9/27
Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Anthropology
The story the bowls tell
The story the bowls tell
In an ambitious new project, historian Simcha Gross and Harvard’s Rivka Elitzur-Leiman are studying hundreds of ancient incantation bowls housed at the Penn Museum. They hope to better understand the objects and eventually, build a database of all these bowls worldwide.
Solving the mystery of migration into Micronesia
Solving the mystery of migration into Micronesia
Penn anthropologist Theodore Schurr explains how the use of both ancient DNA and modern genetic materials revealed five paths into this western Pacific region of Oceania, and uncovered subtleties about the society’s marital customs.
Faith, athletic drive, and the Midwestern spirit
Faith, athletic drive, and the Midwestern spirit
May graduate Cam Landis, an anthropology major from Madison, Ohio, played on the offensive line for the football team, walked on to the track team as a thrower—and delved into his Jewish roots at Hillel.
A multidisciplinary approach to considering the Earth’s changing systems
A multidisciplinary approach to considering the Earth’s changing systems
Bringing expertise from each of their disciplines, the School of Arts & Sciences’ Kathleen Morrison and Joseph Francisco and the Environmental Innovations Initiative’s Melissa Brown Goodall infused chemistry, anthropology, policy, and more into an introductory course on climate and the environment.
From the page to the stage
From the page to the stage
In collaboration with author Amitav Ghosh, musician Ali Sethi, and Penn’s Brooke O’Harra, 14 students brought to life a parable Ghosh wrote about the world’s largest mangrove forest, human greed, and the environment.
Keepers of the cultural memory
Keepers of the cultural memory
In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.
Christopher Woods on his first year as director of the Penn Museum
Christopher Woods on his first year as director of the Penn Museum
Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods leads the massive transformation of the 135-year-old institution’s building while reevaluating the collection, expanding the staff and community engagement, and addressing sensitive issues through new policies.
From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
At a site in southern India, archaeologist Kathleen Morrison and colleagues discovered the remains of two types of dough, offering insights into how the region’s dietary practices have evolved.
Studying the past through a modern-day lens
Studying the past through a modern-day lens
In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.
Briana Nichols focuses her work not on migrants, but on the people who stay
Briana Nichols focuses her work not on migrants, but on the people who stay
When Briana Nichols, a joint doctoral candidate in Penn GSE and anthropology, started working within communities of extensive migration, she says the thing they cared about the most was what it took to not migrate.
Media Contact
In the News
ABC Australia
World Heritage—too much of a good thing?
PIK Professor Lynn Meskell, also of the Penn Museum, joins a radio conversation to discuss how the World Heritage Convention has become a victim of its own success.
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Science News
Humans may have started tending animals almost 13,000 years ago
Naomi Miller of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a University of Connecticut study confirms that dung was used as fuel between 12,800 and 12,300 years ago.
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Los Angeles Times
Wildfires have changed. Firefighting hasn’t
Adriana Petryna of the School of Arts & Sciences writes that risk factors for wildfires are setting the stage for disasters that our current tools are not always able to manage or suppress.
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Discover Magazine
Don’t count on evolution to save us from toxic chemicals and pollution
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff spoke about how humans continue to evolve. For example, she said, a genetic variant that enables lactose tolerance didn’t emerge until somewhere between the past several hundred and 2,000 years. “When you’re talking about evolutionary time scales, that’s like a flash.”
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Science
Africans begin to take the reins of research into their own genomes
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff spoke about her research sampling the genes of remote populations in various African regions. “Our studies combined are just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
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Science
Humans were drinking milk before they could digest it
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff spoke about the anthropological origins of dairy farming and consumption. “If you have cows, you have a source of liquid and proteins and nutrition,” she said. “As long as you can keep your cattle alive, of course.”
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