SoS 249: Cup, Swab, or Pad? How Collection Shapes Menstrual Biomarkers

Dr. Luisa María Rivera is a critical biocultural anthropologist whose work examines how social inequality, trauma, and structural violence shape reproductive and maternal–infant health. She integrates ethnographic research with epigenomic and other molecular approaches to trace how stress during development can reverberate across generations and to understand the implications of these findings for health policy. Luisa earned her B.A. from Harvard (2008), an M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota (2015), and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Emory University (2022). She is currently a Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, mentored by Dr. Zaneta Thayer (Anthropology) and Dr. Brock Christensen (Geisel School of Medicine). Her research includes long-term work in post-war communities in Guatemala and with historically marginalized communities in the United States. Luisa previously joined the Sausage of Science “Hackademics” series in Episode 114, Dissertation Research in the Time of COVID-19. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Vlasac, I. M., Stolrow, H. G., Thayer, Z. M., Christensen, B. C., & Rivera, L. (2025). DNA-based cell typing in menstrual effluent identifies cell type variation by sample collection method: toward noninvasive biomarker development for women’s health. Epigenetics, 20(1), 2453275. https://doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2025.2453275 ------------------------------ Contact Luisa: E-mail: [email protected] website: https://luisamariarivera.com/ Google Scholar ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected],

Leela McKinnon is a PhD Candidate in Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Penn State University. Her PhD research examines sleep health in Indigenous Wixárika communities in Jalisco, Mexico, with a particular focus on the effects of rural-to-urban migration on sleep and circadian rhythms. Leela explores the environmental and social factors influencing the sleep health of urban Wixárika migrants. Beyond her dissertation research in Mexico, Leela has also studied sleep in a Guatemalan Maya community, investigating how urbanization and market economy integration shape sleep patterns in rural settings. She is trained in the quantitative analysis of sleep data using accelerometry and is proficient in mixed methodologies, including survey data collection and qualitative interviewing. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: McKinnon, L., Shattuck, E. C., Samson, D. R. (2022). Sound reasons for unsound sleep: Comparative support for the sentinel hypothesis in industrial and nonindustrial groups. Evol Med Public Health, 11(1):53-66. doi: 10.1093/emph/eoac039. ------------------------------ Contact Leela McKinnon: [email protected] X account: @leela_mckinnon The Sleep and Human Evolution Lab's website is https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/shel/ ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: [email protected],

Chris and Courtney sit down with Dr. Haley Ragsdale to discuss intergenerational signals of matrilineal experience. Haley completed her dissertation in Anthropology at Northwestern University in 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Chris Kuzawa. She is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Anthropology Department at the University of Illinois Chicago, collaborating with Dr. Katie Starkweather on fascinating projects related to maternal and child health among the Shodagor of Bangladesh. Haley’s work is deeply rooted in evolutionary theory and the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) framework, with a focus on human reproductive biology. She explores how energetic experiences shape lifetime metabolic strategies and how reproductive investments are influenced by varying environmental contexts. Currently, she’s diving into the mechanisms behind intergenerational signals of matrilineal experience and predictive adaptive responses in humans. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Ragsdale, H. B., Lee, N. R., & Kuzawa, C. W. (2024). Evidence that highly canalized fetal traits are sensitive to intergenerational effects of maternal developmental nutrition. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 183(4), e24883. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24883 ------------------------------ Contact Haley: E-mail: [email protected] website: https://haleyragsdale.squarespace.com/; Google Scholar ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected],

La doctora Isaura Cruz es bio-antropóloga y sus intereses de investigación se centran en la amplia contribución del medio ambiente a la salud y el bienestar humanos. Ha examinado el desarrollo de las condiciones cardiovasculares y metabólicas entre los indígenas mexicanos P'urépecha en sus comunidades de origen en Michoacán, México y las comunidades de acogida en Carolina del Norte, EE.UU. Isaura utiliza un enfoque de métodos mixtos que incluye elementos de la nutrición, la salud pública, la genómica, aplicando siempre una lente biocultural. La investigación de que la conversaremos hoy es parte de su trabajo de tesis doctoral, titulada “Migración Internacional y Salud: P’urépecha en EEUU y México”. En particular hablaremos de un estudio binacional que realizaron entre los años 2018 y 2019, sobre la salud cardiometabólica en la comunidad P’urépecha, un pueblo originario del estado de Michoacán, México. El estudio consiste en una comparación de los factores de riesgo de salud cardiometabólica (CHM) entre quienes viven en sus comunidades de origen en Michoacán, México, y quienes viven en Carolina del Norte, EE. UU. Este trabajo integra perspectivas y métodos de la antropología, la salud pública, la demografía y la sociología, entre otros, para comprender mejor la salud en el contexto de la migración internacional. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Dr. Isaura Cruz is a bioanthropologist whose research focuses on the environmental factors that contribute to human health and well-being. She has studied the development of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions among P'urhépecha indigenous Mexicans in their home communities in Michoacán, Mexico and in host communities in North Carolina, USA. Dr. Cruz uses a mixed-methods approach that incorporates nutrition, public health, and genomics while applying a biocultural lens. The research we will discuss today is part of her doctoral dissertation, entitled International Migration and Health: P'urhépecha in the US and Mexico." Specifically, we will discuss a binational study conducted between 2018 and 2019 examining cardiometabolic health in the P'urhépecha community, an indigenous group in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. This study compares cardiometabolic health risk factors between individuals residing in their home communities in Michoacán and those residing in North Carolina. This work integrates perspectives and methods from anthropology, public health, demography, sociology, and other fields to better understand health in the context of international migration. ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Cruz: [email protected] ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: [email protected] Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly

In this episode, Chris and Cristina talk with Anamika Nanda, a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences and a Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Fellow at the University of Southern California. Anamika’s research, conducted under the guidance of Dr. David Raichlen, examines how physical activity affects neurological health across various genotypes. Before beginning her doctoral work, Anamika earned her Bachelor's degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington. Her award-winning honors thesis examined the relationship between motivation, physical activity, and psychosocial stress, and its impact on telomere length in collegiate swimmers and non-collegiate athletes. We discuss her path into science, her interdisciplinary approach to understanding brain health, and how her work connects athletics, stress, and aging. Anamika’s research has been recognized with an NSF-GRFP Honorable Mention, the UW Anthropology Department’s Best Honors Thesis Award, and a Mary Gates Research Scholarship. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the biology of movement, the value of interdisciplinary research, and what it means to study sports from a holistic perspective. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Nanda, A., Logan, A., & Tennyson, R. L. (2024). The influence of perceived stress and motivation on telomere length among NCAA swimmers. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(9), e24091. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24091 ------------------------------ Contact Anamika: E-mail: [email protected]; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamika-nanda-168b9b199 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected]

Emily is a PhD student and biological anthropologist at Northwestern University and a Student Representative for the Human Biology Association. She studies brain development from an evolutionary perspective, focusing on how early life stress shapes cognitive, behavioral, social, and physiological development. Her dissertation examines how early adversity and parenting influence executive function, learning, and memory, exploring potential adaptive outcomes of early stress. Emily is also pursuing research on brain energetics during development in early childhood and developing field-friendly methods to study brain energetics for anthropologists. She’s passionate about bringing ideas and methods from neuroscience into the field of anthropology to better understand what shapes human behavior and biology. Contact Emily Barron: [email protected] Twitter: @emilyhbarron ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @ani_ruderman

Chris and Cristina sit down with anthropologist and clinical speech-language pathologist Seth Dornisch, whose work bridges evolutionary theory, biocultural analysis, and clinical practice. Seth's dissertation research examines how to improve the quality of life and well-being for individuals experiencing neurological decline, with a focus on reducing suffering and promoting meaningful, positive experiences throughout the human lifespan. He recently completed his PhD in Medical Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at SUNY New Paltz. ------------------------------ Find the Papers discussed in this episode: Dornisch, S., Sievert, L., Sharmeen, T., Begum, K., Muttukrishna, S., Chowdhury, O., & Bentley, G. (2024). Religious minority identity associates with stress and psychological health among Muslim and Hindu women in Bangladesh and London. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(12), e24057. ------------------------------ Contact Seth: E-mail: [email protected] ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected]

Chris and Cristina interview Dr. Pablo Nepomnaschy, a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. Originally from Argentina, Dr. Nepomnaschy began his academic journey with a degree in Biology from the University of Patagonia. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology and Ecology from the University of Michigan, where he also trained in reproductive sciences and social research. He completed his postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and is an alum of the renowned LIFE Program at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. Dr. Nepomnaschy’s research explores how social, ecological, and biological factors interact to shape human reproductive biology and health across the life course. ------------------------------ Find the Papers discussed in this episode: Rowlands, A., Juergensen, E. C., Prescivalli, A. P., Salvante, K. G., & Nepomnaschy, P. A. (2021). Social and Biological Transgenerational Underpinnings of Adolescent Pregnancy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 12152. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212152 Dinsdale, N., Nepomnaschy, P., & Crespi, B. (2021). The evolutionary biology of endometriosis. Evolution, medicine, and public health, 9(1), 174-191. ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Nepomnaschy: E-mail: [email protected] Listen to a previous episode with Pablo: SoS #72 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected]

Christopher Bae is taking us on a journey to meet the hominids of Asia's past. Dr. Bae is a distinguished paleoanthropologist from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa whose research focuses on human evolution in East Asia. Born in Korea and adopted by an American family, his unique personal journey sparked an early interest in race, human variation, and the deep history of our species. What began as a search for his own roots led him to a career dedicated to reconstructing the past—much like paleoanthropologists do when piecing together humanity’s evolutionary story. Dr. Bae has conducted extensive field and laboratory research across Korea, Japan, and China, collaborating on projects that span hominin fossils, vertebrate taphonomy, and lithic analysis. His work bridges disciplines in the social and natural sciences, providing a comprehensive perspective on Pleistocene hominin morphological and behavioral variation, particularly in Homo erectus and both archaic and modern Homo sapiens. With approximately 150 publications and over $1.5 million in extramural funding, Dr. Bae is a leading voice in understanding human evolution in East Asia. ------------------------------ Find the papers discussed in this episode: Bae, C. J., Liu, W., Wu, X., Zhang, Y., Ni, X. (2023). "Dragon man" prompts rethinking of Middle Pleistocene hominin systematics in Asia. Innovation (Camb), 4(6):100527. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100527. Bae, C.J., Wu, X. Making sense of eastern Asian Late Quaternary hominin variability. Nat Commun 15, 9479 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53918-7 Contact Dr. Bae: [email protected] ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Guest Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Anahi Ruderman, Guest Co-Host , SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @ani_ruderman

Bio Chris and Cristina interview Agustín Fuentes about his new book, Sex Is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary (now available). Prof. Fuentes is an anthropologist whose research focuses on the biosocial, delving into the entanglement of biological systems with the social and cultural lives of humans, our ancestors, and a few of the other animals with whom humanity shares close relations. From chasing monkeys in jungles and cities, to exploring the lives of our evolutionary ancestors, to examining human health, behavior, and diversity across the globe, Professor Fuentes is interested in both the big questions and the small details of what makes humans and our close relations tick. Earning his BA/BS in Anthropology and Zoology and his MA and PhD in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, he has conducted research across four continents, multiple species, and two million years of human history. His current projects include exploring cooperation, creativity, and belief in human evolution, multispecies anthropologies, evolutionary theory and processes, and engaging race and racism. Fuentes is an active public scientist, a well-known blogger, lecturer, tweeter, and an explorer for National Geographic. Fuentes was recently awarded the Inaugural Communication & Outreach Award from the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, the President’s Award from the American Anthropological Association, and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Fuentes previously appeared in episodes 48 & 85 in which he shared his origin story & read an excerpt from a previous book. ------------------------------ Find the Books discussed in this episode: Fuentes, A. (2025) Sex is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary Princeton University Press Fuentes, A. (2022) Race, Monogamy, and other lies they told you: busting myths about human nature 2nd edition. University of California Press Fuentes, A, (2019) Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being Yale University Press/Templeton Press Fuentes, A. (2017) The Creative Spark: how imagination made humans exceptional Dutton/Penguin 2017 Romanian Translation (Publica), 2017 Chinese Translation (CITIC Publishing House), 2018 Spanish Translation (Ariel/Planeta), 2018 Korean Translation (Chungrim Publishing Co.) ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Fuentes: Website: https://afuentes.com; E-mail: [email protected]; Blue Sky ‪@anthrofuentes.bsky.social‬; Twitter/X: @Anthrofuentes ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: [email protected]