Standardisation in 3D Geometric Morphometrics: Ethics,Ownership, and Methods

The collection and analysis of 3D digital data is a rapidly growing field in archaeology, anthropology, and forensics. Even though the 3D scanning of human remains in archaeology has been conducted for over 10 years, it is still frequently considered as a new field. Despite this, the availability of 3D scanning equipment and the number of studies employing these methods are increasing rapidly, and it is arguably damaging to the validity of this field to continue to consider these methods new and therefore not subject to the same standardisations as other researches. This paper considers the current issues regarding the lack of standardisation in the methods, ethics, and ownership of 3D digital data with a focus on human remains research. The aim of this paper is to stimulate further research and discussion, allowing this field to develop, improving the quality and value of future research.     

An Undiscovered Victorian Institution of Care: A Short Introduction to the Cumberland and Westmorland Joint Lunatic Asylum

Interest surrounding the Victorian county asylum network and its treatment of mental illness has been, and still remains, somewhat substantial. This article will add to, and expand, the existing literature by redressing the geographical imbalance of previous institutional research. Asylum histories have centred upon establishments in prominent towns and cities, and on those with an importance to the evolution of the psychiatry profession, for example the York Retreat. Apart from the examinations of Lancashire and Yorkshire asylums, little exists in the far North of England. This article will specifically use the records of the Cumberland and Westmorland Joint Lunatic Asylum to show the experience of pauper patients from a rural, Northern locality. Particular attention will be paid to the circulation of patients in and out of the asylum to build a comprehensive picture of the nineteenth-century transferral of care. To fully understand the treatment of mental health in this period, one cannot solely look at the asylum, as it formed only one part of a whole system of care.     

Research design in digital luminance analysis

The prevalence of digital image analysis in studies spanning a wide range of fields makes the importance of set-up design decidedly important for repeatability and testing between studies, especially for those interested in the analysis of microscopic properties. This note outlines some important guidelines for setting up an image analysis protocol, and provides a case study based on the digital analysis of dental cement. Our method allowed for us (1) to get data through the conversion of optical luminance into numerical values and (2) to accurately measure image features through numerical analysis.     

‘I might know when I'm an adult’: making sense of children's relationships with nature

This paper reports subjective experiences in nature of 5 children aged 6–10 years collected during a 5-day camp in a botanical garden. Creative expressive visual methods and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Inductive analysis produced the follow themes: children being positioned to take care of nature and to be taken care of by nature, as well as nature needing protection from children and children needing protection from nature. The roles of gatekeepers in mediating attraction to and repulsion from nature were also highlighted. We examine these in the context of socio-cultural constraints and invitations that children experience in developing these relationships. These themes are discussed using a theoretical framework that blends Vygotsky's socio-cultural development theory with Gibson's theory of affordances. Findings contribute to a more integrated understanding of how ecological psychology and social psychology can inform our understanding of children's relationships with nature; in particular, how children's experiences with nature are mediated by socio-cultural factors. By adding to our understanding of how children develop relationships with nature, practitioners can more effectively facilitate experiences that encourage pro-environmental and stewardship attitudes and behaviors as well as result in positive health and development outcomes for children. This paper contributes to the children's geographies literature by strengthening the theoretical foundation from which geographers approach child–nature relationships.     

Repeat silica extraction: a simple technique for the removal of PCR inhibitors from DNA extracts

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors are often co-extracted with ancient DNA (aDNA) and when present make the analysis of aDNA difficult, if not impossible. In this study we review previous research on PCR inhibitors and techniques that address their co-extraction with DNA from sub-optimal samples. Additionally, we introduce a simple extraction technique, “repeat silica extraction,” that effectively removed PCR inhibitors from extracts of 7000–8000-year-old human skeletal remains from the Windover archaeological site in Florida and 700–2000-year-old human coprolites excavated from Fish Slough Cave in southern California. A series of tests on these same samples demonstrates that N-phenacylthiazolium bromide is largely ineffective, despite previously reported success using this compound as part of the DNA extraction process. We also describe a method for demonstrating the presence as well as successful removal of PCR inhibitors by use of a “positive aDNA control,” a test necessary to conclude that negative PCR amplification is the result of the absence of preserved DNA.     

The Suitability of 3D Data: 3D Digitisation of Human Remains

The use of 3D data in the analysis of skeletal and fossil materials has conveyed numerous advantages in many fields; however, as the availability and use of 3D scanning equipment are rapidly increasing, it is important for researchers to consider whether these methods are suitable for the proposed study. The issue of suitability has been largely overlooked in previous research; for instance, casts and reconstruction methods are frequently used to increase sample sizes, without sufficient assessment of the effect, this may have on the accuracy and reliability of results. Furthermore, the reliability of geometric morphometric methods and the implications of virtual curation have not received sufficient consideration. This paper discusses the suitability of 3D research with regard to the accuracy, reliability, and accessibility of methods and materials, as well as the effects of the current learning environment. Areas where future work will progress 3D research are proposed.     

Archaeology of middle Pleistocene lacustrine and spring paleoenvironments in the Kapthurin Formation,Kenya

A number of key events occur in Africa during the middle Pleistocene including the disappearance of the Acheulian, the appearance of the Middle Stone Age, and the emergence of modern Homo sapiens. However, little is known about either the fossil or behavioral record for this critical time period. Excavation was undertaken at two middle Pleistocene archaeological sites, GnJh 42 and GnJh 50. These sites are located in close proximity to a large fresh water spring, a focal point on the landscape that supported a diverse plant and animal community. The lithic assemblages are dominated by flakes and cores, and lack all formal tools. However, the oldest evidence for systematic blade production can be found at these sites, indicating that important technological innovations were appearing at this time. Tendency to focus on the presence or absence of formal tools, means that assemblages of this age, lacking diagnostic artifacts, are typically subsumed within the Acheulian technocomplex. This practice disguises actual patterns of innovation and technological evolution. It is critical not to overlook this, as small-scale technological innovation allowed for more behavioral flexibility in response to rapid environmental change in a arid, mosaic environment.