Forensic Anthropology: Exploring Applied Projects in Justice

Aaron Silverman April 22, 2024 Physical Anthropology Activity 1: Forensic Anthropology as Applied Anthropology (1) Provide a summary of the FAFG project, making sure to address key issues raised in the NPR story “Group Works to Identify Remains in Guatemala” and Fredy Peccerelli’s TED Talk. Also, explain what you found most interesting or compelling about the work of the FAFG? -The FAFG Project dispatched Forensic Anthropologists to Guatemala to aid in excavating and returning the remains of victims from political massacres to their families. Anthropologists analyze bones to determine causes of death and assess inflicted trauma. Yet, obtaining families' consent for excavations and tests posed challenges. The project aims to bring perpetrators to justice, taking the ones responsible to trial. Still, families didn’t cooperate due to fear of living alongside potential murderers within their community. What's truly sad is these mass killings were done by the military and police, the ones who were supposed to protect the community. The most notable thing and compelling thing about the work of the FAFG was not only how many remains they had to go through, but the honorable work of fighting back against tyranny when others won’t.

(2) Provide a summary of the University of South Florida’s forensic anthropology project at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida. Also, explain what you found most interesting or compelling about the work of the University of South Florida’s forensic anthropology project. -The USF forensic anthropology project at the Dozier School for Boys also involved excavating graves to locate the remains of deceased individuals from this reform school. Here, the boys suffered severe abuse, beatings, and murders, with some deaths undocumented and others reported. The most compelling, yet disturbing part of this work was that through excavation, Forensic Anthropologists and research students discovered 50 more remains than officially reported. While interesting to hear of such severe cases, it still baffles me how situations like this go on for so long without people being held accountable for such horrible actions. How a reform such as this became so corrupt in the first place. (3) How are the FAFG and University of South Florida projects both examples of applied anthropology? Explain and provide specific examples to support your answer. In your answer be sure to relate issues concerning the FAFG and USF work with ideas concerning applied anthropology presented in Chapter 1 of your textbook Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Lectures File 1. In your answer be sure to describe what “applied”

anthropology is and explain how these two projects relate to applied anthropology, providing specific examples to support your answer. -Both the FAFG and USF projects exemplify applied anthropology, as Forensic Anthropologists apply anthropological and archaeological techniques. In the FAFG project, Anthropologists excavate remains of massacre victims, examining them for age, sex, and signs of trauma related to their deaths. Similarly, in the USF project, Anthropologists and researchers excavate the school grounds to find and study the buried remains of boys, aiming to determine the number of graves, victims' ages, and causes of death. DNA extraction from the victims' remains is used in both projects, helping identify and reunite victims with their families. Also, both projects attempt to use the evidence they find to bring the ones responsible to trial and hopefully justice. (4) In Chapter 1 of your textbook, Introduction to Physical Anthropology and in Lectures File 1, you are introduced to the four primary sub-fields or sub-disciplines of anthropology (physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology). Forensic anthropology is most closely associated with physical anthropology. However, forensic anthropology projects often involve the other three sub-fields or sub-disciplines

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

of anthropology as well (cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology). Having explored the FAFG project’s work in Guatemala and the University of South Florida’s research project at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida, think about how cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists might contribute to the work in Guatemala and Florida. And then answer the following question: Given what you know about anthropology, in what ways could anthropologists from these other sub-fields (sub-disciplines) of anthropology assist in the FAFG’s and USF’s project missions? In other words, how might cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists contribute to forensic anthropology projects like these? -In both the FAFG and USF projects, the contributions of cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists would be incredibly valuable to the forensic anthropologists. While linguistic anthropologists may not be as useful in the USF project due to there not being language barriers, they would have been a huge help in Guatemala, aiding communication with native populations and potentially unlocking vital information. Cultural Anthropologists would also provide insights into interpreting cultural norms, behaviors, and political contexts, helping shed light on such events. Not only that, but Archaeologists would play a vital role in studying artifacts, bones, plants, and environmental factors. For example, in the USF project, caskets excavated from graves helped determine the year they were made, which aided them in estimating the victims' ages. Similarly, in the Guatemala project, clothing

found with some of the victims helped link the bodies to a specific city, helping them identify where they were from and the bodies themselves. Activity 2: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and Natural Selection Theory (1) Describe Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection and then explain why it is so important to the concept of biological evolution? -Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection is essentially the theory that species branch off in different variations of each other in order to survive in their specific environment. They keep a lot of the same traits, but have clear distinct differences. (2) Why was Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle so important to the development of his theory? Be sure to provide examples from the film to support your answer.

-Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle was important to the development of his theory because it allowed him to further dive into his interest in nature and be able to observe animals through a more specific lens. Through this journey, he would develop what would become his theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest here, as he noticed different variations of the same animal hopping from different close-by islands. These variations he noticed included a shell of an animal that would be much bigger than an armadillo, and different spotting and marks across different mockingbirds. This disproved the current theory everyone followed, special selection and God’s ultimate creation, and proved to him and many future generations, that nature and the environment was the clear factor behind why animals are the way they are. (3) Explain how the distribution of animals in the Malay Archipelago supported Wallace’s evolution theory. -Wallace described to him what was an invisible boundary, a seemingly invisible wall separating connected and unconnected islands. One one side of the boundary, he observed monkeys in trees and noticed they were without pouches. On the other side, there were kangaroos with pouches. Through this, he argued that special creation couldn't account for this phenomenon and proposed instead that species originated from pre-existing species nearby, further supporting Darwin’s Natural Selection.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

(4) Explain the relationship between Wallace and Darwin as presented in the film? Provide specific examples from the film to support your answer. -Initially, Darwin kept his thoughts and discoveries private, not quite trusting anyone with what would be considered a somewhat radical theory. Wallace however, was transparent about his observations and intentions. When Wallace independently arrived at the same theory as Darwin, not yet aware of Darwin already coming to the same conclusion, he shared his research with Darwin for his evaluation. By the end, both became friends for life and were acknowledged for reaching the same conclusion, with Darwin being acknowledged as the originator, with Wallace even publishing a book on Natural Selection called “Darwinism.” They both respected each other greatly. (5) What did you find most interesting about the film The Origin of Species: The Making of a Theory and why? -Incredibly interesting that most, if not all people, considered divine intervention to be the reasoning behind how the world is back then, as while religion is obviously still accepted today, it is not considered the main theory by most. It shows how influential Darwin and Wallace were for their theories of Natural Selection, and shows the incredible design of the world and how things operate.

Personally, this is what I’ve always found to be the most interesting biological subject and is one of my personal favorites. Activity 3: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and Natural Selection Theory (1) Is the following statement true or false? Justify your answer in one or two sentences: “The same mutation could be advantageous in some environments but deleterious in others.” ● This statement is true, as some places and environments have animals with different features and genes that would flourish, such as the pocket mice blending in with the darker fur. But, those same animals would potentially be prey in a different environment or habitat with those same genetic features.

(2) Is the following statement true or false? Justify your answer in one or two sentences: “The appearance of dark-colored volcanic rock caused the mutation for black fur to appear for the first time in the rock pocket mouse population.” ● No, this is false, as a change in colored-fur such as this happens due to a random genetic mutation, which occurs at random. However, it was because of this mutation that mice were able to survive in the dark-colored volcanic rock environment. (3) Explain how the environment plays a role in changing the frequency of a mutant allele in a population. ● The environment is what ultimately decides whether a certain mutation gives the species an advantage, or makes them inferior. If it gives them an advantage, it makes them more fit for survival, if not, they’re eliminated until they are all replaced by the mutated ones who have an advantage. (4) As you saw in the video, rock pocket mice evolved to have dark-colored fur in certain habitats. In three to five sentences, explain how this trait increased in frequency in the population. Include the following key terms: fitness (or fit), survival (or survive), selection (or selective), evolution (or evolve).

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

● Due to the dark-colored rock-pocket mice being more fit for survival in this environment, they live longer and are able to produce more offspring. With this happening over many years, natural selection takes place. Eventually, the dark-colored mice are practically the only mice who live in the environment, as they have evolved to survive more efficiently in their habitat, while light-colored mice are more easily spotted and don’t live as long and cannot make enough offspring to remain viable. (5) Near the end of the video, Dr. Sean Carroll states that, “While mutation is random, natural selection is not.” In your own words, explain how this is possible. ● Because as an environment changes overtime, so must the species in order to survive. So, while the mutations themselves may happen just by chance, that mutation is what may help the species stick around and allow natural selection to take place, allowing the most fit version of the species to survive. (6) What did you find most interesting about the film The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation and why? ● As I said before with the last video, I find survival of the fittest and natural selection evolution to be incredibly interesting, as seeing how species and adapt

to survive in their habitats is such an incredible thing. So, seeing that these mice simply by chance acquired a mutation and were able to survive in these environments because of it is one of the many marvels of life that I will always be amazed by.

Written Assignment 1 - Anthropology

Related Documents