loader from loading.io

Dr. Habiba Chirchir - Why did humans evolve to have less robust skeletons?

AnthroBiology Podcast

Release Date: 07/31/2025

Dr. Habiba Chirchir - Why did humans evolve to have less robust skeletons? show art Dr. Habiba Chirchir - Why did humans evolve to have less robust skeletons?

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Habiba Chirchir of the Ohio State University joins the show to discuss her research into the skeletal gracilization of modern humans. She's trying to understand when and why our skeletons became less robust, and whether self-domestication may have played a role. ------------------ Note: Apparently I got confused with . Both geneticists worked in the Soviet Union, but Dr. Belyayev wasn't persecuted to the same extent as Vavilov. Vavilov, who based his work on Mendelian genetics, ultimately died in prison for daring to go against Stalin's favored genetic model created by and based...

info_outline Dr. David Orton – Rats in Europe and Zooarchaeology show art Dr. David Orton – Rats in Europe and Zooarchaeology

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. David Orton of the University of York joins the show to discuss how he uses zooarchaeology (the study of animal remains in archaeological contexts) to understand the how rat and human populations interacted and affected each other over time in Europe. He gets into the spread of rats, the plague, using ancient DNA and isotopic analysis to analyze rats, and what rats can tell us about historic events. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Eric Guiry et al., . Scientific Advancements. 10, eadm6755(2024). DOI: Yu, H., Jamieson, A.,...

info_outline Dr. Henry Erlich - Genetic Reconstruction of the Past show art Dr. Henry Erlich - Genetic Reconstruction of the Past

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Henry Erlich, Researcher Emeritus at Benioff UCSF Children's Hospital, joins the show to discuss his book, Genetic Reconstruction of the Past: DNA Analysis in Forensics and Human Evolution. We chatted about what it was like to pioneer PCR tests along with how PCR testing works, its applications (including medicine, understanding human evolution, and forensics), and some of the ethical dilemmas around DNA testing more generally. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Erlich, H. (2023). . Oxford University Press. Ed. H Erlich, E Stover, TJ...

info_outline Dr. Christopher Schmitt - Vervets and woolly monkeys show art Dr. Christopher Schmitt - Vervets and woolly monkeys

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Christopher Schmitt of Boston University joins the show to talk about how he uses life history theory and epigenetics as a lens for his work with vervets and woolly monkeys. We also chatted about the highs of fieldwork, along with understanding how identity can affect an individual's experience of the field. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Schmitt, C., Service, S., Jasinska, A. et al. . Int J Obes 42, 765–774 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.301 Carrey, N. (2011). . Stearns, S.C. (1992). . Oxford...

info_outline Dr. Kate Clancy - Period: The Real Story of Menstruation show art Dr. Kate Clancy - Period: The Real Story of Menstruation

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Kate Clancy of Illinois State University Urbana-Champaign joins the show to talk about her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation. We touch on what periods are, why humans might menstruate, factors that affect menstruation, the study of women's health in general, and a few things to keep in when doing research. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Clancy, K. (2023). . Princeton University Press. () Ellison, P.T. (2003). . Harvard University Press. Van Der Sijpt, E. (2018). . Vanderbilt University Press. Nguyen, M. (2024)....

info_outline Dr. Rebecca Gilmour - Roman bioarchaeology show art Dr. Rebecca Gilmour - Roman bioarchaeology

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Rebecca Gilmour of Mount Royal University talks about bones, their mechanics, and how we can use both to understand humans' lives in the past -- especially around her main focus of disability and care in ancient Rome. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Ed. CS Hirst, RJ Gilmour, FA Cardoso, KA Plomp. (2023). . Elsevier. Gilmour, Rebecca & Plomp, Kimberly. (2022). . (OPEN ACCESS). Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. 10.1002/ajpa.24475.. Battles, Heather & Gilmour, Rebecca. (2022). . (OPEN ACCESS). 6. 23–40. 10.5744/bi.2021.0003. ...

info_outline Dr. Jesse Goliath - Forensic anthropology show art Dr. Jesse Goliath - Forensic anthropology

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Jesse Goliath of Mississippi State University joins the show to talk about forensic anthropology, including how he ended up in forensic anthropology and how he developed the Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons. We also talk about the complicated relationship between race and forensic anthropology, along with the importance of bringing diverse perspectives to the field. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Goliath, J.R., Yim, A., & Juarez, J.K. (Eds). (2024). . [Special issue]. Humans, 4(1). Hagerman, M.A....

info_outline Dr. Christine Drea – Mechanisms of female dominance (hyenas, lemurs, meerkats) show art Dr. Christine Drea – Mechanisms of female dominance (hyenas, lemurs, meerkats)

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Christine Drea of Duke University joined the show to talk about mechanisms of female dominance, which is when females of a species are more dominant in groups than males. Dr. Drea looks at how genetics, hormones, and social dynamics interact with each other to result in female dominance in hyenas, meerkats, and lemurs. Content warning: We talk about animal genitalia and hyenas' traumatic birthing process. Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: Dixons, A. (2012). . Oxford University Press. Ellison, P. (2003). . Harvard University...

info_outline Dr. Lauren Butaric - Sinuses show art Dr. Lauren Butaric - Sinuses

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Lauren Butaric of University of Florida joined the show to talk about sinuses - what they are, why we have them, how they can be used in forensic contexts, and what they can tell us about people. I personally love these anatomy-based discussions. It's just so exciting to do a deep dive into these dark cavities. Here are some of the articles I found helpful while prepping for this episode: Campbell, Jessica & Butaric, Lauren. (2022). . Biology. 11. 1075. 10.3390/biology11071075. Butaric, Lauren & Campbell, Jessica & Fischer, Kristine & Garvin, Heather. (2022). ....

info_outline Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug - Bioarchaeology + anthropology in policymaking show art Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug - Bioarchaeology + anthropology in policymaking

AnthroBiology Podcast

Dr. Gwen Robbins Schug from the University of North Carolina - Greebsboro discusses some of the projects her lab is working on, including skeletal and dental pathology in past populations and istopic analysis of human remains. She also touches on the importance of integrating biological anthropology into climate change and global health policies. These two articles are great examples of how bio anthro could inform policymaking: G. Robbins Schug, S. E. Halcrow, . Bioarchaeol. Int. 6, 179–200 (2022). G. Robbins Schug et al., . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120 (2023). ...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Dr. Habiba Chirchir of the Ohio State University joins the show to discuss her research into the skeletal gracilization of modern humans. She's trying to understand when and why our skeletons became less robust, and whether self-domestication may have played a role.

------------------

Note: Apparently I got Dmitry Belyayev confused with Nikolai Vavilov. Both geneticists worked in the Soviet Union, but Dr. Belyayev wasn't persecuted to the same extent as Vavilov.

Vavilov, who based his work on Mendelian genetics, ultimately died in prison for daring to go against Stalin's favored genetic model created by Trofim Lysenko and based on Lamarckism.

Also worth noting: The contributions of Lyudmila Trut who worked with Dr. Belyayev and continued running the study after his death.

Books, articles, and media mentioned in this episode + helpful sites and articles: