El Museo de Anatomía Patológica del Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla de Santander en su 50 aniversariol / The 50th anniversary of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital's Pathology Museum in Santander

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Virtual anthropology.

Comparative morphology, dealing with the diversity of form and shape, and functional morphology, the study of the relationship between the structure and the function of an organism's parts, are both important subdisciplines in biological research. Virtual anthropology (VA) contributes to comparative morphology by taking advantage of technological innovations, and it also offers new opportunities for functional analyses. It exploits digital technologies and pools experts from different domains such as anthropology, primatology, medicine, paleontology, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering. VA as a technical term was coined in the late 1990s from the perspective of anthropologists with the intent of being mostly applied to biological questions concerning recent and fossil hominoids. More generally, however, there are advanced methods to study shape and size or to manipulate data digitally suitable for application to all kinds of primates, mammals, other vertebrates, and invertebrates or to issues regarding plants, tools, or other objects. In this sense, we could also call the field "virtual morphology." The approach yields permanently available virtual copies of specimens and data that comprehensively quantify geometry, including previously neglected anatomical regions. It applies advanced statistical methods, supports the reconstruction of specimens based on reproducible manipulations, and promotes the acquisition of larger samples by data sharing via electronic archives. Finally, it can help identify new, hidden traits, which is particularly important in paleoanthropology, where the scarcity of material demands extracting information from fragmentary remains. This contribution presents a current view of the six main work steps of VA: digitize, expose, compare, reconstruct, materialize, and share. The VA machinery has also been successfully used in biomechanical studies which simulate the stress and strains appearing in structures. Although methodological issues remain to be solved before results from the two domains can be fully integrated, the various overlaps and cross-fertilizations suggest the widespread appearance of a "virtual functional morphology" in the near future.

Engaging bodies in the public imagination: bioarchaeology as social science, science, and humanities.

Bioarchaeology is the contextual analysis of biological remains from past societies. It is a young and growing discipline born during the latter half of the twentieth century from its roots in physical anthropology and archaeology. Although often associated with the study of ancient diet and disease, bioarchaeology leverages variable temporal scales and its global scope to provide a uniquely comparative perspective on human life that transcends traditional boundaries of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Here, we explore the public face of bioarchaeology and consider the trends in publication practices that reflect diversifying research strategies. Bioarchaeology is a popular topic on web-based science news aggregators. However, we identify a disconnect between bioarchaeology's traditional research emphases, emerging research foci, and findings that actually spark the public imagination. A majority of popular news articles emphasize basic discovery or "natural curiosities." Publication data indicate the field also remains regionally focused with relatively little emphasis on nomothetic goals. Nevertheless, bioarchaeology can do more to leverage its historical perspective and corporeal emphasis to engage a number of topics with importance across traditional academic boundaries. Big data, comparative, multi-investigator, interdisciplinary projects on violence, colonialism, and health offer the most obvious potential for driving research narratives in the biological and social sciences. Humanistic approaches that explore emotional connections to the past can also have merit. The diversity of research outlets and products indicates the field must embrace the importance of nontraditional activities in its value structure to maximize our potential in public arenas.

From Darwininan to technological evolution: forgetting the human lottery / Desde la evolución darwiniana a la tecnológica: olvidar la lotería humana

The GRIN technologies (-geno, -robo, -info, -nano) promise to change the inner constitution of human body and its own existence. This transformation involves the structure of our lives and represent a -brave?- new world that we have to explore and to manage. In this sense, the traditional tools of humanism seems very inadequate to think the biotech century and there is a strong demand of a new thought for the evolution and the concrete history of life. The posthuman philosophy tries to take this new path of human existence in all of its novelty since GRIN technologies seem to promise new and unexpected paths of evolution to living beings and, above all, man. For this, the post-human thought, as we see, is a new anthropological overview on the concrete evolution of human being, an overview that involves an epistemological revolution of the categories that humanism uses to conceptualize the journey that divides the Homo sapiens from the man. But, is this right?

Las tecnologías GRIN (-geno, -robo, -info, nano) prometen cambiar la constitución interna del cuerpo humano y su propia existencia. Esta transformación consiste en la estructura de nuestras vidas y representan un -¿valiente?- nuevo mundo que tenemos que explorar y administrar. En este sentido, lo instrumentos tradicionales del humanismo parecen bastante insuficientes para pensar el siglo de la biotecnología y existe una fuerte demanda de un nuevo pensamiento para la evolución y la historia concreta de la vida. La filosofía posthumana intenta tomar este nuevo camino de la existencia humana en toda su novedad ya que las tecnologías GRIN parecen prometer caminos nuevos y inesperados de la evolución de los seres vivos y, sobre todo, humanos. Por esto, el pensamiento post-humano, como vemos, es una nueva visión antropológica sobre la evolución concreta del ser humano, una visión general que implica una revolución epistemológica de las categorías que el humanismo utiliza para conceptualizar el viaje que divide a los Homo sapiens del hombre. ¿Pero, serà correcto?

Physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics in professional soccer players of the United Arab Emirates / Aptitud física y características antropométricas de jugadores profesionales de fútbol de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos

Objetivo. Describir el perfil antropométrico y la aptitud física de los jugadores de fútbol de élite que trabajan en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Métodos. Veintisiete jugadores de fútbol de élite que trabajan en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos fueron sometidos a una evaluación antropométrica, un test incremental en un tapiz rodante y Running-Based Anaerobic Test (RAST). Resultados. El índice de masa corporal y el porcentaje de grasa fueron 23,1 ± 2,0 kg.m-2 y 11,6 ± 2,1 %, respectivamente. El consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2 máx) estimado fue 62,3 ± 5,1 ml.kg-1 .min-1, y la velocidad media de VO2 máx fue 17,6 ± 1,5 km.h-1, y la velocidad media de umbral ventilatorio (UV) fue 13,8 ±0,8 km.h-1. La frecuencia cardíaca del UV fue en media 173,1 ± 8,6 b.min-1, lo que representa 91,2 ± 2,8 % de la frecuencia cardíaca máxima. El test RAST resultó en una potencia máxima absoluta de 551,9 ± 73,0 W, potencia máxima relativa de 7,8 ± 0,4 W.kg-1 , potencia media absoluta de 484,0 ± 7,8 W, y potencia media relativa de 6,8 ± 0,2 W.kg-1. Conclusión. El perfil antropométrico de los jugadores de fútbol que trabajan en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos es similar a otros del resto del mundo. Sin embargo, en cuanto a la aptitud física, los resultados aún no son concluyentes, porque los resultados de otros estudios sugieren que la potencia anaerobia de nuestra muestra es igual o inferior a la de otros jugadores de élite de todo el mundo. Del mismo modo, el VO2max indirecto no es concluyente, teniendo en cuenta las limitaciones reconocidas de obtener indirectamente esta variable. Finalmente, al analizar los jugadores de acuerdo con a la posición táctica, los resultados de este estudio son similares a los estudios anteriores (AU)

Objective. To describe the anthropometric and physical fitness profiles of elite soccer players acting in the United Arab Emirates. Method. Twenty seven elite soccer players acting in the United Arab Emirates were underwent to an anthropometric evaluation, an incremental test in treadmill and performed the Running-Based Anaerobic Test (RAST). Results. Body mass index and body fat percentage of the athletes were 23.1 ± 2.0 kg.m-2 11.6 ± 2.1 %, respectively. Indirect maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was 62.3 ± 5.1 ml.kg-1.min-1, mean velocity at VO2max was 17.6 ± 1.5 km.h-1, ventilatory threshold (VT) of 13.8 ± 0.8 km.h-1, heart rate at VT of 173.1 ± 8.6 b.min-1, which represents of 91.2 ± 2.8 % of maximum heart rate. RAST resulted in a maximum absolute power of 551.9 ± 73.0 W, maximum relative power of 7.8 ± 0.4 W.kg-1, mean absolute power of 484.0 ± 57.8 W, and mean relative power of 6.8 ± 0.2 W.kg-1. Conclusion. The anthropometric profile of soccer players that act in the United Arab Emirates is similar to others around the world. However, regarding the physical fitness, results are still inconclusive, since findings from other studies suggest that the anaerobic power of our sample is alike or lower than other elite players throughout the world. Likewise indirect VO2max, especially given the acknowledged limitations of obtaining indirectly this variable. In addition, making an analysis by playing position, the results of this study are similar to previous research (AU)

WG "Freiberufliche osteoanthropologen" (AFOA).

Due to a continuous process of dismantling within the university system, the number of freelance anthropologists has increased. In 2011 a group of experienced anthropologists founded the "Workgroup Freelance Osteoanthropologists (AFOA)". Its members developed a codex and guidelines in order to ensure a high quality for serious anthropological work. Furthermore workshops take place to discuss methods and current issues. Short reports given in this article present a small selection of projects conducted by some members of the AFOA.

The development of dental research in Argentinean biological anthropology: current state and future perspectives.

The aim of this paper is to conduct a historical analysis of the research-oriented studies related to dental anthropology in Argentina, evaluate its current state and discuss future expectations and perspectives. In this country, anthropological studies based on analysis of dentition have been scarce and even temporarily discontinued, since they began in the late nineteenth century, simply following the course of the predominant theoretical and methodological approaches over time. Early papers, guided mainly by evolutionary ideas, were oriented towards establishing the taxonomic position of humans through the description and comparison of morphological and morphometric aspects of the dental crown and root. Later studies mainly described types of intentional modifications (i.e. dental mutilations) and tooth wear in the context of Historic-Cultural School. However, they failed to constitute valid lines of research over time. In recent years, there has been a significant change in dental studies, mainly as a result of the interest in evaluating the adaptive aspects of human populations within biocultural settings. One of the most relevant lines of studies has been the bioarchaeological analysis of health and stress indicators, such as enamel hypoplasia, caries and tooth wear in hunter-gatherer and farmer societies. More recently, the study of discrete and metric dental traits began, with a goal to contribute to the study of evolution and inter-populational biological relations among South American groups. Since teeth contain valuable information not only about the environment in which the individual lived, but also about the action of neutral and non-neutral factors on human groups, the consolidation of ongoing studies will contribute to knowledge of various aspects of the adaptation and evolution of native American populations.

Current status and perspectives of the development of dental research in biological anthropology of Argentina: introduction and conclusions of the symposium.

This paper describes and discusses the research in the field of dental anthropology in Argentina. It has been presented at the symposium entitled "The development of dental research in Argentine Biological Anthropology: current status and perspectives", coordinated by the authors at the IX National Meeting of Biological Anthropology of Argentina, Puerto Madryn, 20th-23rd October 2009. The aim of the symposium was to present new results and future prospects of this discipline in the country and to create a forum for discussion of current research within this field. Six contributions that focused on the study of teeth from different perspectives and analysed bioarchaeological samples from different areas of Argentina (Central Highlands, Pampa and Patagonia) were presented. After the presentations, a discussion about the state of the art of dental research in the country was generated, in which the need for the generation of methodological consensus on the criteria for the evaluation of the variables considered was stated, so that research conducted in different areas can be compared. In short, the contributions of this symposium provide insights into the diversity of dental anthropology in contemporary Argentina and the potential of these types of studies to gain important information about biological and cultural aspects of the native populations in the country.

The new biological anthropology: bringing Washburn's new physical anthropology into 2010 and beyond--the 2008 AAPA luncheon lecture.

Nearly 60 years ago, Sherwood Washburn issued a call for a "New Physical Anthropology," a transition from measurement and classification toward a focus on the processes and mechanisms of evolutionary change. He advocated multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the understanding of human behavior, biology, and history. Many interpret this as a call for a practice that is both biological and anthropological. Is this what we do? Are we biological anthropologists yet? In this essay, I explore what we, Physical Anthropologists, as a discipline are doing in the context of a New Physical Anthropology, where we might be headed, and why this discussion is crucial to our relevance.

Neuroscientific approaches and applications within anthropology.

Many of the most distinctive attributes of our species are a product of our brains. To understand the function, development, variability, and evolution of the human brain, we must engage with the field of neuroscience. Neuroscientific methods can be used to investigate research topics that are of special interest to anthropologists, such as the neural bases of primate behavioral diversity, human brain evolution, and human brain development. Traditional neuroscience methods had to rely on investigation of postmortem brains, as well as invasive studies in living nonhuman primates. However, recent neuroimaging methods have made it possible to compare living human and nonhuman primate brains using noninvasive techniques such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and diffusion tensor imaging. These methods are providing an integrated picture of brain structure and function that was not previously available. With a combination of these traditional and modern neuroscience methods, we are beginning to explore and understand the neural bases of some of the most distinctive cognitive and behavioral attributes of the human species, including language, tool use, altruism, and mental self-projection, and we can now begin to propose plausible scenarios by which the neural substrates supporting these human specializations evolved from pre-existing neural circuitry serving related functions in common ancestors we shared with the living nonhuman primates. Consideration of the process of neurodevelopment suggests plausible mechanisms by which the highly encephalized human brain might have evolved. Neurodevelopmental studies also demonstrate that experience can shape both brain structure and function, providing a mechanism by which people of different cultures learn to act and think differently. Finally, not only can anthropologists benefit from neuroscience, neuroscience can benefit from the more sophisticated concept of evolution that anthropology offers, including an appreciation of evolutionary diversity as well as consideration of the process by which the human brain was formed during evolution.

Brief communication: Skeletal biology past and present: Are we moving in the right direction?

In 1982, Spencer's edited volume A History of American Physical Anthropology: 1930-1980 allowed numerous authors to document the state of our science, including a critical examination of skeletal biology. Some authors argued that the first 50 years of skeletal biology were characterized by the descriptive-historical approach with little regard for processual problems and that technological and statistical analyses were not rooted in theory. In an effort to determine whether Spencer's landmark volume impacted the field of skeletal biology, a content analysis was carried out for the American Journal of Physical Anthropology from 1980 to 2004. The percentage of skeletal biology articles is similar to that of previous decades. Analytical articles averaged only 32% and are defined by three criteria: statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and broader explanatory context. However, when these criteria were scored individually, nearly 80% of papers attempted a broader theoretical explanation, 44% tested hypotheses, and 67% used advanced statistics, suggesting that the skeletal biology papers in the journal have an analytical emphasis. Considerable fluctuation exists between subfields; trends toward a more analytical approach are witnessed in the subfields of age/sex/stature/demography, skeletal maturation, anatomy, and nonhuman primate studies, which also increased in frequency, while paleontology and pathology were largely descriptive. Comparisons to the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology indicate that there are statistically significant differences between the two journals in terms of analytical criteria. These data indicate a positive shift in theoretical thinking, i.e., an attempt by most to explain processes rather than present a simple description of events.

Anthropological assessment of changes in living conditions of the rural population in Poland in the period 1967-2001.

BACKGROUND: Poland is considered an ethnically homogeneous country, with no significant national, linguistic, religious or racial minorities. Thus, social differences in rates of maturation, height and weight may be assumed to contain a negligible genetic component and serve as a reflection of environment, i.e. living conditions. AIM: This study seeks to determine whether changes in economic conditions in Poland, in particular the acute economic crisis of 1977-1989 and the transformation of the political system in 1989, had an effect on the biological status of girls from various categories of the rural population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Rural girls aged 9.5-18.5 years were studied in 1967 (n = 7889), 1977 (n = 7771), 1987 (n = 13 556) and in 2001 (n = 9599). The stratification of participants (farmers, farm-workers and non-farmers) was based on the source of their family income, parents' education, number of children per family and household appliances. Age at menarche (AM), body height, and weight were used as biological indicators of living conditions. RESULTS: During the decade 1967-1977, while a relatively good economic situation prevailed in the country, AM decreased by 0.64 years and distinct secular trends in height and weight were noted. During the decade 1977-1987, years of economic crisis, secular trends were arrested and AM increased by 0.11 years. Landless rural families were more strongly affected by food shortages than were farmers who were the food producers. The study, repeated in 2001, showed positive secular trends in body height and a decrease in AM of 0.24 years for decade for daughters of farmers this decrease in AM was twice as high as in non-farmer families. The latter group experienced acute unemployment after the political and economic system transformation (1989). AM was earliest in daughters of non-farmers, and latest in those from farmer families. In 1967, the difference between the mean ages at AM for these groups amounted to 0.53 years, in 1977 to 0.44 years, in 1987 to 0.33 years and to only 0.15 years in 2001. CONCLUSION: The categories of the rural population, farmers, farm-workers and landless rural inhabitants were variously affected by the economic crisis, as well as by the process of economic transformation. This shows that living conditions of each of those categories changed in different ways and to a different degree during the years 1967-2001. Farmers' families achieved the highest social advancement, as the AM of girls from those families decreased by 0.98 years compared to those from farmer-worker and landless rural families, which decreased by 0.85 and 0.60 years, respectively.