New features at American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Wiley-Blackwell announces two cool new features at AJPA. Now you can track the most accessed articles of 2010, as well as the articles most cited in 2010 (not necessarily papers written in 2010).

Ben Auerbach and Adam Sylvester are awesome!

Dr. Ben Auerbach and Dr. Adam Sylvester have a new paper in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology: "Allometry and Apparent Paradoxes in Human Limb Proportions: Implications for Scaling Factors", pdf here.

"It has been consistently demonstrated that human proximal limb elements exhibit negative allometry, while distal elements scale with positive allometry. Such scaling implies that longer limbs will have higher intralimb indices, a phenomenon not borne out by empirical analyses. This, therefore, creates a paradox within the limb allometry literature. This study shows that these apparently conflicting results are the product of two separate phenomena. First, the use of the geometric mean of limb elements produces allometry coefficients that are not independent, and that when using ordinary least squares regression must yield an average slope of one. This phenomenon argues against using the geometric mean as a size variable when examining limb allometry. While the employment of relevant dimensions independent of those under analysis to calculate the geometric mean—as suggested by Coleman (Am J Phys Anthropol 135 (2008) 404–415)—may be a partial method for resolving the problem, an empirically determined, independent and biologically relevant size variable is advocated. If stature is used instead of the geometric mean as an independent size variable, all major limb elements scale with positive allometry. Second, while limb allometry coefficients do indicate differential allometry in limb elements, and thus should lead to some intralimb index allometry, this pattern appears to be attenuated by other sources of limb element length variation."

Mother–infant sleep proximity & breastfeeding in evolutionary perspective

I'm excited today to announce the AJPA early view appearance of Evolutionary perspectives on mother–infant sleep proximity and breastfeeding in a laboratory setting by University of Notre Dame professor Dr. Jim McKenna and Northwestern doctoral candidate Lee Gettler.


Keywords:breastfeeding;bedsharing;cosleeping;human evolution
Abstract
Human maternal and infant biology likely coevolved in a context of close physical contact and some approximation of frequent, “infant-initiated” breastfeeding. Still, mothers and infants commonly sleep apart from one another in many western societies, indicating a possible “mismatch” between cultural norms and infant biology. Here we present data from a 3-night laboratory-based study that examines differences in mother–infant sleep physiology and behavior when mothers and infants sleep together on the same surface (bedsharing) and apart in separate rooms (solitary). We analyze breastfeeding frequency and interval data from the first laboratory night (FN) for 52 complementary breastfeeding mothers and infants (26 total mother–infant pairs), of which 12 pairs were routine bedsharers (RB) and 14 were routine solitary sleepers (RS). RB infants were 12.0 ± 2.7 (SD) weeks old; RS infants were 13.0 ± 2.4 weeks old. On the FN, RB mother–infant pairs (while bedsharing) engaged in a greater number of feeds per night compared to RS (while sleeping alone) (P < 0.001). RB also showed lower intervals (min) between feeds relative to RS (P < 0.05). When we evaluated data from all three laboratory nights (n = 36), post hoc, RB breastfed significantly more often (P < 0.01) and showed a trend towards lower intervals between feeds (P < 0.10). Given the widely known risks associated with little or no breastfeeding, the demonstrated mutually regulatory relationship between bedsharing and breastfeeding should be considered in future studies evaluating determinants of breastfeeding outcomes.

p.s. I'm a bit behind in my "awesome" posts. I hope to get caught up on new BANDIT publications over the break.

Carlina de la Cova is awesome! (X2)

Biological anthropologist and fellow IU alum Dr. Carlina de la Cova of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro has a paper in the latest issue of American Anthropologist: Cultural Patterns of Trauma among 19th-Century-Born Males in Cadaver Collections. Gotta love work that incorporates systematic examination of skeletal collections with analyses of class and culture. Plus, the woman uses "fisticuffs" in her list of keywords. THAT, my friends, is what awesome looks like.

Keywords:interpersonal violence;trauma;African American history;19th-century history;fisticuffs
ABSTRACT  Comprehending violence among bioarchaeological and historical groups is a topic of recent interest among biological anthropologists. This research examines trauma among African American and Euro-American males of low socioeconomic status born between 1825 and 1877. A total of 651 male skeletons from the Cobb, Terry, and Hamann-Todd anatomical collections were macroscopically evaluated for skeletal trauma, based on the presence of fractures and weapon-related wounds, and statistically analyzed according to ancestry, birth (Antebellum, Civil War, Reconstruction), combined ancestry–birth, and collection cohorts. Results indicated that African Americans and Euro-Americans expressed ethnic differences in regard to interpersonal violence. To interpret these disparities, documentary data were used to reconstruct the socioeconomic and cultural environment of these individuals. This research emphasizes the importance of evaluating skeletal data within the context of class, culture, and environment so that behavioral patterns observed in the skeleton can be better understood.

ADDENDUM:
Carlina is on fire this week, with another paper out in AJPA:

Race, health, and disease in 19th-century-born males
ABSTRACT This study analyzed skeletal health disparities among African American and Euro-American males of low socioeconomic status born between 1825 and 1877. A total of 651 skeletons from the Cobb, Hamann-Todd, and Terry anatomical collections were macroscopically examined for skeletal pathologies related to dietary deficiencies and disease. Individuals were separated into age, ancestry, birth (Antebellum, Civil War, Pre-Reconstruction, and Reconstruction), combined ancestry/birth, enslaved versus liberated, and collection cohorts. These groups were statistically evaluated using ANOVA and χ2 analyses to determine if age, ethnic, and temporal differences existed. Results indicated that African Americans, especially those born during Reconstruction, had significantly higher frequencies of tuberculosis (P = 0.004) and treponematosis (P = 0.006) than Euro-Americans. Historical sources are important in contextualizing why these different ethnic and temporal patterns were present, pointing to environmental conditions related to enslavement, postliberation migration to the industrialized North, crowded urban living conditions, and poor sanitation.

I'll warn you that "fisticuffs" does not appear as a key word, but "treponematosis" does so the awesome still abides.

BANDITs dominate this month's issue of AJPA!

Wow, three articles in the latest issue of AJPA are by BANDIT members. You know what that is? That is awesome! (As is this.)

We already sent out the early view alerts for these articles by Libby Cowgill (Asst. Professor, University of Missouri)& Herman Pontzer (Washington University) et al., Dan Eisenberg (PhD student, Northwestern University) et al., and Gwen Robbins (Asst. Professor, Appalachian State University)et al., but it's so cool to see all three in a single issue. The whippersnappers are kicking ass!

Cowgill et al.: Waddling and toddling: The biomechanic effects of an immature gait

Eisenberg et al.: Worldwide allele frequencies of the human apolipoprotein E gene: Climate, local adaptations, and evolutionary history

Robbins et al.: Estimating body mass in subadult human skeletons

BANDIT members in June AJPA

Southern Illinois University PhD candidate Matt Nowak, Kris Carlson of Indiana University and the University of Witwatersrand (and Australopithecus sediba fame!), and Biren Patel of Stony Brook University have published Apparent Density of the Primate Calcaneo-Cuboid Joint and Its Association with Locomotor Mode, Foot Posture, and the "Midtarsal Break" , a neat analysis of mechanical joint loading in the foot in a range of quadrupedal and arboreal primates, as well as humans. Also, there are some very cool figures in this paper - Figure 1 is a super drawing of the feet of three different primates, all in lateral view. I can see this figure being used in a ton of class lectures. Nice!

Worldwide allele frequencies of the human apolipoprotein E gene: Climate, local adaptations, and evolutionary history

Dan Eisenberg, third-year PhD student at Northwestern University, and colleagues have a new paper in Early View in AJPA. They explore worldwide distribution of the apolipoprotein E 3 alelle (which is implicated in cardiovascular disease and elevated cholesterol), and its association with climate data to evaluate the hypothesis that population variation in ApoE3 is due to metabolic constraints of varying environments.

Worldwide allele frequencies of the human apolipoprotein E gene: Climate, local adaptations, and evolutionary history

Free access to BANDIT articles in Wiley-Blackwell journals

The BANDIT blog has teamed with the good people at Wiley-Blackwell to provide free access to highlighted articles in American Journal of Primatology, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, American Journal of Human Biology, and Evolutionary Anthropology. BANDIT will no longer be posting full pdfs of articles, but you can reach the official Wiley-Blackwell pdf from BANDIT links. Caveat: free access to these articles will expire within a few days, so be sure to visit the blog frequently to check on article updates.

Co-variation in ecology and craniofacial form: Steven Wang and others in AJPA

Steven Wang, ABD at CUNY/NYCEP and currently a visiting researcher at the University of Arizona, is part of a collaborative team (including Karen Baab, Sarah Freidline, and Timothy Hanson) that recently published a paper in AJPA on variation of modern H. sapiens cranial characteristics and their correlation to ecological variables. Always nice to see graduate students publishing!

Relationship of Cranial Robusticity to Cranial Form, Geography and Climate

Waddling and Toddling: Dr. Libby Cowgill wins the prize for my favorite article title

Dr. Libby Cowgill of University of Central Florida (second year on the tenure track) has two new articles this year, both in AJPA. One is an empirical survey of the postcranial skeletal robusticity in Neandertals and modern humans, which was the focus of Libby's dissertation work (Washington University, 2008) and the other is a collaborative study (with Anna Warrener, Herman Pontzer, and Cara Ocobock) of the biomechanics of young children who, you know, waddle and toddle.

The Ontogeny of Holocene and Late Pleistocene Human Postcranial Strength

Waddling and Toddling: The Biomechanical Effects of an Immature Gait