"Stable Isotope Analysis in Biological Anthropology" - Review

Hi everyone! I recently came across a fascinating article called “Stable Isotope Analysis in Biological Anthropology” by Marissa Mowers in Girls in Stem Magazine and wanted to share it with you all! 

For bioarcheologists and primatologists, stable isotope analysis is a useful practice that uses analytical chemistry techniques to reconstruct life histories and diets when analyzing human and non-human primate recovered remains based on the assumption that the isotopic composition of tissue directly reflects the isotopic composition of an organism’s diet. This can also be of interest to forensic anthropologists because the determination of migration patterns can be applied to identify the geographic origin of recovered human remains. But how does this relate to our species’ evolution? Not only do adaptations to diet lead to genetic adaptations, explaining how we have evolved, but the historical context around why these adaptations in diet were necessary to our ancestors also explains why we have evolved and, with this, how we may continue to evolve in response to environmental changes. 

Altogether, this article reviews the methods of stable isotope analysis, its application to various disciplines of biological anthropology, and, last but certainly not least, the contribution of women in isotope research. Even if you know nothing about isotopes going into it, this article breaks down what may initially seem like complex ideas, such as mass spectroscopy, defining and explaining their significance in simple terms. Thus, it is a great read for anyone interested in archeology, chemistry, or simply gaining a better understanding of how we study our species’ evolution!

If I have convinced you to check out this article and, for other published works by women in stem, use this link to read more for yourself!