use.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70094","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144657621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Heavy Issue: Changes in Body Size in London Before, During and After the Black Death","authors":"Jessica Mongillo,&nbsp;Anthea Cerviero,&nbsp;Nicoletta Zedda,&nbsp;Natascia Rinaldo,&nbsp;Barbara Bramanti","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70098","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The higher mortality rate of the Black Death compared to later epidemics has prompted bioarchaeologists to address the health status of past plague victims and whether this may have influenced the selectivity of the disease. A person's phenotype is the result of a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors; body size, and in particular body mass and stature, are strongly influenced by external factors (such as economic conditions, famine, physiological stresses, etc.). In this study, we explored how variations in body mass and BMI may reflect changes in the population of London during the Black Death (1348–1350) and to understand the relationship between epidemic diseases and changes in body size in the past.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>For this purpose, stature, body mass, and BMI were reconstructed using osteologic data from the Wellcome Osteological Research Database (WORD) of the Museum of London from individuals who died before, during, and after the Black Death in medieval England.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We observed a significant decrease in weight and stature in the period of the Black Death and a slight increase, compared to pre-Black Death data, after the plague epidemic. Values of BMI, conversely, remained more or less constant.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The results further clarify the effects of social upheavals before the Black Death on the health of the individuals and reveal new insights into their health after the extreme devastation. Moreover, we confirmed that BM, as well as stature, can be used to assess health changes in the past.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70098","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional Relationships Between Wrist Joint Morphology and Ulnar Deviation in Strepsirrhine Primates","authors":"Pierre Lemelin","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70096","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ulnar deviation is a fundamental hand movement reflecting different positional behaviors that characterize primates and other arboreal mammals. Few experimental data exist on the relationship between wrist joint morphology and ulnar deviation of the hand in living primates. This study tests functional relationships between carpal joint anatomy and the degree of ulnar deviation for eight strepsirrhine species representing major locomotor groups.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Passive ranges of ulnar deviation were measured from radiographs of the hand of 25 anesthetized subjects using a motion analysis software. Position of the carpal elements was also compared in two different anatomical positions (i.e., neutral and maximal ulnar deviation).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>On average, the hand of pronograde quadrupeds (<i>Cheirogaleus</i>, <i>Eulemur</i>, <i>Hapalemur</i>, <i>Lemur</i>, and <i>Varecia</i>) showed ulnar deviation angles ranging between 31° and 50°. Compared to pronograde quadrupeds, ulnar deviation of the hand was greater (but not statistically significant) in the vertical clinging <i>Propithecus</i> (49° to 59°) and greatest (and statistically significant at <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) in slow climbing <i>Loris</i> and <i>Nycticebus</i> (64° to 95°).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These differences in ulnar deviation of the hand closely match reported differences in proximal carpal and midcarpal joint shape in strepsirrhine primates. In pronograde quadrupedal and vertical clinging lemurs, ulnar deviation takes place mainly at the midcarpal joint, with some movement of the scaphoid and lunate at the proximal carpal joint of <i>Propithecus</i>. In slow climbing lorises, ulnar deviation of the hand is accompanied by equally notable movements of the carpals at both proximal carpal and midcarpal joints.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70096","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Applied Expertise in Human Osteology: Legal and Educational Considerations in the United States","authors":"Melinda L. Carter,&nbsp;Ryan M. Seidemann,&nbsp;Justine L. Newman,&nbsp;Edward A. Reedy,&nbsp;Christine L. Halling","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70091","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This synthesis investigates the value of osteological expertise by the US legal system, as well as aims to iterate the value of a unique education and certification in the profession of forensic anthropology. Additionally, the study proposes a graduate curriculum that includes clinical skeletal biology to disseminate the practice of forensic anthropology across related healthcare disciplines. A survey of relevant statutory and case law was performed using the Westlaw legal databases. Cases from 2012 to 2022, including the terms “forensic anthropologist,” “forensic archaeologist,” and “osteologist” were examined to analyze how the judiciary manages individuals who purport to be forensic anthropology or osteology experts. From the cases examined, it became clear that there was significant subjectivity in judges' “gatekeeping” of testimony under the evidentiary <i>Daubert</i> rule, ultimately leading to the admissibility of flawed anthropologic or archeologic methodologies. The criteria relied upon to determine witness qualifications were heterogeneous and often incongruent with the current focuses of anthropologic training. These analyses feed into a discussion and recommendations for paths forward to professionalizing the education, training, licensure, and practice of forensic anthropology. Because the modern application of forensic anthropology is strongly being improved through scientific research and evidence-based practice, there is a need for objectivity in the admissibility of advanced human osteological evidence in courts of law. As the discipline becomes more integrated with the legal system, like medical practice, it is increasingly critical to educate judges, jurors, and students working in related disciplines of the importance of anthropologists' qualifications to prevent inappropriate admission of “junk science.”</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual Size Dimorphism in Australopithecus: Postcranial Dimorphism Differs Significantly Among Australopithecus afarensis, A. africanus, and Modern Humans Despite Low-Power Resampling Analyses","authors":"Adam D. Gordon","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70093","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Dimorphism estimates are used to infer competition levels, social structure, and mating system in fossil hominins. However, previous studies have reached conflicting conclusions about the degree of postcranial dimorphism present in <i>Australopithecus afarensis</i>, and statistical comparisons of postcranial size dimorphism between <i>A. afarensis</i> and other early hominins are lacking. This study addresses reasons for differences in published studies and directly compares dimorphism in <i>A. afarensis</i>, <i>A. africanus</i>, and extant hominids.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Eight postcranial variables represent size for three extant hominids (gorillas, humans, and chimpanzees) and two extinct hominins (<i>Australopithecus afarensis</i> and <i>A. africanus</i>). A modified version of Gordon et al.'s (2008) geometric mean method is used to perform significance tests for direct comparisons of estimated sexual size dimorphism in two fossil samples with different patterns of missing data.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Both <i>Australopithecus</i> species are highly dimorphic—significantly more dimorphic than chimpanzees and modern humans. <i>A. afarensis</i> is also significantly more dimorphic than <i>A. africanus</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Previous studies (and this analysis) are typically too low-powered to find significant differences between humans and extant African apes when sampled in the same manner as fossils, rendering negative results for fossil comparisons noninformative. In this study, effect sizes for differences in dimorphism between fossils and other species are large enough to be significant, even at low power. Results suggest intense sexual selection maintained high dimorphism in both fossil species, but also that different species-specific suites of selection pressure produced diversity in the degree of dimorphism present across <i>Australopithecus</i> species.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144598280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Geometric Morphometric Study of Scapular Ontogeny in Modern Humans","authors":"Erica Noble,&nbsp;John Hawks","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70090","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This paper quantifies the size and shape change of the human scapula through ontogeny to better understand the human trajectory of growth. While previous work has touched on human scapular ontogeny, analysis using 3D geometric morphometrics focusing on humans alone has not been conducted. This work is important to improve our analyses of the immature hominin fossil record.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Deidentified CT scans of human nonadults (infancy to adolescence) and adults from The Cancer Imaging Archive were examined in this study. Twenty-one digital landmarks were placed on the scapula and analyzed using linear regression and geometric morphometrics.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The size of the scapula starts small compared to body size and grows faster than femur head diameter, used as a proxy for body size. Some features that distinguish humans from great ape scapulae also exhibit developmental change in children, notably the angle of the scapular spine. Nonadults have more laterally oriented scapular spines than adults. This suggests that the development of the adult human scapula starts from a shape that is different from other apes and converges slightly during growth, a finding supported by previous work.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These results expand upon our understanding of the development of the human shoulder and our interpretations of juvenile scapulae in the hominin fossil record. Human juveniles, who climb and engage in arboreal behavior more frequently than adults, have a scapula whose morphology is poorly suited to arboreal movement. Whether this is evolutionarily or functionally driven will be explored in further studies using comparative analyses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70090","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Obstetric Constraints in Six Monkey Genera","authors":"Natalie M. Laudicina,&nbsp;Emma Piasecki,&nbsp;Melissa Stoller,&nbsp;Matt Cartmill","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70092","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our previous work has shown that the pelvic inlet is not a point of obstetric constraint in nonhuman apes. In this study, we have extended that work to include monkey genera where research indicated the presence of significant cephalopelvic constraint, even at the pelvic inlet. We identified the true minimum dimensions of the birth canal in these monkeys and compared them to fetal head dimensions in order to determine the actual obstetric constraints in these species.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pelves of six monkey genera (<i>Ateles, Callithrix, Cebus, Lagothrix, Papio</i>, and <i>Saimiri</i>) were digitized in order to measure the minimum dimensions within each birth canal. Fetal head dimensions from published sources were used to estimate the degree of constraint at these minimum pelvic dimensions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The pelvic inlet was not the narrowest part of the birth canal in these monkeys. In all six genera, the minimum midsagittal dimension was a line connecting the caudal end of the sacrum with the craniodorsal surface of the pubis. The genera <i>Callithrix</i>, <i>Cebus</i>, and <i>Saimiri</i> exhibit a much tighter fit between the fetal head and the narrowest part of the birth canal than the other monkey genera, actually exceeding the degree of constraint seen in humans.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To allow the fetal head to pass through the birth canal, these three genera must utilize birth mechanisms not seen in humans, including face-first presentation and radical relaxation of the pelvic ligaments. Human specializations for bipedality may have necessitated the evolution of other, uniquely human obstetrical adaptations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144558268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interdisciplinary Interaction and Engagement Around the Use of Human Remains: Comment on “They Are People Too: The Ethics of Curation and Use of Human Skeletal Remains for Teaching and Research”","authors":"Jon Cornwall,&nbsp;Sabine Hildebrandt,&nbsp;Thomas H. Champney,&nbsp;Valerie B. DeLeon","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70089","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144551254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brief Communication: An Incipient Coronal Caries Lesion on a Neandertal Molar Tooth From El Sidrón Cave (Northern Spain)","authors":"Almudena Estalrrich,&nbsp;José Antonio Alarcón,&nbsp;Antonio García Tabernero,&nbsp;Antonio Rosas","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70088","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Here, we present the findings of an incipient caries lesion on a permanent upper left second molar attributed to an adult male Neandertal individual from El Sidrón Cave. This study presents new data regarding the antiquity of human caries lesions, their development, and the possibility of the para-masticatory behavior component as a contributory factor in their origin, at least in <i>Homo neanderthalensis</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The tooth was examined using a μCT scan to confirm the lesion and to evaluate its extent. Element chemical analysis was performed to check the decalcification on both the lesion edges and pristine surfaces (as carious lesions often involve demineraization of the tissues) using an environmental scanning electron microscope.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The lesion was located on the occlusal surface on the protocone cusp, a small furrow filled with sediment, 2.6 mm in length and 0.78 mm in width, and mineral loss on the white surrounding area compared to the apparently intact adjacent enamel.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This pit lesion resembles the appearance of other Neandertal carious lesions, all from temperate environments. Calcium and phosphorus loss has been documented as has been characterized on dental caries. Regarding the etiology, we propose that an intense masticatory and para-masticatory activity combined with evidence for a mixed diet with a high carbohydrate component, the molar tooth may have developed a crack lesion, which was then colonized by a bacterial biofilm that deepened into the dentine and developed this small channel-shaped caries.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70088","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144537156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taphonomic Trajectory of Diagenesis: How Site Formation Should Inform Biological Sampling Strategies for Isotopic Studies of Ancestors","authors":"Melanie M. Beasley","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Stable isotope analyses of archaeological bone have become an increasingly common research avenue for interpreting past human behavior. To ensure reliable isotope data is used for interpretations, bone samples must meet quality control standards. The common quality control measures for bone samples rely on post-sampling destructive approaches. As increasing attention is focused on the ethical use of Ancestors in anthropological research, sampling strategies should prioritize minimal impact to individuals that are less likely to yield viable data for research projects supported by descendant communities.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Here, I use previously published stable isotope and diagenesis measures from the Vineyards at Marsh Creek Site (CA-CCO-548), supported through tribal consultation and approved by the Most Likely Descendent, as a case study to highlight how geoarchaeology can inform the taphonomic trajectories of individual burials or groups of burials within distinct site formation processes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Isotope quality control measures indicate that burials located in a context of rapid sedimentation had a higher rate of good bone preservation (100% for collagen and 82% for bioapatite) compared to burials from a stratigraphic context of slow sedimentation in older alluvial deposits (73% for collagen and 63% for bioapatite).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Bone preservation corresponds to patterns in site stratigraphy, therefore geoarchaeological data can be used to inform the sampling strategies, rather than relying on post-processing destructive methods for diagenesis assessment. Sampling strategies should become increasingly reliant on contextual information based on nuanced analyses (i.e., geoarchaeology) of local burial environments to better understand the taphonomic trajectory of bone.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"187 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70070","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144524696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}