Latest Posts by theperpetualscholar - Page 3

How To Become A

Forensic Anthropologist!

Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology, and its various subfields in a legal setting. Forensic anthropologist assist in identifying deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, mutilated, burned or unrecognizable.

Today, forensic anthropology is well established as a discipline in the forensic field. When physical characteristics (fingerprints, face, etc) which could be used to identify a body are tampered with, an anthropologists is called to investigate the remains and help identify individuals by using their bones.

Forensic anthropologists often assist in the investigation of war crimes (genocide, terrorism, etc.) and mass fatality investigations, like natural disasters or epidemics.

So, how do you become a forensic anthropologists?

The idea usually begins with a television show, or if you are like me, death and bones were fascinating to you as a child. There are various ways of arriving at the Forensic Anthropology career, I will explain the way we here is the U.S.A usually go about it.

High School Students:

Take all of your science classes, even physics!

• Biology will help you understand the human body, and how it works.

• Chemistry will help you understand the make up of life, and how the outside world can impact the remains.

• Physics will help you understand what happened the victims remains, example, how to determine if the person jumped, or fell off the roof prior to dying.

Math: Do not neglect it, you will be converting centimeters to feet/inches and so on. You will measure bones with various instruments, and you will need to understand some geometry when digging up a site, or sketching a room.

Arts: Drawing will be a lifesaver when it comes to osteology, not to mention if you must dig up a site. Photography, and working with clay is also good. Sketching the human form, and molding it will give you an advantage for the field.

Gym/PE Class: Stay fit! I repeat, stay fit! You will be working in odd conditions at times. Take on yoga for balancing and strength. Sometimes remains are in hard to reach areas, or you must squat for a long time to observe prior to moving. Fitness will help your back and legs to become strong and not hurt as much. We also spend a lot of time on a desk, so moving and being active is good for us.

English: learn to write proper emails, and the difference between how you write text messages and papers/professional emails.

Also volunteer in hospitals, morgues, old people homes, etc. You are probably used to being around the dead things, but don’t forget to keep in touch with the living and their needs. You need to know both the living world and the dead world, you are going to become the bridge between the two. Build your resume, do good in school and find a university or college that is right for you.

College/University:

Join the anthropology club, first semester, first week, first meeting, be there! (if there is no club, start it!) Go on trips (zoo, cemeteries, visit other schools/their anthropology departments, and go to conferences) ask professors to teach a five to ten minute lecture for the club, bake goods, fundraise, teach other departments and students about us. The friendships made within the club will become your network.

Take all of your general requirement courses seriously! (yes I know it feels like a repeat of high school, but your GPA matters for later on.)

Have a social life! Go out, but be safe. (College will not last forever.)

Make studying fun, create study groups, study outside and test each other.

Meet with your professors, go to their office hours, ask them about their research, a favorite book, or their favorite bone!

Start a dermestid beetle colony (if there is none)!

This is where you start to understand if you are a good fit, and if the work really is for you.

Visit the library, learn to research and write proper documents and papers. You will inevitably write grant proposals and thesis papers that will go way beyond 20 pages, it is normal.

If you can, take up a minor (forensic science is a fan favorite). Even a biology or art minor can help. Minor in something that is like a hobby for you, this will keep you mentally active and distracted for when you need a break from anthropology.

Again, stay fit! And try your best to eat healthy. And network, network, network.

Towards the last two years of your undergraduate degree do research! It can be something simple, like determining the sex between a female pelvis and a male pelvis, but make sure to present it, like at a conference where the Anthropology club will go and see it (winks). Professors might let you tag along and do research with them. Try and see if you can get something published, it can even be for the university’s newspaper, or magazine.

Take undergrad to make yourself distinct, and learn as much as you can.

Get your moneys worth!

Also, find a part-time college job to fund your partying and unhealthy food orders at midnight/three AM.

Plan your future, whether involves moving to a smaller location for work, or getting a higher degree.

Graduate School:

Not everyone will find an anthropology job with a BA or BS degree, the economy is not really our friend here. It might help to move, or relocate out of the big cities.

To PhD. or not? This is a big step that can take years to accomplish. It does not need to happen right away.

Getting a Masters degree is a great option. This is why your GPA, research, papers, and extracurriculars during undergrad were important. Distinct students make it into good graduate programs to do research, and to better learn the field.

Try not to pay for graduate school, often times the programs are funded through scholarships, assistantships, work, or even merit. Graduate school should not get you into more in debt, find the way.

Keep doing everything you did for undergrad, but amp it up. You have more free time to select and narrow your area of expertise (do you want to focus on children, adults, the pelvis, the skull, the process of decomposition, etc.). Make a killer thesis, and present your case. Show the world that you are here!

Also, keep a part-time/full-time job to fund your social life. Make time to hang out with professors (they are human just like you), colleagues, and friends.

Master’s are about two years, Ph.D varies by university or program and are a lot longer. Expect to educate as a Ph.D candidate, you will be teaching others, and make it fun.

Remember that you are more than your research, and your studies, they are a part of you, not the other way around.

Simple Steps:

Step 1: Graduate high school.

Step 2: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

Step 3: Complete a Master’s Degree Program. (Optional but you might need it.)

Step 4: Enroll in a PhD Program. (Optional.)

Aspiring Forensic Anthropologists:

• Need at least a master’s degree in anthropology or forensic anthropology to find suitable work.

• Note: A doctoral degree (Ph.D) is needed to pursue research and tenured teaching opportunities in academia.

And Have Fun!

The Neuroscience of Serial Murder

Why do serial killers commit heinous acts of murder? The answer may be found in the reward center of our brains, or the Nucleus Accumbens. This is where dopamine is created. When you eat sugar, snort cocaine, snack on chocolate, or have sex, that reward center is triggered and dopamine is released. This chemical conveys the feeling of pleasure, reinforcing those prior indulgences you’ve engaged in. If a serial killer has linked sex with torture, killing, or dismemberment, his brain is sending him a signal, making him feel rewarded for his behavior. It’s the same feeling we may get from eating some chocolate ice cream after a long day or a really good orgasm. A serial killer’s brain reinforces his behavior, telling him that whatever he is doing is good and that he should keep doing it. This may explain why serial killers often do not stop until they are caught.

I just found your blog, and I'm in love! I'm about to graduate with my BS in neurobiology. Do you know of any quotes relevant to my major that I could put on my graduation cap? Thanks! ♥️

I may have gotten to this too late. Sorry about that! But here are some good quotes anyway. And congrats on graduating!

From physicist Michio Kaku:

The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10 thousand other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe

From neuroscientist David Eagleman: 

What a perplexing masterpiece the brain is, and how lucky we are to be in a generation that has the technology and the will to turn our attention to it. It is the most wondrous thing we have found in the universe, and it is us.

From neurologist Oliver Sacks:

Every act of perception, is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.

From neuroscientist Daniel Bor (I think it’d be cool if you fit this whole thing on your graduation cap):

There is nothing more important to us than our own awareness. We see the breathtaking beauty of snowcapped mountains, the exhilarating grace and speed of a cheetah on a hunt. We hear melodic birdsong in our gardens. We fall in love, or experience the joy of our child’s first smile. We compose and appreciate music, art, and literature. We talk and laugh with our friends and family. All these, and everything else we care about, are conscious events. If none of these events were conscious, if we weren’t conscious to experience any of them, we’d hardly consider ourselves alive—at least not in any way that matters.

When I’m reveling in a glowing pleasure, or even if I’m enduring a sharp sadness, I always sense that behind everything there is the privilege and passion of experience. Our consciousness is the essence of who we perceive ourselves to be. It is the citadel for our senses, the melting pot of thoughts, the welcoming home for every emotion that pricks or placates us. For us, consciousness simply is the currency of life.

From philosopher/neuroscientist/whiner Sam Harris:

You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You ARE the storm.

From rhymer Dr. Seuss:

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

From the zombie neurobiologist:

BRAAAIIINNNSSSS are both interesting and delicious

The memory part of the brain may also hold clues for anxiety and depression

The hippocampus is a seahorse-shaped structure located deep inside the brain. As part of the limbic system, it plays an important role in memory processing and spatial cognition, including how mammals learn to understand and navigate their environment.

The hippocampus is an area of the brain commonly linked with memory and dementia.

But new U of T Scarborough research finds that it may also yield important clues about a range of mental health illnesses including addiction, anxiety and depression.

The research, authored by a team of neuroscientists, found that a specific part of the hippocampus could play an important role in emotional regulation, a finding that calls into question our understanding of how exactly this part of the brain works.

“What this shows is that we may need to rethink how the hippocampus processes information,” says Rutsuko Ito, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.

Continue Reading.

Anonymous shell corporations are the lifeblood of illicit financial activities because they allow individuals to hide their identities, their activities and their source of financing behind a faceless corporate entity. But while Mossack Fonseca and Panama are each responsible for this tidal wave of financial skullduggery, neither the law firm nor the country is unusual. Firms in the United States play the same role as Mossack Fonseca, possibly on a larger scale, and they are doing so with the tacit blessing of our lax financial secrecy laws. In fact, a recent study by the Tax Justice Network found that the United States is the third-biggest offender in the world when it comes to facilitating financial secrecy and tax evasion. Due to lax requirements in Delaware, Nevada and a few other states, for example, it is far easier to set up an anonymous shell company in the United States than it is in well-known tax havens such as the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands.

Hey Americans: It’s not just Panama (via odinsblog)

How ladybugs unfold their wings

Fibonacci all day, every day [http://bit.ly/2jiUBF6]

The Boy Who Grew a Brain

Noah Wall was born with only 2% of a brain (left), spina bifida and severe hydrocephalus. Doctors predicted that even if he survived, he would suffer severe mental disability and have limited mobility for the rest of his life. 

After surviving his birth, Noah only improved with time. His parents worked with him to learn and grow to live as normal a life as possible, and doctors were stunned with the progress he was making. After 3 years, Noah was scanned again and the results showed his brain had grown to over 80% the size of a normal, healthy brain (right). Noah continues to live a happy life and progress even more, and his unusual case sheds light on the incredible capabilities of the human body and brain.

For anyone interested in learning more about this case, there is a great documentary made by Channel 5 (UK) in the Extraordinary People series about Noah (The Boy With No Brain). For those of you outside the UK the doc is also available on Youtube.

20 Cognitive Biases That Screw Up Your Decisions

Remember that everyone, including you and me, suffers from these biases. If you find that you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re special, that somehow these biases don’t apply to you, then you’re only intensifying their influence. Here are a few choice biases that are hidden around every corner:

Availability Heuristic: People overestimate the importance of information that is available to them. A person might argue that smoking is not unhealthy because they know someone who lived to 100 and smoked three packs a day.

Bandwagon Effect: The probability of one person adopting a belief increases based on the number of people who hold that belief. This is a powerful form of groupthink.

Choice-supportive Bias: When you choose something, you tend to feel positive about it, even that choice has flaws. Like how you think your dog is awesome–even if it bites people once in a while.

Clustering Illusion: This is the tendency to see patterns in random events. It is key to various gambling fallacies, like the idea that red is more or less likely to turn up on a roulette table after a string of reds.

Confirmation Bias: We tend to listen only to information that confirms our preconceptions–one of the many reason it’s so hard to have an intelligent conversation about climate change.

Selective Perception: Allowing our expectations to influence how we perceive the world. An experiment involving a football game between students from two universities shows that one team saw the opposing team commit more infractions.

Stereotyping: Expecting a group or person to have certain qualities without having real information about the person. It allows us to quickly identify strangers as friends or enemies, but people tend to overuse and abuse it.

Hit me with a cool fact of the brain!(short if possible?I have duslexia)Thanks!✨

Ok from where you’re sitting right now I want you to try and slowly scan the room from left to right in one smooth motion. It’s not possible- instead, your eyes move along in little jumps called saccades. Now I want you to lift your pointer finger up and move it along from left to right, following it with your eyes. You’ll now notice your eyes no longer move in saccades but follow your finger in a swift motion known as a “smooth pursuit”. This movement allows our eyes to closely follow a moving object and evolved to aid us in catching prey or keep away from predators. Autistic people, abuse victims and those under the influence of alcohol or drugs often show a lack or defecit of smooth pursuit.

so today I learned that when a pregnant woman suffers organ damage (such as a heart attack), the fetus sends stem cells to the damaged organ to help repair it. Apparently it is an evolutionary mechanism; by protecting its mother the fetus also ensures it’s own survival. I am in awe of how incomprehensibly complex our bodies are, truly. (x)

Since I get asked a lot about where to learn more about the human brain and behaviour, I’ve made a masterpost of books, websites, videos and online courses to introduce yourself to that piece of matter that sits between your ears.

Books

The Brain Book  by Rita Carter

The Pyschology Book (a good starter book)  by DK

Thinking, Fast and Slow  by Daniel Kahneman

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking  by Susan Cain

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat  by Oliver Sacks

The Brain: The Story of You  by David Eagleman

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science  by Norman Doidge

This Is Your Brain on Music  by Daniel Levitin

The Autistic Brain by Richard Panek and Temple Grandin (highly reccomended)

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind  by Yuval Noah Harari (not really brain-related, but it is single handedly the best book I have ever read)

Websites

@tobeagenius (shameless self-promotion)

How Stuff Works

Psych2Go

BrainFacts

Neuroscience for Kids (aimed at kids, but it has some good info)

New Scientist

National Geographic

Live Science

Videos & Youtube Channels

Mind Matters series by TedEd

Crash Course Psychology

SciShow Brain

Psych2Go TV

asapSCIENCE

Brain Craft

Its Okay To Be Smart

Online Courses

The Addicted Brain

Visual Perception and The Brain

Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life

Pyschology Of Popularity

Harvard Fundamentals Of Neuroscience

How Does Alcohol Make You Drunk?

As you know, I started university this year and since then I have made some embarrassing descisions as a result of alcohol consumption. Making this educational infographic about the science behind drunkeness balances it all out right..?

When the eyes move, the eardrums move, too

Gruters found that when the eyes moved, both eardrums moved in sync with one another, one side bulging inward at the same time the other side bulged outward. They continued to vibrate back and forth together until shortly after the eyes stopped moving. Eye movements in opposite directions produced opposite patterns of vibrations.

Simply moving the eyes triggers the eardrums to move too, says a new study by Duke University neuroscientists.

The researchers found that keeping the head still but shifting the eyes to one side or the other sparks vibrations in the eardrums, even in the absence of any sounds.

Surprisingly, these eardrum vibrations start slightly before the eyes move, indicating that motion in the ears and the eyes are controlled by the same motor commands deep within the brain.

Continue Reading.

Why Do We Stress Eat?

Whether its exams, work or relationships modern life is pretty stressful stuff. It’s not uncommon for us to turn to food to relieve the often heavy emotional burdens life presents us with. But what drives us to do it? And why are some foods classed as “comfort foods”? More posts like this about the human brain and behaviour on @tobeagenius

Researchers explore why those with autism avoid eye contact

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often find it difficult to look others in the eyes. This avoidance has typically been interpreted as a sign of social and personal indifference, but reports from people with autism suggests otherwise. Many say that looking others in the eye is uncomfortable or stressful for them – some will even say that “it burns” – all of which points to a neurological cause. Now, a team of investigators based at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital has shed light on the brain mechanisms involved in this behavior. They reported their findings in a Nature Scientific Reports paper.

“The findings demonstrate that, contrary to what has been thought, the apparent lack of interpersonal interest among people with autism is not due to a lack of concern,” says Nouchine Hadjikhani, MD, PhD, director of neurolimbic research in the Martinos Center and corresponding author of the new study. “Rather, our results show that this behavior is a way to decrease an unpleasant excessive arousal stemming from overactivation in a particular part of the brain.”

The key to this research lies in the brain’s subcortical system, which is responsible for the natural orientation toward faces seen in newborns and is important later for emotion perception. The subcortical system can be specifically activated by eye contact, and previous work by Hadjikhani and colleagues revealed that, among those with autism, it was oversensitive to effects elicited by direct gaze and emotional expression. In the present study, she took that observation further, asking what happens when those with autism are compelled to look in the eyes of faces conveying different emotions.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Hadjikhani and colleagues measured differences in activation within the face-processing components of the subcortical system in people with autism and in control participants as they viewed faces either freely or when constrained to viewing the eye-region. While activation of these structures was similar for both groups exhibited during free viewing, overactivation was observed in participants with autism when concentrating on the eye-region. This was especially true with fearful faces, though similar effects were observed when viewing happy, angry and neutral faces.

The findings of the study support the hypothesis of an imbalance between the brain’s excitatory and inhibitory signaling networks in autism – excitatory refers to neurotransmitters that stimulate the brain, while inhibitory refers to those that calm it and provide equilibrium. Such an imbalance, likely the result of diverse genetic and environmental causes, can strengthen excitatory signaling in the subcortical circuitry involved in face perception. This in turn can result in an abnormal reaction to eye contact, an aversion to direct gaze and consequently abnormal development of the social brain.

In revealing the underlying reasons for eye-avoidance, the study also suggests more effective ways of engaging individuals with autism. “The findings indicate that forcing children with autism to look into someone’s eyes in behavioral therapy may create a lot of anxiety for them,” says Hadjikhani, an associate professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. “An approach involving slow habituation to eye contact may help them overcome this overreaction and be able to handle eye contact in the long run, thereby avoiding the cascading effects that this eye-avoidance has on the development of the social brain.”

The researchers are already planning to follow up the research. Hadjikhani is now seeking funding for a study that will use magnetoencephalography (MEG) together with eye-tracking and other behavioral tests to probe more deeply the relationship between the subcortical system and eye contact avoidance in autism.

Endorphins

You’ve probably heard of endorphins by now as those chemicals that cause the euphoric rush during exercise. They are our body’s natural painkillers and lead to positive feelings similar to that produced by morphine! 

More posts like this about the human brain and behavior on @tobeagenius, Youtube and Instagram!

The Navajo have a unique tradition. When a baby is born, it is regarded as the ultimate, precious gift and must never be abused. From the moment of birth, the child is watched over continuously by family and friends, who patiently wait for the child’s first…laugh.

“Has your baby laughed?” is common question posed to parents who have infants around the age of three months. The first laugh of a Navajo child is a very significant event. It marks the child’s final passing from the spirit world to the physical world, meaning he or she is now fully human. This milestone warrants a party, and what a party it is!

Whichever brother, sister, parent, cousin, aunt, uncle, or passing acquaintance is present at the first laugh is deemed to have caused it.  The laughter instigator then receives the honored privilege of preparing a special ceremony to welcome the child into society.

Once a baby has laughed, training in generosity begins immediately—a value held in high regard among the Navajo people. At the party, where the baby is considered the host, the parents or person responsible for the first laugh help hold the baby’s hand as he or she ceremonially gives the rock salt, food, and gifts to each guest. There are also bags of candy, money, and other presents that the child “gives” along with the food. [x]

Fact Sources/more info: [1] [2] For more facts, follow Ultrafacts

THIS IS SO COOL - the components of breastmilk can drastically change to fulfil the urgent needs of the baby. In this case, the yellow colour of the milk is due to added antibodies to help fight the baby’s fever.

Why beehives are hexagons.

The First Newspaper

This one goes to the Romans! They had “Acta Diurna” (Daily Events) which was a handwritten news report, posted in multiple public places for the public to read. It first appeared in 131 BCE during the Republic. Although initially only the outcomes of trials, the Acta Diurna eventually expanded to public notices and announcements like important births or senatorial decrees.

The First Pizza Joint

Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, in Naples, Italy, is widely considered the world’s first pizzeria. It was first established in 1738 as a peddler’s stand. In 1830, it became a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the town center. Since its opening day, their ovens have been lined with lava rocks taken from nearby Mount Vesuvius.

Blood, Guts and Blow Flies 

Forensic entomology is the study of insects/arthropods in criminal investigation. Insects are attracted to decomposing bodies and can lay their eggs inside of one. Studying the developing larval stages and insect population can help forensic scientists get a postmortem index (time of death). They are also able to tell if a body has been moved.

A timeline showing how insect activity relates to the stages of decomposition 

Fresh stage (1-2 days after death): The first insects start arriving. Blow flies and flesh flies can be found arriving just minutes after death.

Bloated stage (2-7 days after): The abdomen of the decomposing body inflates and internal temperatures start to rise due to arthropod activity. The greatest number of diptera/flies are attracted at this stage.

Decay stage (5-13 days after): The body deflates and some of the diptera larvae leave the carcass to pupate.

Post-decay stage (10-23 days after): Most larvae leave and the body becomes a hotspot for arthropod activity.

Remains stage (18-90+ days after): The body dries up causing larval and adult diptera populations to decline.

Crime scene investigators are about to get a helping hand from our ancient ancestors. The earliest known synthetic pigment, Egyptian blue, is found in some of the paint on ancient statues, coffins, tomb walls, and amulets. Most other pigments long ago faded. Modern scientists, intrigued by its longevity, worked out Egyptian blue’s chemical composition decades ago. Recently it was discovered that it emits near-infrared radiation when exposed to certain kinds of light. Basically: it has rare, invisible luminescence.

And why does that help crime-stoppers? Egyptian blue can be dusted onto complicated surfaces where fingerprints are normally hard to retrieve. The surface is then photographed with a modified camera and a filter sensitive to Egyptian blue’s near-infrared rays. If fingerprints are there, they glow clearly in the resulting image. Science is amazing.

Luminol is a chemical that can be used to show trace amounts of blood by creating a light producing chemical reaction when mixed with hemoglobin.

Luminol powder is mixed into a liquid containing hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals. This mixture will then be sprayed over the area that is being examined.

The reaction of the Luminol spray mixing with the iron in blood will then produce a blue glow that can be seen in a dark room.

Other substances that can accidentally have the same reaction with Luminol are: bleach, urine, faeces & horseradish.

Unfortunately Luminol can destroy other crime scene evidence so it is usually used after other options have been explored.

holy shit

Exclusive: First U.S. Baby Born After a Uterus Transplant

For the first time in the United States, a woman who was born without a uterus gave birth to a baby. The landmark birth took place at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, a part of Baylor Scott & White, TIME reports exclusively.

“We’ve been preparing for this moment for a very long time,” says Dr. Liza Johannesson, an ob-gyn and uterus transplant surgeon at Baylor. “I think everyone had tears in their eyes when the baby came out. I did for sure.” The woman and her husband asked that their identity not be revealed in order to protect their privacy

What's the best book you've read lately? And what's your favorite anthro book?

Well I’ve really only read one book lately, and it’s very good: Fields of Combat by Erin P. Finley. It’s a medical anthro take on PTSD in veterans returning from combat in the Middle East. I highly recommend it. (For fun I usually read fantasy like Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher, just so y’all know I do have fun sometimes lol.)

As for my favorite anthro book, that’s a tough one since most of my books are more technical manuals and I’ve only read excerpts of cultural theory books. One I really liked though was Righteous Dopefiend by Bourgois and Shonberg. It’s about heroin addiction in the homeless of San Francisco and brings in all kinds of great theory from writers like Bourdieu and Foucault (I’m always a slut for Foucault).

Next I’ll be flipping through Digging for the Disappeared and Disturbing Bodies, both of which examine the forensic anthropologist’s role not only in recovering, identifying, and repatriating remains from genocide and war crimes, but how we relate to and work with the survivors. I’ll be reporting back on those once I make some headway.

“Study of the human brain is, in fact, much less like exploring a series of corridors, and much more like observing a planet from high orbit; with intense magnification, you can barely see the inhabitants, observe their behavior, where they go, which routes they take, but you don’t know who they are, what they do when they get there, or why they do it.”