You are excavating a Native American human burial site which contains both males and females. After obtaining permission from current Native American tribes believed to have descended from these people, you analyze the bones. You notice a higher rate of osteoarthritis in the lumbar vertebrae of the female skeletons in comparison to the male skeletons. What might you conclude from this evidence?
a. That females were doing more intense walking than the males, traveling far distances to gather plants.
b. That females were putting more stress on their backs, perhaps from grinding corn or carrying children.
c. That females did not have access to the same amount of high quality food as males, and were thus suffering from malnutrition.
d. That ancient populations differed radically from present day descendants.
e. Nothing. Osteoarthritis in the lumbar vertebrae is not a reliable indicator of anything.
Question 2
What can bioarchaeologists determine from enamel hypoplasias?
a. How tall a child was when the growth arrest event took place.
b. The duration of the period of stress which resulted in the hypoplasia.
c. Whether they resulted from physical trauma to the face, parasitic infection, or malnutrition.
d. the amount of osteoarthritis effecting the individual
e. the corresponding long bone shape and mechanical stresses placed on these bones
Comparison of the radius of fruits produced by native and introduced species of Sapindaceae
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