Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Given that there is a countrywide database on stature kept by the agency that administers
identification cards and that there are two modern skeletal collections in Colombia, both
hypotheses could be tested. The methodological approach would have to be altered slightly
however in order to directly test the latter hypotheses. It is important to note that the age-
effects hypothesis for stature reduction is not the null hypothesis of the secular trend hypoth-
esis or vice versa. While secular trends in other populations or in areas other than stature may
not be as immediately apparent, it remains clear that they do occur, even on a subtle level,
and they contribute to our understanding of population history. Similarly, biological changes
throughout the life cycle reflect an individual's life history.
Further, the fact that secular change occurs underscores the importance of developing
standards for the biological profile that are population specific in both time
and
space. Stan-
dards developed on individuals who died 50 years ago or more are probably not going to be
accurate when applied to modern individuals. However, we must test assumptions such as
these via comparison of historical samples with modern ones. One way to do this is through
the validation of standards. As discussed in several chapters, there are a fewmethods that we
continually rely on to estimate age, sex, ancestry, and stature. These must be tested on
different populations and updated for contemporary generations to assure their validity
and that they are suitable for application to particular populations. This is because each pop-
ulation has its own specific population history that has affected the resultant variation. As
a result, when conceiving your own research project idea, you do not always have to reinvent
the wheel: a multitude of possibilities, such as testing and validating existing methods,
already exist.
As discussed above, fluency in statistics is an essential component of the skeletal biolo-
gist's tool kit. Today we increasingly rely on more robust statistics, as demonstrated by
several chapters in this volume. With regard to validation studies in particular, a novel statis-
tical approach (such as Bayesian analyses) can be used to improve upon previous methods or
introduce a more sound way to analyze our data. However, it is essential that you fully
understand the limitations and assumptions involved with any statistic chosen for data anal-
ysis, as some tests will be more appropriate for particular hypotheses and types of data than
others.
Statistics are becoming particularly important in forensics, especially in light of the recent
critique of the state of the forensic sciences by the National Research Council of the National
Academies (2009). Research that uses advanced statistics to determine the probabilities of
identification given the presence of particular skeletal features will help fortify forensic
anthropological analyses.
Advances in technology even of methods that have existed for decades (e.g., stable isotope
analysis and microscopy) are revolutionizing the field. Breakthroughs in DNA have been
used not only for identification of human remains in medicolegal contexts, but also for exam-
ining the genetic structure of our distant ancestors, for identifying pathogens in human skel-
etal remains, and for investigating the geographic patterning of human variation. Medical
imaging technology has the potential to reveal detailed information about the functional
adaptation of the human skeleton and of health and disease in mummified and skeletal
remains. All of these advances have the potential to answer numerous questions about the
human biocultural past and present that early physical anthropologists never could have
imagined.
