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SYMPOSIA
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•••As of February 1, 2002
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| Cultural and Social Diversity |
The Archaeology of Modern Human Origins
Friday, February 15, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| Geoffrey Clark, Arizona State University |
| A scientifically adequate explanation of our origins must reconcile proposed explanations for pattern in (1) the archaeology of the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition, (2) the anatomical transition from archaic to modern humans, and (3) the mtDNA, nDNA, and Y chromosome data. AAAS symposia in 1999 and 2000 emphasized the genetic and fossil evidence. This session focuses on the archaeology. As in other aspects of modern human origins (MHO) research, MHO archaeologists run the gamut between extreme 'replacement' advocates ([H. sapiens] arose only in Africa after 200,000 years ago, emigrated, and replaced earlier hominins throughout the range originally colonized by [H. erectus]), and extreme 'continuity' advocates (people who are skeptical of claims for an Upper Pleistocene migration, who see evidence for biological and behavioural continuity over the transition interval that negates, or renders highly improbable, any kind of categorical biological replacement). Representing a wide range of scholarly perspectives, the participants examine the conceptual frameworks that govern MHO archaeology as they focus on archaeological indicators of Upper Pleistocene behavioural change. Disjunction between biological and cultural indicators of 'modernness' throw into sharp relief problems with the logic of inference in MHO research. Hypothetical relationships between archaic and modern humans in the Levant, west Asia; east, west and south-central Europe, and southeast Africa are examined by looking at migration models, evidence for personal adornment, predator-prey interaction as a function of population-resource imbalances, vectored paleoclimatic change, lithic technology and typology to compare and contrast expectations about pattern generated from the 'replacement' and 'continuity' positions. |
| 1 | Chronology of the Middle-Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Europe | Francis Harrold (Speaker), University of Nebraska-Kearney |
| 2 | CO/W HARROLD | Brooks Ellwood (Speaker), Louisiana State University |
| 3 | Demographic Factors Affecting Paleolithic Personal Adornment and Small Animal Exploitation | Steven Kuhn (Speaker), University of Arizona |
| 4 | CO/W KUHN | Mary Stiner (Speaker), University of Arizona |
| 5 | The Aurignacian-Flagship of Modern Human Dispersal in Europe | Paul Mellars (Speaker), University of Cambridge |
| 6 | An Archaeological Perspective on Eurasia's Earliest Modern Humans | John J. Shea (Speaker), State University of New York-Stony Brook |
| 7 | CO/W SHEA | Ofer Bar-Yosef (Speaker), Harvard University |
| 8 | When Anatomy and Archaeology Do Not Coincide at "the Transition" | Lawrence Straus (Speaker), University of New Mexico |
| 9 | CO/W STRAUS | Geoffrey Clark (Speaker), Arizona State University |
| 10 | The Archaeology of Early Modern Humans in Tanzania | Pamela Willoughby (Speaker), University of Alberta |
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Interstellar Travel and Multi-Generational Space Ships
Friday, February 15, 2002 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
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| Yoji Kondo, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; John H. Moore, University of Florida |
| This symposium examines scientific technologies of the near and far future for interstellar travel that will traverse many light years. Such a trip could take multiple generations -- depending, to some extent, on the propulsion technology. The session investigates the crucial anthropological issues involved in sustaining a group of human beings for an extended period, even over many generations. Such issues as the available living space, sociological and behavioral change, and even the number and types of people who can live together without suffering social disintegration are addressed. The speakers explore what technological, material, and human resources will be needed to settle a new world once reached. This will include skill mixes, personality traits and the genetic considerations (i.e., how to establish an appropriate gene pool) that would be necessary for maintaining a stable and flourishing society. |
| 1 | Space Ship Propulsion Systems | Robert Forward (Speaker), Forward Unlimited |
| 2 | No Title Available | John H. Moore (Discussant), University of Florida |
| 3 | No Title Available | Yoji Kondo (Moderator), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| 4 | No Title Available | Charles Sheffield (Discussant), Earth Satellite Corporation |
| 5 | Habitability of Space Ships and Planets | Joe Haldeman (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 6 | No Title Available | Geoffrey A. Landis (Discussant), National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| 7 | Demography, Social Structure and Genetics | John H. Moore (Speaker), University of Florida |
| 8 | No Title Available | Dennis O'Rourke (Speaker), University of Utah |
| 9 | No Title Available | Dennis O'Rourke (Discussant), University of Utah |
| 10 | No Title Available | Sarah G. Thomason (Discussant), University of Michigan |
| 11 | Language Change and Cultural Continuity | Sarah G. Thomason (Speaker), University of Michigan |
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Global Monitoring of World Heritage Sites: Towards a Global Standard
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Janos Jelen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hungary; Diane Evans, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technolgy |
| Periodic Report on implementation of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is a strategic challenge for a whole range of applied sciences, in particular for remote sensing and GIS, as well as Cultural Resource Management in a truly global communication environment. From 690 sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List 487 are being scrutinized on a regional basis during the first six years of the cycle (2000 to 2005). What happened to the sites after being officially approved to be of "outstanding universal value"? After 30 years of existence the governments of 167 states agreed to look back and report on the status of their most precious sites. Hopefully a new strategic guideline, a standard for Heritage Impact Assessment, will emerge at the end of each 6-year cycle that ought to include recommendations on monitoring and change detection for preservation and development. Space sciences, specially Earth observation programs, including already available remote sensing & GIS applications, could not yet play the role they should to provide the desperately needed CRM tool for governments, municipalities, local communities, investors and developers who are all involved. Education, training and awareness raising for national and local authorities and experts are key to sustainable resource management. Research communities and universities should work in close cooperation with the key stakeholders for the benefit of all. Synergy of CRM, RS & GIS in a global Internet based environment should serve as a model for new site nominations as well as improve disaster-monitoring capacity for site managers and national authorities. |
| 1 | No Title Available | Diane Evans (Speaker), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technolgy |
| 2 | No Title Available | Francesco Bandarin (Speaker), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| 3 | No Title Available | Derrold W. Holcomb (Speaker), ERDAS |
| 4 | No Title Available | Róbert Kuszinger (Speaker), Royal Angkor Foundation-Budapest |
| 5 | No Title Available | Peter Szemerei (Speaker), Office of the Government Commissioner for Information Technology |
| 6 | No Title Available | Douglas C. Comer (Speaker), Cultural Site Research and Management |
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Biocultural Insights on the Emerging Worldwide Epidemic of Obesity
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Marquisa LaVelle, University of Rhode Island |
| It is well known that high prevalence rates of obesity are accelerating in industrialized societies, resulting in increased risk for diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and digestive diseases. Less well understood is the fact that obesity, involving children as well as adults, has recently become a worldwide health problem. This symposium draws attention to the fact that current trends toward excessive fatness is an increasingly global phenomenon, prevalent within nonwestern as well as western societies undergoing rapid socioeconomic change. Recent data on child growth from Latin America, South Africa, Asia, native Australians, the Pacific and the United States, emphasize the emerging risks to future world health. As social scientists working on problems in nutrition and health, our research is designed to provide insights into the biocultural factors that are central to the etiology of obesity in the diverse societies of these world regions. |
| 1 | The Nutrition Transition: Implications for Obesity and Health | Barry Popkin (Speaker), University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill |
| 2 | Emerging Patterns of Obesity in Samoans, African Americans and Choctaw | James Bindon (Speaker), University of Arkansas |
| 3 | Patterns of Emerging Obesity Among Maya in Guatemala and in the United States | Barry Bogin (Speaker), The University of Michigan-Dearborn |
| 4 | Patterns of Emerging Obesity in New Guinea and the Pacific | Stanley Ulijaszek (Speaker), University of Oxford |
| 5 | Emerging Patterns of Obesity Among Indigenous Populations of Russia | William Leonard (Speaker), Northwestern University |
| 6 | Patterns of Emerging Obesity in South Africa and Native Australians | Marquisa LaVelle (Speaker), The University of Rhode Island |
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