Dental health in Roman dogs: A pilot study using standardized examination methods.

Objective: To utilize standardized clinical veterinary methods to analyze dental health in a series of Roman dog maxillae and mandibles and to compare results to modern clinical data.

Materials: 28 skulls of juvenile and adult dogs from three archaeological sites in Switzerland and Germany dating to the Roman period.

Methods: Standardized examination was carried out, which included metric radiographic assessment to diagnose oral pathology and estimate age at death.

Twenty-first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward.

This article presents outcomes from a Workshop entitled "Bioarchaeology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward," which was held at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 6-8, 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (ASU), and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research (CBR, ASU), the Workshop's overall goal was to explore reasons why research proposals submitted by bioarchaeologists, both graduate students and established scholars, fared disproportionately poorly within recent NSF Anthropology Program competitions and to offer advice for increasing success. Therefore, this Workshop comprised 43 international scholars and four advanced graduate students with a history of successful grant acquisition, primarily from the United States.

Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene.

Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances.

Forensic anthropology casework at the Cook County Illinois Medical Examiner's Office, Chicago, IL, 2012-2022.

Forensic anthropology has grown in recent years with increased methodological standardization, technical advancements, and increasing numbers of academic institutions offering coursework and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, few practicing forensic anthropologists publish the composition of their casework, resulting in limited understanding of the true mechanics of the field by academics and forensic professionals. This study reports on forensic anthropology casework at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office between March 2012 and February 2022.

No stone unturned: The presence of kidney stones in a skeleton from 19th century Peoria, Illinois.

During the excavation of the 19th century Peoria City Cemetery (Peoria, Illinois), a skeleton of a female, aged 20-30 years old, was found with large, bilateral calcified masses in the abdominal region. The masses were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the results compared to published clinical data in an effort to determine the etiology of the stones. The calcified masses were determined to be staghorn struvite uroliths, which commonly result from chronic urinary tract infection and likely impacted the overall health of this individual.