9.19
Michele W. Berger
Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Anthropology
Crowdsourcing 10,000 years of land use
Crowdsourcing 10,000 years of land use
More than 250 archaeologists from around the world contributed their knowledge to ArchaeoGLOBE, an effort to better understand the prevalence of agriculture, pastoralism, and hunting and gathering at different points in human history.
Through gemstones, a glimpse into ancient Egyptian civilization
Through gemstones, a glimpse into ancient Egyptian civilization
Doctoral student Shelby Justl’s research expands what we know about who controlled semiprecious stones like red jasper and carnelian, plus their cultural and economic significance.
Indigenous ethnologist
Indigenous ethnologist
Gladys Tantaquidgeon, the first Native American student in Penn’s anthropology department, published a series of academic articles, authored a book on ethnobotany and accompanied the department chair as his assistant, interviewing tribes and collecting folklore.
A monumental move for the Penn Museum’s iconic sphinx
A monumental move for the Penn Museum’s iconic sphinx
In a three-day, high-tech operation, the massive sphinx is moved from the gallery where it sat since 1926 to the main entrance hall.
Adolph Reed is retiring. But he’s still got more to say
Adolph Reed is retiring. But he’s still got more to say
After more than 40 years as a political science professor, incisive commentator, and mentor to countless students, Reed is ending his teaching career. Now, he can turn his full attention to writing, and the 2020 campaign.
Training physician-scholars to see patients as people, not categories
Training physician-scholars to see patients as people, not categories
The anthropology M.D.-Ph.D. program, recently graduating its first two students, combines clinical and ethnographic skills aimed at working with and caring for society’s marginalized.
Latin American and Latino Studies celebrates 30 years of growth, plans for the future
Latin American and Latino Studies celebrates 30 years of growth, plans for the future
What began as a handful of faculty and students has matured into a program offering a major and minor, grants, and a local and international community hub.
Night at the (Penn) Museum
Night at the (Penn) Museum
What it’s like to sleep over with mummies and more than 10,000 years’ worth of artifacts.
Four Penn faculty receive Guggenheim fellowships
Four Penn faculty receive Guggenheim fellowships
Four Penn faculty were named 2019 Guggenheim Fellows.
Declassified images from U2 spy planes reveal bygone Middle Eastern archaeological features
Declassified images from U2 spy planes reveal bygone Middle Eastern archaeological features
Researchers from Penn and Harvard are the first to make archaeological use of U2 spy plane imagery, and have created a tool that allows other researchers to identify and access the Cold War-era photos.
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In the News
National Geographic
There’s No Scientific Basis for Race—It's a Made-Up Label
Paul Wolff Mitchell of the School of Arts and Sciences, PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff and Yana Kamberov of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed race and genetics. Skulls from Samuel Morton collection in the Penn Museum are also featured.
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Smithsonian Magazine
Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Barracoon’ Tells the Story of the Slave Trade’s Last Survivor
Deborah Thomas of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed novelist Zora Neale Hurston’s lesser-known work “debunking scientific racism” in the field of anthropology.
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