{"title":"Opening the Cabinets: A Critical Evaluation of Skeletal Teaching Collections in the United States","authors":"Ariel Gruenthal-Rankin, Tessa Somogyi","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25051","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The collections of human remains within our university laboratories and classrooms are considered by many to be integral to teaching osteology. However, as an outgrowth of the Western scientific tradition of mind/body dualism, human remains within skeletal teaching collections are often regarded differently than those in museums or applied contexts. From processing to storage, the personhood of each individual becomes abstracted as we purchase, “inherit,” handle, organize, and digitally scan their bones for teaching purposes. In this way, skeletons within teaching collections are ontologically transformed from people to objects. The objectification of human bodies is rooted in Enlightenment era scientific practices that are directly connected to colonialism and white supremacy. Here, we argue that the anonymization of the skeletons of people in academic institutions, and the maintenance of non-consent-based skeletal collections, perpetuates structural violence on the deceased and their descendant communities. We critically examine the origins and ethics of non-consent-based anatomical teaching collections and discuss the violence within these assemblages. Finally, we develop practical steps toward a more humanistic and ethical osteological classroom and pedagogy. Suggested strategies include ceasing the use of skeletal individuals for whom consent is unknown or non-existent and instead using only skeletal or replica skeletal materials from those who have donated or willed their bodies and engaging with critical pedagogical perspectives to challenge norms in our field.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915733","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":"Navigating Liminality in Evolving Forensic Anthropology Professionalism","authors":"Donna C. Boyd","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25054","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25054","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Emerging aspects of professionalism within forensic anthropology, while enhancing the scientific foundation and practice for the discipline, have created liminalistic spaces and experiences in education and training, employment, ethics, and identities that reflect the broader transitional status in the discipline as a whole. These liminal states and problems are discussed in terms of their creation, development, and potential for resolution. They are interpreted within a liminal framework which requires navigation through significant changes in roles, status, and identity in forensic anthropology practice. Recommendations for mitigating the identified deficiencies, ambiguities, and frustrations they produce include expansion of educational training, certification, employment options, and roles and responsibilities, as well as adherence to standards and recognition and promotion of self-care. Successful navigation of these issues will lead to a stronger future for both the discipline and the practitioner.</p>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11682692/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142903802","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}
Jennifer S. Nelson, Lesley Harrington, Emily Holland, Hugo F. V. Cardoso
{"title":"Exploring the Laws of Developmental Direction Using a Documented Skeletal Collection","authors":"Jennifer S. Nelson, Lesley Harrington, Emily Holland, Hugo F. V. Cardoso","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25047","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25047","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Many human growth studies note a trend of differential variation in limb segment lengths, where distal elements show greater variability than their proximal counterparts. This has been attributed to their developmental sequence, where bones further from the head develop later and are more impacted by fluctuating growth conditions. We aimed to explore limb dimensions within this framework, known as the laws of developmental direction, in children (0.09–11.75 years) from a documented skeletal collection of low socioeconomic status.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Z</i>-scores were generated for diaphyseal length measurements of six limb bones. Differences between mean <i>z</i>-score values of the limbs, as well as of the proximal and distal segments of each limb, were assessed using paired samples <i>t</i>-tests.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The lower limb was significantly more stunted in growth relative to the upper limb (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001), as was the distal segment of the upper limb relative to the proximal segment (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001). In contrast, the distal segment of the lower limb was significantly less stunted in growth relative to the proximal segment (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The findings of increased sensitivity in the lower limb relative to the upper limb and in the distal segment of the upper limb relative to its proximal segment are consistent with the laws of developmental direction. However, the finding of greater sensitivity in the proximal segment of the lower limb relative to the distal segment does not align with the theorized developmental gradient. These results reveal the complexity of human growth and developmental plasticity in response to biocultural factors.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669766/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142898678","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}
Louise K. Corron, Cait B. McPherson, Ethan C. Hill, Lexi O'Donnell
{"title":"Analyzing Patterns of Skeletal Indicators of Developmental Stress Through the Double Lens of Ontogeny and the Life Course Approach in a Contemporary Reference Sample","authors":"Louise K. Corron, Cait B. McPherson, Ethan C. Hill, Lexi O'Donnell","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25052","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25052","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Skeletal indicators of developmental stress are commonly used to assess health, disease, and patterns of morbidity and mortality in past populations. Incorporating information about individual life history, such as adverse life events, allows for a more thorough understanding of their etiology. This paper adopts the double lens of ontogeny and the life course to analyze indicators of developmental stress in relation to known individual pathologies and developmental patterns of the cranium, vertebrae, and long bones.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Material and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Six skeletal indicators were collected on CT scans or virtual skeletal reconstructions of 1033 contemporary deceased male and female individuals aged between 0 and 20 years from New Mexico: cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, Harris lines, stunting, vertebral neural canal diameters, and bone mineral density. Autopsy reports provided information on age, sex, disease type, and duration. Polychoric and polyserial correlations, boxplots, balloon plots, factor analyses of mixed data, and cluster analyses were used to explore patterns among indicators, ontogeny, sex, and disease.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The presence and prevalence of indicators varied depending on age and disease: Harris lines, stunted growth, and cribra orbitalia were common in younger age groups and in cases of long-term or respiratory illnesses, while porotic hyperostosis was more prevalent in adolescent and young adult males.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Skeletal indicators of developmental stress are most likely associated with the timing of adverse life events in relation to the corresponding ontogenetic patterns, developmental sensitivity to stressors, and developmental plasticity/canalization of the different skeletal elements that bear them.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142898674","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":"Apparent Stasis of Endocranial Volume in Two Chimpanzee Subspecies","authors":"Richard W. Wrangham, Steven Worthington","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25048","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25048","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Self-domestication theory and preliminary data suggest that western chimpanzees (<i>Pan troglodytes verus</i>) could have smaller brains than eastern chimpanzees (<i>P. t. schweinfurthii</i>), but no large-scale studies of chimpanzee endocranial volume (ECV) have tested this. This study compares ECV of wild adult <i>P. t. verus</i> and <i>P. t. schweinfurthii</i>, along with femoral head diameter (FHD; an index of body size), bizygomatic breadth (BZB) and palate length (PAL).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Adult crania of <i>P. t. schweinfurthii</i> (60 females, 90 males, from Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo) and <i>P. t. verus</i> (43 females, 37 males, from Liberia and Ivory Coast) were sampled. ECV was measured using 3 mm diameter glass beads, and FHD, PAL, and BZB with digital calipers. Quantities of interest were estimated using Bayesian inference.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>No meaningful differences were found between subspecies on average in ECV, FHD, or the relationship between ECV and FHD. Within countries and subspecies, ECV varied widely among individuals, partly because males had higher ECV on average than females. When sex was controlled for, ECV was unrelated to FHD. Within subspecies there was no evidence of meaningful differences in average ECV among countries. PAL was the only measure that differed between subspecies on average, being shorter in <i>P. t. verus</i> females.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Current data show that within sexes, mean ECV is similar between <i>P. t. verus</i> and <i>P. t. schweinfurthii</i>. This suggests that average brain size in chimpanzees has remained unchanged for ~0.7 million years, in contrast to orangutans (<i>Pongo</i>) and humans.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142883069","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}
Nicole E. Smith-Guzmán, Jeny Smid Núñez, Jonathan D. Cybulski, Luis A. Sánchez Herrera
{"title":"Biodistance Analysis via Dental Phenotypic Diversity in Early Collective Burials at Cerro Juan Díaz, Panamá (30–650 CE) [Análisis de Biodistancia Mediante la Diversidad Fenotípica Dental en los Entierros Colectivos Tempranos del Cerro Juan Díaz, Panamá (30–650 EC)]","authors":"Nicole E. Smith-Guzmán, Jeny Smid Núñez, Jonathan D. Cybulski, Luis A. Sánchez Herrera","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25050","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Burial space reuse and prolonged interaction with the dead were common practices in the Isthmo-Colombian Area, dating back to at least the Early Ceramic Period in the Greater Coclé region. However, biological and social relationships of individuals interred in collective burial contexts remain unclear. Here, we explore intra-cemetery biological variation through a biological distance analysis of individuals interred in large mortuary features from the first mortuary horizon at the site of Cerro Juan Díaz in Panamá.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Individuals recovered from Features 2, 16, and 94 from Operation 3 at Cerro Juan Díaz were assessed for dental metric and nonmetric traits. Biological distances were calculated through Gower coefficients and subsequently assessed visually with PCoA plots. Differences in phenotypic variability within burial feature (<i>n</i> = 26), age (postpubescent individuals aged 15+ years vs. prepubescent individuals; <i>n</i> = 27), and sex (<i>n</i> = 14) groupings were evaluated statistically via permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and PERMDISP tests.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The estimated distances for each individual showed broad similarities between the three burial features. Significant differences in biological distance were found only when comparing by age. Gower coefficients for prepubescent individuals differed from those of postpubescent individuals in terms of both group centroid location and data point dispersion around centroids.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our results are largely consistent with previous notions of Cerro Juan Díaz's function as a community burial ground. Prepubescent individuals may have been brought to the site for burial from nearby villages, perhaps following specific mortuary traditions governed by age group.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.25050","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142861928","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}
Savannah E. Cobb, Courtney Alexandria Tennant, Darrell La, Fernando Torres-Chiriboga, Siobhán B. Cooke
{"title":"Incisor Geometry, Relief, and Diet in Anthropoid Primates With Implications for Antillothrix","authors":"Savannah E. Cobb, Courtney Alexandria Tennant, Darrell La, Fernando Torres-Chiriboga, Siobhán B. Cooke","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25042","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25042","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Previous studies report that geometric measures of incisor size and curvature in extant anthropoid primates correspond to dietary differences. However, other methodologies of assessing incisor shape variation, such as dental topographic analysis, have not been considered.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study measures Relief Index (RFI), linear dimensions, and curvature of central mandibular incisors (I<sub>1</sub>) for a sample of extant anthropoids (<i>n</i> = 107). The utility of these measures in enhancing dietary separations across Anthropoidea is further investigated using traditional and phylogenetic statistics, principal component analysis, and multinomial logistic regression.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Two-way ANOVAs find significant dietary differences and no sexual differences in I<sub>1</sub> height, width, breadth, and RFI across crown anthropoids. Phylogenetic ANOVAs also detect significant dietary differences in these measures despite the presence of high and significant phylogenetic signal in height and RFI, indicating that dietary signals are robust. Predictive models combining I<sub>1</sub> geometry and RFI outperform those using solely I<sub>1</sub> geometry. A mixed-feeding ecology is inferred for the fossil platyrrhine <i>Antillothrix.</i>\u0000 </p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings indicate that I<sub>1</sub> RFI and linear dimensions are robust dietary proxies in anthropoid primates that may be beneficial to future ecomorphological and paleontological analyses. The presence of phylogenetic signal merits further investigation, and we recommend a nuanced approach if applying I<sub>1</sub> RFI or height as a dietary proxy for fossil primates.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796205","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}
Rebecca A. G. Reid, Catriona Davies, Craig Cunningham
{"title":"Trabecular Bone Ontogeny of the Human Distal Tibia","authors":"Rebecca A. G. Reid, Catriona Davies, Craig Cunningham","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25043","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajpa.25043","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is an increasing understanding of how trabecular bone adapts to biomechanical changes during ontogeny. However, limited research exists regarding the distal tibia, which is important in weight-bearing locomotion as part of the ankle joint. This study aims to document the ontogenetic trabecular patterns of the distal tibia, in addition to changes in its structural heterogeneity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Thirty-eight distal tibiae, ranging in age from 28 intrauterine weeks to 8 postnatal years, from the Scheuer juvenile skeletal collection were examined. Trabecular bone was analyzed using a quantitative volume of interest approach and qualitative whole bone mapping following microcomputed tomography.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fetal and perinatal tibia lack mature organization and are associated with high bone volume fraction. During the first year of life, there is a decrease in bone volume fraction and an indication of early re-organization of trabecular struts in the distal tibia. After one year of age, the distal tibia exhibits increased trabecular structural heterogeneity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The trabecular architecture of the fetal and perinatal distal tibia lacks mature organization and instead reflects ossification patterns. At these stages, there is a rapid accumulation of bone mass associated with gestational overproduction, hypothesized to be in preparation for subsequent postnatal changes. During the first year of life there is a decrease in volume fraction, associated with constructive regression. It is postulated this is related to changing biomechanical forces associated with the bipedal gait, in addition to growth demands. After one year of age, the distal tibia exhibits structural heterogeneity with trabecular adaption to accommodate specific bipedal stresses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11775436/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796208","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":"Aleš Hrdlička's Final Research Expeditions: Legacy Review of: The Aleutian and Commander Islands and Their Inhabitants. 1945. By Aleš Hrdlička. Philadelphia: Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology","authors":"Douglas W. Veltre","doi":"10.1002/ajpa.25046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25046","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29759,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Biological Anthropology","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143112031","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}