Digging Deep Into Ancient and Archaic Human Appearance

I talk with Amy Chase, a graduate student a the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Amy’s research is on El Castillo Cave in Spain where she recently conducted fieldwork. Amy focuses on analyzing pigments found at the site. She explains the paintings at the cave and why the site has become controversial in recent years. She also talks about the process of analyzing pigments and dating cave art and the process of producing cave art in ancient times. Finally, we speculate on the meanings of the paintings and the intentions of the artists.

I sit down with Rachel Dickerson about her research in Polynesia working with oral histories and genetics. Rachel is a graduate student of biological anthropology. While she is not ready to share the results of her research, we discuss her experience conducting it and more general facts about the field. Rachel explains what makes researching in Polynesia unique because of culture, environment, and history. We also discuss ethics and general attitudes within academia.

I talk with Dr. Samantha Cox about her research on ancient human height and genetics. Dr. Cox has published research about the genetic components to height and height variation, including a study on predicting ancient height based on genetics, one of the first of its kind. Dr. Cox shares her findings on the skeletal heights of ancient humans and the different techniques scientists use to reconstruct those measurements. Dr. Cox also explains the roles of genetics, the environment, and researchers’ ability to predict and analyze height based on those facts.

I sit down with Dr. Arslan Zaidi. Dr. Zaidi is a geneticist who has studied many complicated traits of the human body including skin pigmentation and noses. Dr. Zaidi worked on a study about noses as an adaptation to climate and he explains those findings and how his team proved them. Dr. Zaidi also explains the realities of genetic predictions and facial reconstructions with the current state of genetics.

I sit down with Dr. Naomi Martisius to discuss recent discoveries at Bacho Kiro Cave located in Bulgaria. Dr. Martisius’s team recently excavated the cave and found some of the oldest Homo Sapien remains in Europe, dated around 45 kya. In the cave, dozens of small personal ornaments were made of bone, teeth, and stone. Dr. Martisius explains how they were determined to be ornaments, how they were worn, and what they may have meant to the people who wore them. We also discuss ancient tool technology, evidence of creating clothing, and the dynamic setting the occupants of the cave lived in.

I talk with Dr. James T. Watson about all things teeth. Dr. Watson studies the wear patterns on ancient teeth and his research primarily centers around the hunter-gatherer populations of the Americas. Dr. Watson explains how dietary habits can drastically affect the teeth, the difference between oral hygiene and oral health, and possible evidence of people caring for their teeth. We also discuss the process of analyzing dental remains and the importance of dentition in archeology. Music Provided by Audio Jungle