Sausage of Science

Human Biology Association
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The Human Biology Association is a vibrant nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to supporting and disseminating innovative research and teaching on human biological variation in evolutionary, social, historical, and environmental context worldwide.

  1. SoS 281: Industrialization and the Environmental Mismatch: The Case for Returning to Nature with Dr. Danny Longman and Dr. Colin Shaw

    6d ago

    SoS 281: Industrialization and the Environmental Mismatch: The Case for Returning to Nature with Dr. Danny Longman and Dr. Colin Shaw

    In this episode, hosts Chris and Mecca speak with Dr. Danny Longman and Dr. Colin Shaw about the mismatch between humans and modern built environments, exploring both the negative biological impacts of living in industrialized cities and the positive effects of spending time in nature. Dr Danny Longman graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences (2005–08), followed by an MPhil (2008–09) and PhD (2011–14) in Human Evolution. He remained at Cambridge as a Postdoctoral Researcher (2015–19) before joining Loughborough University as a Lecturer. He has since been promoted to Senior Lecturer. Outside of work, Danny is a keen sportsman with a passion for ultra-endurance sport, nature, and travel. Dr. Colin Shaw graduated from the University of Western Ontario (Canada) with a BA (Hons) in Anthropology and Kinesiology (2000) and an MSc in Exercise Physiology (2000-02), then moved to the University of Cambridge, where he obtained an MPhil (2003-04) and a PhD (2004–08) in Biological Anthropology. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008-2009), Penn State (2010-2011), and the University of Cambridge (2011-2015). He is now a Senior Lecturer at the University of Zurich. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Longman, D.P. and Shaw, C.N. (2026), Homo sapiens, industrialisation and the environmental mismatch hypothesis. Biol Rev, 101: 580-601. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70094 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org Chris Lynn, Co-Host, Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu Mecca E. Howe, Co-Host, E-mail: howemecca@gmail.com, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mecca-howe/

    42 min
  2. SoS 280: The Measure of Motion with Dr. Christine Harper

    Jun 3

    SoS 280: The Measure of Motion with Dr. Christine Harper

    Chris and Cristina sit down with Dr. Christine Harper, a biological anthropologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington, whose research focuses on the functional morphology and biomechanics of the human and nonhuman primate postcranial skeleton, with the goal of understanding how musculoskeletal form relates to locomotor behavior. She uses these patterns to place early hominins in context and reconstruct how they may have moved. Her work takes a quantitative, data-driven approach, using tools such as 3D geometric morphometrics, high-density semilandmarks, spherical harmonic analyses (SPHARM), whole-bone trabecular analyses, musculoskeletal modeling, and advanced statistical methods for high-dimensional data. She also develops and tests novel methods to address challenges in analyzing complex, multi-dimensional data. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Harper, C. M., & Patel, B. A. Functional morphology of trabecular bone in the calcaneus of African apes. Journal of Anatomy. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.70141 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Harper: cmharper@uw.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-Host & Co-Producer Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu

    39 min
  3. SoS 279: The AABA Task Force Recommendations for the Ethical Study of Human Remains with Dr. Fatimah Jackson and Dr. Ben Auerbach

    May 25

    SoS 279: The AABA Task Force Recommendations for the Ethical Study of Human Remains with Dr. Fatimah Jackson and Dr. Ben Auerbach

    In this episode, hosts Cara and Chris speak with Dr. Fatimah Jackson and Dr. Ben Auerbach about the American Association of Biological Anthropologists Task Force on the ethical study of human remains and their recommendations for the management and oversight of community partnership and ethical stewardship of human remains. Dr. Fatimah Jackson is a professor Emeritus of the Biology Department at Howard University. She has conducted research on (and is particularly interested in): 1.) Human-plant coevolution, particularly the influence of phytochemicals on human metabolic effects and evolutionary processes and 2.) Population substructure in peoples of African descent, developing Ethnogenetic Layering as a computational tool to identify human microethnic groups and differential expressions of health disparities. You can learn more about her work here: https://profiles.howard.edu/fatimah-jackson Dr. Auerbach is a Professor in the Departments of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research examines variation and evolution through the skeletons of primates and other mammals, applying quantitative genetics and functional anatomy to understand how traits evolve, especially in primates and Australian marsupials. He also studies variation in global human samples from archaeological and medical contexts, as well as the history and ethics of the biological and social sciences. You can find more about his work here: https://web.utk.edu/~auerbach/index.htm ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Who Speaks for the Dead? Of Communities and Stewardship in Legacy Collections of Human Remains: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70216 AABA Task Force on the Ethical Study of Human Remains Recommendations: Proposal for the Management and Oversight of Community Partnership and Ethical Stewardship of Human Remains: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70213 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org Cara Ocobock, Co-Host, Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:cocobock@nd.edu, Twitter:@CaraOcobock Chris Lynn, Co-Host, Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly

    1h 21m
  4. SoS 278: Using a biocultural approach to understand food allergies, consumption patterns, and guidelines with Erin Maxwell (Hosein)

    May 9

    SoS 278: Using a biocultural approach to understand food allergies, consumption patterns, and guidelines with Erin Maxwell (Hosein)

    In this episode, Mecca chats with Erin Maxwell (Hosein) about her research on food allergen consumption patterns in the U.S. using NHANES data, gaps in current research, and the value of anthropological approaches for contributing to a more holistic understanding and informing policy/guidelines. They also discuss the evolutionary dual-allergen exposure hypothesis and new, exciting methods for testing the theory. Erin Maxwell (Hosein) is a registered dietitian and human-biology PhD student in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose work centers on the rising prevalence of food allergies in the United States. Drawing on training in nutrition, food studies, and evolutionary perspectives on health, she studies how early-life feeding practices may shape the development of allergic disease. Her research focuses on maternal and infant nutrition and the early-life origins of allergic conditions using biosocial and nutritional epidemiology approaches. More broadly, she examines how food policy and shifting public health recommendations influence not only nutritional status but also everyday food practices, customs, and beliefs. Contact Erin at hosein@email.unc.edu, https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinhoseinnutrition/ ------------------------------ Find the papers discussed in this episode: Hosein, E. A., Virkud, Y. V., Kim, E. H., Hoke, M. K., Thompson, A. L., & Keet, C. A. (2025). Temporal, Age, and Racial and Ethnic Trends in Allergen Consumption from 2-Day 24-Hour Recalls, NHANES 2003-2023. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 13(10), 2795–2805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2025.07.028 Comment on Stanislaw J. Gabryszewski, Jesse Dudley, Jennifer A. Faerber, Robert W. Grundmeier, Alexander G. Fiks, Jonathan M. Spergel, David A. Hill; Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy. Pediatrics November 2025; 156 (5): e2024070516. 10.1542/peds.2024-070516 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org Mecca E. Howe, Host, E-mail: howemecca@gmail.com, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mecca-howe/

    44 min
  5. SoS 277: Catalina Fernández discusses a new causal model of human growth using temporally sparse data

    Apr 27

    SoS 277: Catalina Fernández discusses a new causal model of human growth using temporally sparse data

    In this episode, Dr. Catalina Fernández explains a new theoretical model of human growth and its opportunities for cross-sectional and diverse samples. Dr. Catalina Fernández is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Florida Atlantic University (United States). Her research focuses on the role of food and diet in human adaptation and evolution among contemporary populations. Drawing on evolutionary and biocultural frameworks and employing mixed methods, her work investigates how subsistence strategies, nutritional histories, and the environment shape genetic, physiological, and cultural adaptations. She is particularly interested in questions related to the consequences of global market integration for human health and well-being among rural and small-scale societies. She has experience working with rural and Indigenous communities in Latin America, addressing issues related to environmental and dietary adaptations, nutrition transition, chronic disease risk, and population genetics. Her most recent research project investigates the causes of variation in child growth trajectories among non-Western populations, aiming to better inform public health interventions using culturally and environmentally appropriate strategies. Building on this work, she is developing a research program that examines the life-course health outcomes related to water and food security resulting from the climate change–driven expansion of the mining industry among indigenous communities in Chile. Contact Dr. Fernández at catafernandezh@gmail.com ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: John A. Bunce, Catalina I. Fernández, Caissa Revilla-Minaya; A causal model of human growth and its estimation using temporally sparse data. R Soc Open Sci. 1 August 2025; 12 (8): 250084. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250084 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org Chris Lynn, Co-Host, Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, X:@Chris_Ly Mecca E. Howe, Co-Host, E-mail: howemecca@gmail.com, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mecca-howe/

    36 min
  6. SoS 276: When the Grandmother Hypothesis Speaks, Part Two

    Apr 25

    SoS 276: When the Grandmother Hypothesis Speaks, Part Two

    In part two of our conversation with Dr. Kristen Hawkes, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah, we pick up where we left off and turn to the broader evolutionary story that grandmothering helps tell. Building on her original grandmother hypothesis, this episode focuses on her paper "Life History Evolution Explains Features of Humanity," in which she argues that post-menopausal longevity set off a cascade of life history shifts that distinguish us from our closest primate relatives. Dr. Hawkes walks us through how grandmothering can explain features that often get treated as separate evolutionary puzzles: our unusually long childhoods, late maturity, short interbirth intervals, and extended lifespans. From there, the conversation moves into the social and cognitive consequences of this life history pattern, including pair bonding, cooperative behavior, and the distinctive intensity of human social life. She also revisits how comparisons with chimpanzees and ethnographic data from the Hadza continue to inform and constrain the hypothesis. ------------------------------ Find the work discussed in this episode: Hawkes, K., & Jones, N. B. (2018). Hunter-gatherer studies and human evolution: A very selective review. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 165(4), 777-800. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23403 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Hawkes: hawkes@anthro.utah.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-Host & Co-Producer Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu

    50 min
  7. SoS 275: La historia de Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo y el índice de abuelidad con Darío Pacha Cardozo

    Apr 21

    SoS 275: La historia de Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo y el índice de abuelidad con Darío Pacha Cardozo

    Darío Cardozo es Licenciado en Biología Molecular, egresado de la Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis (Argentina), y doctor en Arqueología de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Sus investigaciones se han centrado en Arqueología Histórica, uniendo el análisis de los documentos históricos, la información genética y los datos isotópicos de dieta y movilidad a partir de los restos arqueológicos humanos del Cementerio Indígena de Baradero. Posteriormente realizó un posdoctorado, donde investigó acerca de la ancestría de los restos encontrados en el cementerio de las ruinas de San Francisco de la provincia de Mendoza. En esta misma línea, realizó una pasantía en ADN antiguo y nuevas técnicas de secuenciación masiva en el laboratorio de Antropología de la Universidad de Kansas, EEUU. Ha sido docente de Biología Molecular y Genética en la Universidad Nacional de San Luis, la Universidad Maimónides y la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales de la UBA. Además, hace seis años que es docente de la cátedra de Antropología Biológica de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la UBA. Cursó la especialización en Genética, DDHH y Sociedad de la Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero. Forma parte del grupo de Genética y Sociedad, conformado por antropólogues, biológues y estudiantes de antropología. En esta línea, ha comenzado a investigar acerca de los aspectos éticos legales y sociales de las nuevas técnicas de secuenciación masiva, en particular en torno a la genética forense. Hace dos años que forma parte del equipo de Biología Molecular y Genética Forense del Banco Nacional de Datos Genéticos, trabajando, principalmente, en el análisis genético de los restos óseos de familiares o posibles nietes. Trabajo discutido en el episodio de hoy: "LAS ABUELAS Y LA GENÉTICA” El aporte de la ciencia en la búsqueda de los chicos desaparecidos ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Cardozo: dcardozo@bndg.gob.ar ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: aniruderman@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar

    55 min
  8. SoS 274: Female competition and the power of gossip: from sororities to small-scale societies with Dr. Nicole Hess

    Apr 13

    SoS 274: Female competition and the power of gossip: from sororities to small-scale societies with Dr. Nicole Hess

    In this episode, Chris interviews Dr. Nicole Hess about her research on female competition, indirect aggression, gossip, and “Informational Warfare” theory in U.S. sororities and small-scale societies in the Central African Republic. They also discuss the various challenges of field work, including personal and sociopolitical risks. Dr. Hess is a scholarly associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington, Vancouver. Dr. Hess studies gossip, friendship, cooperation, and coalitional competition. She conducted fieldwork in the Central African Republic and college Greek communities, and has conducted numerous experiments testing hypotheses derived from "Informational Warfare" theory, which proposes that coalitions may be useful in reputational competition (via, e.g., gossip) due to their improved abilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate relevant information. Trained as a multidisciplinary social scientist, Dr. Hess uses diverse quantitative and qualitative methods to explore human sociality and cognition, including psychological experiments, surveys, interviews, and ethnographic work. Dr. Hess received her PhD from UC Santa Barbara in biological anthropology and has worked for the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Institute for Theoretical Biology at Humboldt University. Contact Dr. Hess at nicolehess@wsu.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org Chris Lynn, Co-Host, Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

The Human Biology Association is a vibrant nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to supporting and disseminating innovative research and teaching on human biological variation in evolutionary, social, historical, and environmental context worldwide.

Information

  • Creator
    Human Biology Association
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    288
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Sausage of Science

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