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Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Anthropology
Lynn Meskell appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Lynn Meskell appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
The world-renowned archaeologist has joint appointments in the Department of Anthropology, the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and the Department of City and Regional Planning, and the Penn Museum as a curator in both the Asian and Near East sections.
Uncovered burial ground reveals history of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
Uncovered burial ground reveals history of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
According to the research, many of these individuals originated in sub-Saharan Africa, in line with historical accounts of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This work, the largest DNA study of its kind to date, was co-led by anthropologist Theodore Schurr and conducted with support from and at the request of the local community.
Pizza, a nascent dairy industry, and infant health in the Peruvian highlands
Pizza, a nascent dairy industry, and infant health in the Peruvian highlands
Research from anthropologist Morgan Hoke shows that in homes that produce their own foods, children exhibit better growth rates and mothers report more autonomy and economic control.
‘Living with the Sea’
‘Living with the Sea’
A student-led exhibition at the Penn Museum features objects from the rarely seen Oceanian collection.
Southeast Asian megadrought dating back 5,000 years discovered in Laos cave
Southeast Asian megadrought dating back 5,000 years discovered in Laos cave
In a Q&A, Penn archaeologist Joyce White discusses the partnership with paleoclimatologists that led to the finding, plus possible implications of such a dramatic climate change for societies at that time.
Cave discovery holds clues to earliest Homo sapiens in Europe
Cave discovery holds clues to earliest Homo sapiens in Europe
Ancient DNA from 46,000-year-old bone fragments and a tooth reveals this group likely overlapped with Neanderthals for thousands of years.
Exploring the links between jobs and health, reframed by COVID-19
Exploring the links between jobs and health, reframed by COVID-19
More than half of America’s farm workers are immigrants, and most have been considered essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. While this designation has ensured the continuity of their livelihoods, it has also increased their risk of becoming sick.
Scholarship through the lens of an iconic media brand
Scholarship through the lens of an iconic media brand
A new Annenberg course centered around HBO offered undergrads hands-on exposure to media production and a chance to hone their analytical skills using primary source materials.
Life, death, and the Amazonian litter layer
Life, death, and the Amazonian litter layer
Kristina Lyons’ new book explores the Colombian world of litter layers, seeds, and soils; Amazonian farmers, narcos, and the War on Drugs
Alex Chen’s lessons from Ebola
Alex Chen’s lessons from Ebola
Alex Chen, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, studies emerging disease preparedness, and how air and airflow is the most powerful tool against disease.
Media Contact
In the News
Science
Ancient megadrought may explain civilization’s ‘missing millennia’ in Southeast Asia
A team led by Joyce White of the School of Arts & Sciences studied stalagmites in a Laotian cave and identified a drought that lasted for more than a millennium, one of a series of megadroughts that affected Asia and Africa between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago.
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Science
Experts question study claiming to pinpoint birthplace of all humans
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff said mitochondrial DNA is a poor tool for tracking ancient population history in Africa, as it only traces genes passed from mothers to children over time.
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The Atlantic
The mystery of ‘Skeleton Lake’ gets deeper
Kathleen Morrison of the School of Arts and Sciences weighed in on the origins of human remains found in India’s Skeleton Lake. “I suspect that they’re aggregated there, that local people put them in the lake,” she says. “When you see a lot of human skeletons, usually it’s a graveyard.”
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PBS NewsHour
Genetic research has a white bias, and it may be hurting everyone’s health
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff and Giorgio Sirugo of the Perelman School of Medicine collaborated on a paper that concluded that predominately European genetic databases may lead to difficulties treating people from other racial backgrounds. “If we don’t include ethnically diverse populations, we are potentially going to be exacerbating health inequalities,” said Tishkoff.
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Science
The surprising reason why some Latin Americans have light skin
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Sarah Tishkoff offered commentary on a recent study on skin pigmentation in Latin American people. Previous research on pigmentation “has been done on Europeans, where ironically we don’t see a lot of variation,” she said. “One of the last frontiers has been, ‘What about East Asians and Native Americans?’”
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National Geographic
Digging for the life stories of long-forgotten slaves
Penn researchers, including visiting student Adeyemi Oduwole, are analyzing mitochondrial DNA from bodies discovered in Charleston, S.C. All of the people found were of African ancestry, making the site the oldest known graveyard of enslaved Africans in the city. “Both of my parents grew up in Nigeria,” said Oduwole. “Those could be my ancestors down there.”
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