ANTHR-140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Folate Deficiency, Hypervitaminosis D, Forensic Anthropology
23 Sep 2020
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Document Summary
Skin color, hair color, skin, height, etc. There are a number of features which vary within humans which reflect adaptations/acclimatization"s to certain habitats/environments. Origins in africa (200,000 or so years ago) Certain populations improved ability to withstand cold due to physical and cultural adaptation or acclimatization. Latitude correlates with sun, required for vitamin d. Clinal effect: latitude correlates with darkness of skin. Lighter skin: increase in vitamin d absorption (prevents rickets); increase in skin. Darker skin: decrease in vitamin d absorption (prevents hypervitaminosis d, but cancer rates and folate depletion risk of rickets at high latitudes); decrease in rates of sunburn, skin cancer and folate depletion. Analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. Techniques include both anthropological and archaeological methods. Purpose: reconstructing behavior and health in past populations. Subjects are usually human remains from within the last ~10,000 years. Activity levels, lifestyles, diet, disease: are all reflected in skeletal remains. Diet and health are reflected in skeletal remains.
