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Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology
1st Edition - September 25, 2012
Editors: Elizabeth A. DiGangi, Megan K. Moore
Hardback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 3 8 5 1 8 9 - 5
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 3 8 5 1 9 0 - 1
Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology serves as the one location readers can go to not only learn how to conduct research in general, but how research is specifically… Read more
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Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology serves as the one location readers can go to not only learn how to conduct research in general, but how research is specifically conducted within human skeletal biology. It outlines the current types of research being conducted within each sub-specialty of skeletal biology, and gives the reader the tools to set up a research project in skeletal biology. It also suggests several ideas for potential projects. Each chapter has an inclusive bibliography, which can serve as a good jumpstart for project references.
- Provides a step-by-step guide to conducting research in human skeletal biology
- Covers diverse topics (sexing, aging, stature and ancestry estimation) and new technologies (histology, medical imaging, and geometric morphometrics)
- Excellent accompaniment to existing forensic anthropology or osteology works
Forensic professionals (i.e. physical and biological anthropologists, scientists, researchers), advanced undergraduate and post-graduate students in physical and biological anthropology, professors/instructors teaching research methods courses
Dedication
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Contributors
Chapter 1. Introduction to Skeletal Biology
Goals of this Textbook
Why Study the Human Skeleton?
A Concise (and Abridged) Overview and History of Themes in Physical/Biological Anthropology Relevant to Human Skeletal Biology
Format of this Book
How to Use this Book
Final Thoughts
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 2. Application of the Scientific Method to Skeletal Biology
Introduction to Science
The Scientific Method
Developing a Research Question: How to Think of and Develop Ideas
Project Logistics
Case Study: The Development of a Dissertation Topic
Final Thoughts
Acknowledgments
References
Recommended Reading
Chapter 3. Age-at-Death Estimation
Introduction
Subadult Age-at-Death Estimation
Statistics and Adult Age-at-Death Estimation
Adult Age-at-Death Estimation
Case Study: Bayesian Theory Applied to the Multifactorial Age Indicator Problem
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4. Sex Estimation and Assessment
Introduction
Sex Assessment versus Sex Estimation
Sexual Dimorphism: Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Factors
Sex Assessment
Metric Sex Estimation
Problematic Areas of Sex Estimation
Case Study: Developing Population-Specific Sexing Standards
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5. Ancestry Estimation
Introduction
(Brief) History of Race Concept
Hrdlička, Hooton, and Boas: Three Key Figures in the Development of the Discipline
Scientific Racism
Modern Thought About Ancestry
Ancestry and Forensic Anthropology
Statistical Approaches
Case Study: Assessing Ancestry for an Unknown
Final Thoughts: the Future of Research in Ancestry Estimation and Human Variation
Acknowledgments
References
Recommended Additional Readings and Viewings
Chapter 6. Stature Estimation
Introduction
Methods in Stature Estimation: Then and Now
Problems with Stature Estimation
Case Studies: Stature Estimation
Future Research in Stature Estimation
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 7. Paleopathology
Introduction
Skeletal Stress Markers of Bioarchaeological Value
Identifying a Pathology
How to Collect Pathological Data
The Photo Kit and Photographs/Other Images
Choosing a Collection: Not in a Vacuum
Paleopathological Information as a Problem-Solving Tool
Conclusion: Paleopathology as AN Investigative Tool
References
Chapter 8. Investigation of Skeletal Trauma
Introduction
Basic Concepts in Bone Trauma
Types of Trauma in the Human Skeleton
New Thinking: Skeletal Trauma as a Continuum
Skeletal Trauma as a Component of Anthropological Research
Case-Based Analysis
Case Study: Investigation of Fracture Patterns in Child Abuse Using a Case-Based Approach
Experimental Skeletal Trauma Research
Case Study: Experimental Impact Biomechanics Research into Cranial Base Fractures
Future Directions in Skeletal Trauma Research
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 9. Taphonomy
Introduction
The Taphonomic Research Perspective
Methodology in Taphonomic Research
Actualistic Methodology: Natural and Experimental
Taphonomy and Skeletal Biology: Two Case Studies
Case Study: Forensic Taphonomy
Case Study: Archaeological Taphonomy
Conclusion
References
Chapter 10. Dental Anthropology
Introduction
Teeth: A Brief Introduction
Tooth Size and Shape
Tooth Development and Wear
Visualizing Tooth Growth
Dental Pathology
Teeth and Genetic Material
Isotope Analysis
Microwear
Case Study: The Devil Is in the Details
Moving Forward …
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 11. Demography
Introduction
Starting Data for Demographic Analysis of Skeletal Samples
Estimation of Sex and of the Sex Ratio
Estimation of Age and of the Age-at-Death Structure
What Sex Ratios and Age-at-Death Structures can tell us about Past Populations
What Role can Sex Ratios and Age-at-Death Structures Play in Forensic Anthropology?
Conclusion: Wrapping It up
References
Chapter 12. Geometric Morphometrics
Introduction
Traditional Morphometrics
Geometric Morphometrics
Geometric Morphometric Methods
Current Applications of Geometric Morphometrics in Skeletal Biology
Conclusion and Additional Resources
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 13. Bone and Dental Histology
Introduction
Bone Histology and Anthropology
Basic Concepts in Dental Histology
Case Study of Dental Histology in Forensic Anthropology: The Problem of Pink Teeth
So you’re interested in dental histology
Histological Methods
Histological Analyses
Case Studies: Bone histology
So You’re Interested in Bone Histology
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 14. Functional Morphology and Medical Imaging
Introduction
Basic Bone Biology
Basic Bone Biomechanics
Functional Morphology
Cross-Sectional Geometric Shape Analysis
Medical Imaging
Case Study: Functional Morphology, CT, and Bone Density in Action
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 15. Isotopes
Introduction
What Questions can be Answered with Stable Isotope Analysis?
What are Isotopes?
Research Design of Stable Isotope Projects
Case Study: Archaeological Research Questions with Stable Isotope Data
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 16. Molecular Methods
Introduction
Genetics and Genomics
Genetics in Anthropology
Incorporating Genetics into Anthropological Research: What do i need to know?
Degraded Dna
Case Study: Setting up a Degraded Dna Analysis
Case Study: the Trials and Tribulations of Dna Research in Practice
Application of Dna Analysis to Long-Standing Anthropological Inquiries into Human Variation, its Pattern, and its Explanation
Future Research Opportunities
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 17. Library Research, Presenting, and Publishing
Introduction
Library and Database Research
Searching and Obtaining Outside Sources of Funding
Giving a Presentation
Publishing
Case Study: the First Rib and the Photographs
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Suggested Reading
Chapter 18. Future Research Considerations in Human Skeletal Biology
Recommendations for Developing Your Aptitude as a Scholar
Trends in Human Skeletal Biology
Important Considerations
Vision Towards The Future
Acknowledgments
References
Glossary
Index
- No. of pages: 576
- Language: English
- Published: September 25, 2012
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Hardback ISBN: 9780123851895
- eBook ISBN: 9780123851901
ED
Elizabeth A. DiGangi
Dr. Elizabeth A. DiGangi received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history, magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. While working on her bachelor’s degree, she was one of the recipients of the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Fellowship in Biology where she received her first scientific research experience. She went on to earn a Master’s of Arts degree from the same institution in physical anthropology where she was an Arthur Schomburg Graduate Fellow. Following her Master’s, she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee to earn her doctorate from The University of Tennessee. She has taught extensively, either as an assistant or full instructor of several courses including Human Anatomy and Physiology, Primate Dissections, Human Origins, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Introduction to Physical Anthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and of a historical archaeological field school course. While at UT, she was awarded with several consecutive graduate teaching assistantships from both the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She is a member of several honor societies, recipient of several merit-based travel awards, and recipient of the Tennessee Valley Authority Graduate Scholar in Archaeology award. She became tenure-track instructor of Anthropology at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville before completing her doctorate degree. Dr. DiGangi currently lives and works in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is contracted as a consultant for the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). In this capacity, she is charged with providing advisement, training, and equipment for the country’s professional forensic anthropologists and other scientists who work on exhuming and identifying the remains of victims of the Colombian conflict. Since 2008, she has coordinated, taught, and/or developed 23 courses in forensic archaeology, osteology, skeletal trauma analysis, and research methods, training over 450 professionals. Her research interests include age-at-death estimation in skeletal remains, health of prehistoric populations, and challenges and ethical considerations of work in anthropology outside of academia. She has presented her original research at annual professional conferences including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Paleopathology Association, and Asociación Latina de Antropología Forense. Her publications have appeared in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. She is currently organizing a multi-faceted research program using Colombian anthropologists as primary researchers to create skeletal standards of the biological profile for the Colombian population.
Affiliations and expertise
Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United StatesMM
Megan K. Moore
Dr. Megan K. Moore graduated from the Ohio State University with honors distinction in Anthropology. She received two scholarships to conduct her honors thesis research in Athienou, Cyprus on population distance using adult odontometrics of individuals from a Medieval cemetery. Dr. Moore completed a Masters of Science degree at the University of Oregon, Eugene, in Anthropology. She received a Graduate Teaching Fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon. From 1999-2000, she worked as a Forensic Anthropologist with the Physicians for Human Rights in Cyprus to exhume and repatriate the remains of approximately two hundred soldiers killed during the war between Turkey and Greek Cyprus in 1974. Dr. Moore received her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2008. During her doctoral program in Tennessee, she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Anthropology, and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her dissertation, "Body Mass Estimation from the Human Skeleton" was funded by a dissertation fellowship from the National Institute of Justice and examined the adaptations of the modern human skeleton to the body mass extremes of obesity and emaciation using computed tomography, densitometry and analysis of skeletal pathology. She spent several months in Bogotá, Colombia training Colombian forensic scientists; these courses include Forensic Archaeology; Advanced Forensic Archaeology; Skeletal Trauma Analysis; and Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology. She has taught a wide variety of lectures and labs in US institutions including: Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Human Adaptation; Anatomy and Physiology; Evolution of Monkeys and Apes; Nutritional Anthropology; Human Genetics; and Human Growth and Development. She has authored and co-authored articles appearing in Forensic Science International, the Journal of Forensic Sciences and the Journal of Forensic Identification. In addition, she has presented papers at professional meetings and conferences including International Congress on Obesity, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering and the International Association for Identification. Dr. Moore currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She pursues research on the effects of obesity on the growing adolescent skeleton in collaboration with the Bone and Joint Injury, Prevention and Rehabilitation Center in Ann Arbor. Dr. Moore is the faculty advisor of the Anthropology Club and Amnesty International and an active member of the Institutional Review Board at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan - Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA