American Journal of Biological Anthropology最新文献

{"title":"Deconstructing Biological Sex by Fuzzifying Osteological Sex: Implications for Theoretically Informed Practice","authors":"Donovan M. Adams,&nbsp;Katherine M. Lane","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70311","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In forensic and bioarchaeological contexts, sex is estimated as part of the biological profile. However, current methods limit estimation to binary and discrete categories of female and male, reinforcing biological normalcy and normative conceptions of sex and gender, while excluding non-binary variation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A subset of cranial and postcranial metric data of assigned females (<i>n</i> = 603) and assigned males at birth (<i>n</i> = 1101) was used from the Forensic Data Bank. Unsupervised Possibilistic Fuzzy C-Means (UPFCM), a fuzzy clustering technique, was used to explore natural, rather than constructed, patterns in the cranial, postcranial, and combined datasets.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>38,691 models were generated using various parameter combinations. Optimal models identified were a six-cluster model for the combined and postcranial data and a two-cluster model for the combined and cranial data. For the optimal models, many individuals were identified as “outliers,” especially for the cranial models, based on low typicality degrees. Clustering reflects bimodal variation with overlap between assigned females (AFAB) and assigned males at birth (AMAB) in their cluster of highest membership as well as distribution in degrees of membership across clusters. Membership reflected significant intra- and interindividual variation in sex expression.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fuzzy logic, which allows individuals to partially belong to multiple groups, offers an approach that aligns with the complexity of sex-related variation. This research demonstrated that fuzzy principles can shift sex frameworks from binary to bimodal and continuous models, offering a means to address issues of biological normalcy and the harmful, rigid constructions of sex and gender it produces.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467265","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":"Contrasting Nutritional Intakes in Sympatric Malagasy Lemurs: Re-Examining Frugivore and Folivore Strategies and Outcomes Using the “Efficiency-Velocity” Continuum and Use of Secondary Foods","authors":"Mitchell T. Irwin,&nbsp;Vololonirina Rahalinarivo,&nbsp;Jean-Luc Raharison,&nbsp;Bruno Ramorasata,&nbsp;Casey Farmer,&nbsp;Marie-Jeanne Razafiarivony,&nbsp;Jean-Freddy Ranaivoarisoa,&nbsp;Jessica M. Rothman","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70322","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70322","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Primatologists have documented diversity in diet types (frugivore, folivore, etc.) and nutritional differences among those foods, but little is known about intakes (incorporating food compositions and intake amounts). Therefore, how nutritional outcomes and constraints differ across diet types remains poorly understood. We documented diet and nutrient intakes in sympatric lemurs across &gt; 1 year at Tsinjoarivo-Ambalaomby, Madagascar: <i>Propithecus diadema</i> (folivore) and <i>Eulemur fulvus</i> (frugivore).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We combined focal animal feeding data with lab analyses to generate daily intakes of food, energy, and nutrients, testing for species and seasonal differences using linear mixed models, and visualizing data using nutritional geometry.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>E. fulvus</i> consumed 2.7 times more food than <i>P. diadema</i>, accomplished largely through fast intake. <i>E. fulvus</i> had higher energy and nutrient intake; this included three times more protein and higher proportional contribution of protein, despite lower protein in fruit (accomplished by eating more, and supplementing with high-protein leaves). Lean season response diverged: <i>E. fulvus</i> increased feeding and had similar non-protein energy but higher protein intakes, while <i>P. diadema</i> decreased effort and tolerated reduced protein and non-protein energy intakes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>General fruit-leaf nutritional differences do not drive nutrient intakes; instead, the “efficiency-velocity continuum” (frugivores eating more and digesting less fully) is key to understanding frugivore and folivore ecology, including nutrient intakes, food selection rules, and factors limiting abundance. Primate frugivores may not be as protein-limited as previously assumed. However, future research must examine how absorption rates (across species, habitats, and seasons) affect actual nutrient intakes and energy/nutrient balance.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148456914","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":"Cranial Modularity and Integration in Modern Humans: Evidence for Regional Variability and Evolutionary Flexibility","authors":"O. A. Kuznetsova","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70313","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70313","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study examines the modular organization of the human skull and variation in cranial integration across Eurasian populations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study analyzed 450 male crania from 10 Eurasian populations using 35 craniometric variables. Correlation matrices were constructed and evaluated using EMMLi analysis and the covariance ratio (CR) to test alternative modularity models, while two-block partial least squares (2B-PLS) analysis was used to estimate the strength of cranial integration.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>EMMLi and CR analyses supported a highly modular organization of the human skull, with generally weak correlations within and between cranial modules. Viscerocranial modules showed stronger internal integration than neurocranial modules. Asian populations displayed weaker intermodular correlations, especially in the orbital and zygomatic regions, suggesting greater independence of these traits. The Khanty sample occupied an intermediate position between major macroregional groups. Increased cranial integration was observed in island and peripheral populations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The findings indicate that weak integration among cranial modules may increase the potential for craniofacial variation in humans. Reduced integration of orbital and zygomatic modules in North Asian populations may reflect climatic adaptation and/or high population mobility. Lower modularity in island populations may result from stronger genetic drift or stabilizing selection, whereas increased modularity may reflect directional selection.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cranial modularity varies not only among species but also among modern human populations, reflecting microevolutionary processes and environmental influences on morphological diversity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424817","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":"“An Injurious and Utterly Unfit Environment”: A Case Study Comparing Dental Evidence of Childhood Stress in Nineteenth Century Working-Class Peoples From British and Colonial New Zealand Contexts","authors":"Lucy A. Kavale-Henderson,&nbsp;Jo Buckberry,&nbsp;Hallie Buckley,&nbsp;Claire Cameron,&nbsp;Charlotte King,&nbsp;Hannah Koon,&nbsp;Peter Petchey,&nbsp;Anne Marie E. Snoddy,&nbsp;Carolina Loch","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70315","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70315","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>During the nineteenth century, the health and living conditions of many working-class European peoples declined in association with growing industrialization and urbanization. Emigration to British colonies grew as people sought to escape such hardships. This research presents the first direct comparison of dental markers of stress in a case study of migrants to a British colony (Otago, New Zealand) alongside a contemporaneous assemblage representing an origin population (London, United Kingdom).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Dental markers of childhood stress, accentuated lines, were observed in thin-sections of archeological teeth from adults (<i>n</i> = 9) and children (<i>n</i> = 16) interred in London, United Kingdom (UK), and adult European migrants interred in Otago, New Zealand (NZ) (<i>n</i> = 24) using standard histological techniques.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>All individuals interred in London, and 92% (22/24) of those in New Zealand exhibited evidence of accentuated line formation within the first 2.5 years of life. There was no difference in median accentuated line occurrence between adults and children interred in the UK. However, NZ adults had a lower median occurrence of accentuated lines over the first 2.5 years since birth (5 ALs/individual) than UK adults (13 ALs/individual). Accentuated lines most frequently occurred in infancy for all three groups examined. However, temporal trends in accentuated line occurrence differed between groups in association with age.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These results highlight the impact of childhood stresses on working-class people growing up during the nineteenth century, underlining potential differences in the childhood experiences of hardship in individuals that remained in Britain and those that departed for foreign soils.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70315","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424810","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":"Evaluation of Morphological and Osteometric Sex Estimation on Historical Skeletal Material of Subadult Individuals From Germany","authors":"Clara L. Behrendt,&nbsp;Katharina M. J. Tenorio,&nbsp;Susanna Hixt,&nbsp;Janine Mazanec,&nbsp;Susanne Hummel,&nbsp;Birgit Grosskopf","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70308","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70308","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>While sex estimation based on morphological features of the adult skeleton is considered reliable, it proves to be challenging, especially in skeletons of subadults. The purpose of this study is to investigate the accuracy of sex estimation of the methods described below and errors within the observer and between observers.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>For this purpose, samples from 20 individuals from four different skeleton series from Lower Saxony (Germany) were analyzed. DNA-analytical examinations were used for sex determination. The primary aim was to validate the morphological and osteometric method applied to the Facies auricularis as described by Luna et al. (2017, 2021), alongside the discriminant function analyses for the Os ilium and mandible outlined by Schutkowski (1990). The morphological and osteometric procedures were performed as a blind study and as an inter-observer study.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Contrary to the results from previous studies, none of the methodologies proved to be suitable for reliable sex estimation on the skeleton of subadults. However, the discriminant functions (DF) according to Schutkowski (1990) show a higher certainty of determination than the methodology proposed by Luna et al. (2017, 2021).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Methods for sex estimation in subadult individuals hold considerable promise. However, their validity and transferability to other populations and time periods remain problematic. Demographic factors and population-specific differences result in varying levels of accuracy.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70308","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413012","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":"Negotiating Terminology: Peer Review and the Collective Shapes the Language of NonConsensual Anatomical Decedents","authors":"V. E. Gibbon,&nbsp;A. Alblas","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70291","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70291","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413102","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":"Form or Shape? Examining the Effect of Size Adjustment on Evolutionary Analyses of Catarrhine Appendicular Morphology","authors":"Marianne J. Cooper,&nbsp;Mark A. Conaway,&nbsp;Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70312","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70312","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Morphometric analyses of primate skeletal evolution frequently employ data scaling to reduce or eliminate the variable of size. However, multiple methods of scaling may be employed that may alter the variance–covariance (VCV) matrix describing relationships between traits. Here, we aim to better understand how different scaling methods may impact results of analyses using the VCV matrix by applying common scaling methods to a dataset and comparing results.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>39 interlandmark distances from eight postcranial elements were taken from a sample of six primate species. Five datasets—raw, one log-scaled, two isometrically scaled, and one allometrically scaled—were then analyzed for matrix similarity, magnitude of integration, and whether trait covariation matched patterns expected under a model of purely neutral evolution.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Choice of scaling method employed may alter results of some analyses, or, when the impact of specific traits are considered, may alter which traits are most impactful to results. Inter- and intra-specific variation in size may drive these differences in results.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Data scaling can impact the results of analyses using a VCV matrix, indicating that studies using different methodologies may not be reasonably comparable. While the choice of scaling method depends on the aims of the study, the method employed should be carefully considered prior to analysis. As primate body size varies across the phylogeny, applying multiple scaling methods could further our understanding of how size has impacted skeletal evolution, particularly in studies incorporating species with high intra- or interspecific body size variation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406162","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":"The Typical Body Segment: An Anatomy Teaching Paradigm Created by Matt Cartmill and Others While Teaching Gross Anatomy at Duke University","authors":"James D. Pampush,&nbsp;Haley Horbaly,&nbsp;Susan E. Lad,&nbsp;Daniel T. Tarara","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70304","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Within allied-health programs, gross anatomy is widely regarded as a foundational and content-dense course challenging instructors and students alike to manage an overwhelming volume of information within an increasingly constrained curriculum. In the late 1960's, the Duke University medical curriculum was redesigned to produce ‘scientists-doctors’ intensifying the instructional challenges of gross anatomy. In the wake of a series of unsuccessful experiments, comparative anatomists Matt Cartmill and James Shafland were recruited to develop and teach a medical gross anatomy course at Duke. Drawing on comparative anatomy, embryology, and evolutionary theory, Cartmill and colleagues developed a distinctive pedagogical framework organized around an idealized vertebrate metameric <i>Bauplan</i>—the Typical Body Segment (TBS)—with an accompanying textbook: <i>Human Structure</i>. Rather than trying to memorize details about sprawling sets of isolated structures, the TBS approach transforms learning gross anatomy into a series of stories about how evolution and development regionally pattern and differentiate Typical Body Segments into functionally specialized, interconnected modules. This article discusses the circumstances leading to the emergence of Cartmill's course-directorship and the TBS approach to teaching gross anatomy at Duke. We argue that the consistent use of a central homological schema as a starting point for narratives about the complex human form offers many pedagogical advantages, including reduced cognitive load, improved organization of anatomical knowledge, as well as a better grasp on patterns of interaction and variation among parts. Drawing on qualitative data from student course evaluations at High Point University, we further illustrate how this approach appears to shift students' orientation from rote memorization toward a conceptual understanding of anatomy. Finally, we document the diffusion and transformation of the TBS paradigm through faculty lineages, postdoctoral training, and allied health programs, highlighting its enduring influence on contemporary anatomy education. Together, this history and analysis underscore the value of centering evolutionary and developmental narratives in the teaching of human anatomy and documents the major contributions from Cartmill and other gross anatomists who taught with the TBS approach at Duke University.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386545","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":"Correction to “Dental Microwear Texture Analysis of the Bornean Orangutans (Pongo Pygmaeus) From the Selenka Collection”","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70305","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70305","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 <span>Habinger, S. G.</span>, <span>G. Merceron</span>, <span>A. H. Heteren</span>, <span>V. R. Cuyutupa</span>, <span>H. Bocherens</span>, and <span>O. Chavasseau</span>. <span>2026</span>. “ <span>Dental Microwear Texture Analysis of the Bornean Orangutans (Pongo Pygmaeus) From the Selenka Collection</span>.” <i>American Journal of Biological Anthropology</i> <span>190</span>, no. <span>1</span>: e70266. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70266.\u0000 </p><p>The author affiliation number 4 is incorrect. “Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Staatliche Naturkundliche Sammlungen Bayerns München, München, Germany” should read “Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns München, München, Germany”.</p><p>We apologize for this error.</p>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70305","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148370030","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":"Custodians of Controversy: Navigating Stewardship Challenges With Non-Consensual Anatomized Human Skeletonized Individuals in South Africa","authors":"A. Alblas,&nbsp;V. E. Gibbon","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.70300","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.70300","url":null,"abstract":"<p>South Africa, like many countries, holds collections of human skeletonized individuals historically acquired through anatomical dissection programs. This paper examines non-consensual anatomized and unclaimed (NCAU) state-directed skeletonized individuals, whose presence in collections pose significant legal, ethical, and professional challenges. Although the National Health Act (2003) outlines procedures for body donation, the inclusion of unclaimed and destitute persons obtained without consent raises ethical concerns. As curators and custodians, a perspective is provided, assessing the legal and ethical implications of retaining NCAU skeletonized individuals and highlighting inconsistencies between South African regulations and international standards that prioritize informed consent and dignity-in-death. The complexities surrounding the retention, use, or disposition of these decedent bodies, and parts thereof, are discussed, offering recommendations for institutional decision-making to navigate these complexities. A structured and multidisciplinary approach is provided we advocate for transparent and ethically responsible stewardship of NCAU collections. Furthermore, the pressure placed on curators is noted, who face potential personal and professional repercussions, and emphasizes the need for institutional support, training, and resources to guide ethical management and facilitate informed decision-making of these sensitive collections.</p>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"190 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70300","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148377259","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}