Tribe.net. Local Connections Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#9028c666-02f3-4a87-bb68-600aa8caa4be 2009-10-16T16:29:31Z 2009-10-16T16:29:31Z

I was part of a cultural exchange in India, but it was only a short stay. It was not specifically anthropological field work.

Bo 2009-10-16T16:29:31Z Patrick http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#254548dc-b7db-4bb5-893b-58988ed5c0c0 2009-10-09T07:28:14Z 2009-10-09T07:28:14Z

Hi and welcom Patrick

Patrick 2009-10-09T07:28:14Z Pequamo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#12c46478-328d-4583-8856-de9ecf13a929 2009-10-08T12:52:10Z 2009-10-08T12:52:10Z

Has anyone here been a part of a field experience in any culture outside their own?

Pequamo 2009-10-08T12:52:10Z Orangeboxman http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#6c4d3389-7d2f-4b0f-8d66-4933368db0d1 2009-05-14T16:10:02Z 2009-05-14T16:10:02Z

The underhanded throwing would be consistent with throwing from trees or other defensive positions. Poor aim, though, might be more attributed to lack of practice and a tendency to force over accuracy. Most predators would be adequately intimidated by things falling around them. (Throwing confuses animals that can't throw) The San Diego Zoo used to display a wall of plexiglass destroyed by one small stone thrown by an orangutan, so force probably isn't the issue; control is the issue. Javelins even at a very slight drop accumulate significant gravitational force, so a biped might be better off throwing them accurately than hard. They're also harder to come by than most other throwables, so every throw counts. Thus javelins are not the best thing for mere intimidation; they are more appropriately applied against a target that is less intimidated by throwing because the target also throws. As for the chimp throwing rocks, he probably saw someone throw something and the light bulb went on. If the others don't throw, it's probably because they haven't seen it done. They do act bored and upset, so if they have one more thing to try, we should expect them to start trying it. (Then again, I'm a music theorist... what the heck do I think I'm talking about?)

Orangeboxman 2009-05-14T16:10:02Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#4905558d-d738-46c2-a060-c4e38af00942 2009-05-01T14:10:50Z 2009-05-01T14:10:50Z

I don't know if any studies have been done on that, but if you hop on JSTOR or EBSCO you can search most academic journals to find out. Like I said, it makes sense, but I've never encountered that kind of info personally. I think there could be a lot more factors than just shoulder joint musculature that go into chimps not throwing javelins well. Chimps typically throw underhanded and from what I've read they don't aim well. A lot of folks have given chimps baseballs, and the chimps throw pretty wild. There was an amusing (to me) article earlier this year about a chimp throwing rocks: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16726-missilethrowing-chimp-plots-attacks-on-tourists.html I say amusing because people still act surprised when animals, primates especially, act abnormally in zoos.

Bo 2009-05-01T14:10:50Z Orangeboxman http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#0eae30ab-e575-46ad-b0d6-097a40bb8f1e 2009-04-28T15:58:23Z 2009-04-28T15:58:23Z

The context in which I read about it as highly variable claimed that the different conformations correlated with different degrees of aptitude with different applications of the shoulder joint, and that seeing the specific conformation could be considered predictive of certain limitations to athletic activity, labor or combat. But that's about all I was able to get. My next thought was obviously about whether merely looking at bones would provide any indication. The reason I ask is that I have to wonder whether any study has been made of the comparative distribution of pertinent bone types in various skeletal populations in terms of what would characterize their physical lifestyle. It's my understanding that a chimp can throw rocks pretty well, but not javelins. So...

Orangeboxman 2009-04-28T15:58:23Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#db3ed041-cd1b-43d4-8308-69c0b202e268 2009-04-23T19:51:56Z 2009-04-23T19:51:56Z

Yeah... I'm still not sure how "into" Fringe I really am. I was hoping for something more (entertainment, not science). X-Files rocked for many reasons, not the least of which are Scully's protective gear and the bureaucratic red tape she and Mulder had to deal with. That smacks much more of real life than most TV I see. There's always a person, a policy, or paperwork between you and what you want to do!

Bo 2009-04-23T19:51:56Z Shannon http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#f5d79cf9-9012-4824-a9ad-0124caec29ac 2009-04-22T12:15:55Z 2009-04-22T12:15:55Z

As I recall, Scully dressed properly for such occasions. I distinctly remember her in gown and mask, at least, scooping out organs and thinking about pizza. But Fringe is just kind of X Files lite anyway.

Shannon 2009-04-22T12:15:55Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#52a5a8ec-e225-4a7b-b582-eedb1577c9a3 2009-04-22T01:46:14Z 2009-04-22T01:46:14Z

I was watching "Fringe" on Hulu last night and another one hit me: Safety precautions on TV are BS. They rip into stuff with just gloves on, nothing more. To even enter the morgue I don gloves, a gown with sealed cuffs, a breathing mask (just the little paper kind, but I have a respirator for special situations), safety glasses, and a paper hair covering. There is no fooling around with dead bodies, especially breathing protection... but I suppose putting respirators on actors makes them less pretty to look at?

Bo 2009-04-22T01:46:14Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#a9f0e38e-9ef1-498f-ad88-08a5da1d79fd 2009-04-22T01:44:14Z 2009-04-22T01:44:14Z

Ha ha, I had to whip out two of my books to make sure I didn't fubar this one. I'm more knowledgeable about the muscles in this area because I myself have some upper back problems, so I've looked at a lot of diagrams to try to better understand what's going on in there when I feel an ache, etc. The pectoralis minor a fan-shaped muscle, one of the many muscles that both supports the chest and the upper back. It typically originates at the third and fifth ribs and inserts onto the coracoid process of the scapula (looking from the top edge of the scapula downwards, that's the lower process you see sticking out). That is how I've always seen it depicted in anatomy books. The only thing I really know about variations is that it can originate on different ribs and sometimes insert a little further past the coracoid process. I haven't personally ever been shown the difference in ribs or scapula between two people with different attachment points, but if a person strengthens a muscle group (in this case, let's say they do a lot of push-ups) those muscle attachment markers should be present. Maybe less recognizable on the ribs, but definitely on the scapula. I do know that my pectoralis minor is sore a lot... *LOL* It's a hard muscle for a massage therapist to get at because of the way it passes across the torso, and because it is beneath both the deltoid and the pectoralis major. But its a really important muscle for stabilizing the shoulder girdle, and I would assume that different attachment points cause slightly different issues for various individuals. That would be a really interesting study, actually. It might prove beneficial to a lot of people with upper back problems.

Bo 2009-04-22T01:44:14Z Orangeboxman http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#734a81bf-1810-433c-895b-87bea8cd59a9 2009-04-21T21:27:00Z 2009-04-21T21:27:00Z

Is there anything you can tell me about the minor pectoral muscle as it relates to the skeleton? I understand that there's a lot of variation in how one end of the muscle attaches. Can you tell how it was attached by looking at the bones?

Orangeboxman 2009-04-21T21:27:00Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#fb16ff8c-c2d5-4d80-9e7f-765ddc086743 2009-03-30T15:28:31Z 2009-03-30T15:28:31Z

Well... no. There are aspects of it that are accurate, mainly vocabulary, but pretty much anything you see on TV is going to differ drastically from the real world. The fact that they have set the show up the way they have, with the characters working with the "Jeffersonian" and the FBI, that gives them leeway. The fact that so many resources get devoted to one case, and that everyone's focus is on that one case... that's really not what happens. Any show where DNA, tox screen, or other results like that come back in a few hours or days, that isn't reflecting most of the real world. It takes me around three months to get DNA results. And of course "Bones" and other crime shows have to spice things up with interesting cases. In all of the files I have seen, there are probably two cases that would be TV material. Everything else is, unfortunately, people who have no one else to take care of them or people who are so lost that nobody knows who they are. It would be pretty depressing to have a TV show with these real cases week after week, because there are often no answers and people remain nameless. Also, many autopsies are far more graphic than would be allowed on TV. I don't watch TV, but I'm pretty sure I know their limits. There are things people want to watch, and things people don't want to watch. TV includes the interesting stuff and the things most people know as general knowledge (scenes of rib spreading seem to be popular) and leaves out the really meticulous process and some of the grosser stuff. That being said, I do watch "Bones" on DVD and I enjoy it as entertainment. I think the writing is good and I like all the actors in it. It's the only crime show I've ever seen that I can watch, even before I started working at the coroner's. The stories are pretty interesting. I've seen episodes of CSI and Dexter and stuff, but none of that has ever been all that great to me. And they're way more far-fetched than Bones. I saw an episode of Dexter where the Miami PD had a DNA lab in-house and got results in, like, half an hour. I may be underestimating Florida, but I find that really unlikely!

Bo 2009-03-30T15:28:31Z MLC http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#20151062-fc02-4af2-907d-92392d102323 2009-03-30T03:21:33Z 2009-03-30T03:21:33Z

Have you seen the show "Bones"? If so, what do you think of it? Does it at all reflect reality?

MLC 2009-03-30T03:21:33Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#449cd927-0d1c-4740-8401-fa78822a011e 2009-03-06T04:29:35Z 2009-03-06T04:29:35Z

The most interesting thing, to me, is what a difference an anthropologist can make. I'm able to look at bones and guess at sex and age, while the staff that has a criminal justice or medical background just says "skeletal remains" and leaves it at that. I'm the only anthropology major there at this point, and there are no on-staff anthropologists, so they are really only used on brain-teaser type cases. But a lot of the staff has expressed their desire to have an anthropologist around, because it really speeds things up. I can't really give any other opinions in a public forum, but yeah, that's about the crux of it. Coroners need more anthropologists, and they want them, they just don't have them.

Bo 2009-03-06T04:29:35Z Shannon http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#6be8f0ec-9b07-44b3-bd9e-752f9de76ce5 2009-02-27T17:47:40Z 2009-02-27T17:47:40Z

Hi Bo, This is a sloooooooooow tribe, with really low traffic, but the discussions are interesting when they happen. What is the most interesting thing about working with skeletal remains in a coroner's office?

Shannon 2009-02-27T17:47:40Z Bo http://Anthropologyclub.tribe.net/thread/e4a356eb-7959-4852-8709-1bcb25c53d31#f3427109-8a39-41ef-8fc0-5d01842ba416 2009-02-27T17:41:49Z 2009-02-27T17:41:49Z

Hello, I'm Bo. I'm an anthropology major at CSUS, studying archaeology and biological anthropology. I also intern at the Coroner's office working with unidentified skeletal remains and other random intern work. My interests include osteology, ethnobotany, the archaeology/anthropology of performance and public ritual, Mesoamerica, and India. My favorite bone is the scapula. I'm probably headed to UCLA or Berkeley to do my Ph. D. next. I joined this Tribe just to be a part of discussions, news, etc. So hello!

Bo 2009-02-27T17:41:49Z