Anthropology: Studying the Science of Humanity

[stellavasiliki]

Presenting Anthropology Social Media Challenge

            As part of my seminar course, ANG 6002 Presenting Anthropology, we were asked to do several projects on presenting anthropology to the public over the course of the semester.  The very first of these challenges was the Social Media Challenge, which would be worked on and kept up through out the semester.  We were asked to choose a social media format (be it a Twitter account, a blog, ect.), create posts, and see what the result would be. 

            When I started this project earlier in the year, I really did not have any expectations.  I was not even sure if I would remember to make posts!  I thought, “How on earth am I going to remember to do this?  When am I going to find the time?”  But, as it turned out, neither of these were ever an issue. 

            My biggest challenge was actually deciding what social media format to use.  I knew I wanted to try something new, a format that I had no previous experience with.  This could have been a bad idea, but I was up for the challenge.  I wanted it to be simple to use and have the potential to reach as many people as it could.  I also knew early on that I wanted to do something more than a wordy blog post.  No offense to you bloggers out there, but I knew that particular format would not work for me.  I needed and wanted something that was more visual based, where I could simply post pictures of anthropology.  I eventually decided on a Tumblr.  For me, it combined all the best qualities of a blog and a Twitter account into one format that was quick and easy for me to use.  Essentially, it fit me, my schedule, and what I wanted to do with this project. 

            As I mentioned before, I really did not have any expectations.  I did not even know what exactly I would post.  I just knew my posts would mostly be pictures.  I chose to post pictures because, well, pictures do not take up too much time to look at.  And, with the attention spans of people today, combined with the popularity of visuals like memes, a few seconds of a person’s time was all I wanted and, honestly, could hope to have.  I guess in that respect I had very low expectations.  But, the people of Tumblr are always surprising me!  They do seem to make time to read lengthier posts, and I find myself doing the same.  I, who once wondered where I would even find the time to do this social media challenge, found myself taking the time to read the longer posts of others on Tumblr.

            I found this mostly visual format to actually be very successful, especially because Tumblr is already a heavy visual social media site.  Tumblr also happen to be the only social media format I chose to use.  As I said before, I wanted something easy to use, as I am not very up to date on the multiple social media platforms out there and how they work.  I tried connecting my Tumblr to my Facebook account, but I never seemed to have much success with my Tumblr posts appearing on Facebook.  That was unfortunate, and I resigned myself on just sticking to one social media format.  It was probably for the best anyway. 

            It was actually really surprising to see how quickly my posts on Tumblr were being “liked” and reposted by others.  And, once I started adding multiple tags to my posts, I felt I was really reaching an incredibly large audience.  It is interesting to look at posts and see the path they took, the different people that saw my post, and who reblogged it. 

            Throughout the semester, I have been gaining followers.  As of writing this, I have a total of 20 followers.  That might not sound like much, but to me, that is pretty good considering my Tumblr has only been up since January.  And, to make it even better, the majority of these followers I have no connection to!  Which, I have to admit, is really surprising to me as I was not expecting much in the way of followers. 

            It was also pretty amazing to learn from where these followers were from.  In fact, two followers that I gained early in the semester are of anthropology departments/ anthropology clubs from Canada and New Zealand.  I just could not believe that an anthropology group from New Zealand would be interested in following the ramblings of a single grad student from the University of West Florida.  But, they are interested, and I was just as interested in them.  I have to admit, though, I was really excited about that!

            So far, I have made a total of 75 posts on Tumblr.  Some gained a little attention, and others seemed to garner nothing.  My most popular post by far, however, gained a total, so far, of 221 notes, which are composed of a mixture of “likes” and reblogged notices.  It was an Anthropology Major Fox meme about mentally undressing someone’s skin in order to see he or she’s skeletal structure.  I think it was a hit with the other anthropologists on Tumblr, and even perhaps some people that are not associated with anthropology.  I know I liked it!  I still occasionally get a notice of someone “liking” or reblogging that particular post.  I posted that picture some time ago, and it really surprises me that the image is still being circulated.  In this way, I really can see how social media has a way of continuously transferring information, regardless of how old or new that information may be.  I suppose that information always ends up being new to someone. 

            I am still not sure if this social media project really fulfilled a need for me.  It definitely helped connect me to more people than I ever thought I could be connected to.  I also see the potential in Tumblr in so far as if I ever need help or advice in anthropology.  It has given me the ability to connect to a network of people involved in anthropology outside of my university’s department.  I suppose in that way it has fulfilled some sort of spot in my academic career that I really did not consider when I originally started this project.  For that reason, I want to continue with Tumblr.  I will also continue with it because I find it fun and enjoyable.  I like reading the posts of my fellow anthropologists.  It is surprising how much current news I learn from Tumblr first over other social media formats and even the news.  It has definitely become a new source of news, information, and knowledge for me that I did not expect. 

[science-junkie]

Modern Europe’s Genetic History Starts in Stone Age By Ker Than Europeans as a people are younger than we thought, a new study suggests. DNA recovered from ancient skeletons reveals that the genetic makeup of modern Europe was established around 4,500 B.C. in the mid-Neolithic—or 6,500 years ago—and not by the first farmers who arrived in the area around 7,500 years ago or by earlier hunter-gatherer groups. “The genetics show that something around that point caused the genetic signatures of previous populations to disappear,” said Alan Cooper, director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, where the research was performed. “However, we don’t know what happened or why, and [the mid-Neolithic] has not been previously identified as [a time] of major change,” he said. Furthermore, the origins of the mid-Neolithic populations that did form the basis of modern Europe are also unknown. “This population moves in around 4,000 to 5,000 [B.C.], but where it came from remains a mystery, as we can’t see anything like it in the areas surrounding Europe,” Cooper said. The surprising findings are part of a new study, published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Communications, that provides the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe. The study shows that “relatively recent migrations seem to have had a significant genetic impact on the population of Central Europe,” said study co-author Spencer Wells, who leads National Geographic’s Genographic Project.

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[stellavasiliki]

Together

[anthrocentric]

Biometric Evidence that Sexual Selection Has Shaped the Hominin Face [PLOSone]

Abstract: We consider sex differences in human facial morphology in the context of developmental change. We show that at puberty, the height of the upper face, between the lip and the brow, develops differently in males and females, and that these differences are not explicable in terms of sex differences in body size. We find the same dimorphism in the faces of human ancestors. We propose that the relative shortening in men and lengthening in women of the anterior upper face at puberty is the mechanistic consequence of extreme maxillary rotation during ontogeny. A link between this developmental model and sexual dimorphism is made for the first time, and provides a new set of morphological criteria to sex human crania. This finding has important implications for the role of sexual selection in the evolution of anthropoid faces and for theories of human facial attractiveness.

[stellavasiliki]

"My babies."

[scinerds]

Taste of beer, without effect from alcohol, triggers dopamine release in the brain

The taste of beer, without any effect from alcohol itself, can trigger dopamine release in the brain, which is associated with drinking and other drugs of abuse, according to Indiana University School of Medicine researchers.

Using positron emission tomography (PET), the researchers tested 49 men with two scans, one in which they tasted beer, and the second in which they tasted Gatorade, looking for evidence of increased levels of dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter long associated with alcohol and other drugs of abuse. The scans showed significantly more dopamine activity following the taste of beer than the sports drink. Moreover, the effect was significantly greater among participants with a family history of alcoholism.

Results of the study were published online Monday by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

“We believe this is the first experiment in humans to show that the taste of an alcoholic drink alone, without any intoxicating effect from the alcohol, can elicit this dopamine activity in the brain’s reward centers,” said David A. Kareken, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the IU School of Medicine and the deputy director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center.

The stronger effect in participants with close alcoholic relatives suggests that the release of dopamine in response to such alcohol-related cues may be an inherited risk factor for alcoholism, said Dr. Kareken.

Research for several decades has linked dopamine to the consumption of various drugs of abuse, although researchers have differing interpretations of the neurotransmitter’s role. Sensory cues that are closely associated with drug intoxication (ranging from tastes and smells to the sight of a tavern) have long been known to spark cravings and induce treatment relapse in recovering alcoholics. Many neuroscientists believe that dopamine plays a critical role in such cravings.

The study participants received a very small amount of their preferred beer — 15 milliliters — over a 15-minute time period, enabling them to taste the beer without resulting in any detectable blood alcohol level or intoxicating effect.

Using a PET scanning compound that targets dopamine receptors in the brain, the researchers were able to assess changes in dopamine levels occurring after the participants tasted the liquids.

In addition to the PET scan results, participants reported an increased beer craving after tasting beer, without similar responses after tasting the sports drink — even though many thought the Gatorade actually tasted better, said Brandon G. Oberlin, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow and first author of the paper.

[science-junkie]

New bird flu strain seen adapting to mammals, humans

A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic… “The human isolates, but not the avian and environmental ones, have a protein mutation that allows for efficient growth in human cells and that also allows them to grow at a temperature that corresponds to the upper respiratory tract of humans, which is lower than you find in birds,” says Kawaoka, a leading expert on avian influenza. So far, the new virus has sickened at least 33 people, killing nine. Although it is too early to predict its potential to cause a pandemic, signs that the virus is adapting to mammalian and, in particular, human hosts are unmistakable, says Kawaoka [of UW-Madison and the University of Tokyo]. Access to the genetic information in the viruses, he adds, is necessary for understanding how the virus is evolving and for developing a candidate vaccine to prevent infection. Influenza virus depends on its ability to attach to and commandeer the living cells of its host to replicate and spread efficiently. Avian influenza rarely infects humans, but can sometimes adapt to people, posing a significant risk to human health. Read more

Image: [x]

[stellavasiliki]

Getting Dr. Bass to sign my copy of Human Osteology. How exciting!

[stellavasiliki]

At the AAPA conference in Knoxville,TN. Exciting stuff!

[stellavasiliki]

And how many times do we have to say, 'we didn't come from monkeys.' Though, I have to admit,for being close relatives, I've never gotten a present from an ape.

[stellavasiliki]

Ah, Bucky cat. You're so funny. "The truth is boring,man."

[science-junkie]

Bioglass helping to mend bones

[…] Bones are capable of regenerating themselves if they suffer slight damage. But if the damage is above a certain degree, bone lacks the capability of mending itself. When breaks are too big, bones need to be helped. Even today, metal nails or other components are often inserted to help these breaks to mend. So, once the bone has mended, a second operation has to be performed to extract these components. The aim of these new materials or implants is, among other things, to obviate the need for the second operation.

These materials or implants that are of interest in medicine have to meet a number of requirements before they can be used in therapeutic applications. Among other things, the materials have to be biocompatible, in other words, they must not damage the cells or the organism itself. At the same time, being biodegradable is also a very interesting property, so that the body will easily convert them into metabolic products that are not toxic. But other factors also have to be taken into consideration: mechanical robustness and the straightforward nature of the production process, for example.

With all this in mind, the UPV/EHU researchers are synthesising and shaping tailor-made bioimplants. The main component, on the whole, tends to be a biodegradable polymer, in other words, one that will gradually disappear as the bone occupies its own place. As the polymer is too soft, bioglass was added to the polymer in this piece of work. Bioglass is a bioactive agent and helps the bone to regenerate; what is more, it gives the polymer tough mechanical properties. So the biodegradable polymer/bioglass composite system is stiffer and tougher than the polymer alone. […] Source: eurekalert.org

[we-are-star-stuff]

How vaccines saved millions of lives

Over 5.2 billion people died in the 20th Century. Although the 20th Century ended a mere 13 years ago, from a statistics standpoint, we know we will probably die of different diseases (and other less natural causes) than our forebears. The causes of death evolve over time as medicine improves, science ameliorates risk, lifestyles change, environments shift, and politics reshape our world. British data journalist David McCandless (of Information is Beautiful) created this fascinating infographic based on a project, commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, a U.K. charity devoted to human health, called Death in the 20th Century, which shows us, graphically, the leading causes of mortality from 1900 to 2000, worldwide. 

Some of the numbers are shocking. Humanity is the cause of nearly 1 billion (or just short of 20%) of the deaths in the 20th Century. These numbers include war, murders, religious intolerance, suicide, and other deadly crimes that humans perpetrate against one another. Maybe the 21st Century will knock that number down, though I doubt any of us are optimistic given the way this century has started.

But the most interest information is in the Infectious Disease section. Nearly 1.7 billion people have died from infectious diseases. Some of the more interesting numbers are:

Diphtheria - 0.76 million deaths

Hepatitis B - 12.7 million deaths

Measles - 96.7 million deaths

Meningitis - 21.9 million deaths

Polio - 0.13 million deaths

Smallpox - 400 million deaths (yes, 400 million)

Tetanus - 37.1 million deaths

Whooping cough - 38.1 million deaths

In the 21st Century, the numbers of deaths from these diseases will probably be in the few thousand worldwide. Why? Because of vaccines. Not better sanitation. Not better health care facilities. But because of vaccines.

And in the 21st Century, as more vaccines are developed and brought to market, many of these infectious diseases will be less of a problem. 

Vaccines saves lives. Literally hundreds of millions of lives.

[willjwilson]

BC anthropological(ish) comic from the 1960s. #anthropology #anthro

[munsellcolor-blog]

Archaeosoup Productions posted a thought recently that we agree with!

[mandatorymanda]

Check out this video of me (mandatorymanda) being interviewed about being a cultural anthropology student. Of course, I wish I had said some things differently and elaborated on others, but overall I’m satisfied and I think the information is useful.

[stellavasiliki]

I know the feeling.