Biological Anthropology in 2015: Open Access, Biocultural Interactions, and Social Change

Abstract

The year 2015 was an active research year in biological anthropology in many areas, including fossil hominins, ancient DNA, health and disease, and primate research. Particularly noteworthy this year was a sea change in paleoanthropological research when the newest fossil discovery, Homo naledi, was shared both through open-access journal articles and through 3D printable fossil casts. Despite many bright research areas, we continue to struggle with issues of sexual harassment and diversity, as do many sciences, and I discuss positive, substantive actions in these areas. With race, genetics, health, and primates in the news, public interest in biological anthropology is booming. I highlight social media that pull people into well-researched content areas and new books that reflect the breadth of the field. [biological anthropology, physical anthropology, fossil hominins, epigenetics, health disparities, open access, year in review]RESUMEN El año 2015 fue un año activo en investigación en antropología biológica en muchasáreas, incluyendo homínidos fósiles, ADN antiguo, salud y enfermedad, e investigación de primates. Particularmente notable este año fue el cambio radical en la investigación paleo-antropológica cuando el más nuevo descubrimiento fósil, Homo naledi, fue compartido tanto por artículos de acceso abierto como por moldes fósiles imprimibles en 3D. A pesar de muchasáreas brillantes de investigación, continuamos luchando con cuestiones de acoso sexual y diversidad, como muchas ciencias lo hacen, y discuto acciones positivas, sustanciales en estasáreas. Con raza, genética, salud, Supporting InformationAdditional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher's website:Cathy Willermet- Figure 1 permission.

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“…This nanostructure contains structural wax on the surface layer, which not only increases surface roughness, but also traps air between the solid and liquid interface [3]. Biomimetic technology [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] is a technology that imitates the 3.8 billion years of evolutionary experience of living things. Every lifestyle, growth process, and ecosystem is a source of inspiration for simulation.…”

“…With the proper utilization of this technology, we can achieve low resource and energy consumption while obtaining optimal production capacity and benefits. For example, aircraft coatings based on shark skin resistance [6,[14][15][16], radar sonar based on bats [17], solar applications inspired by photosynthesis, bullet train heads based on kingfisher beaks [18,19], antifouling coatings based on frog skins [20], etc. Biomaterials have also been widely applied in SERS substrates due to their 3D periodic microstructures, such as butterfly wings, cicada wings, and rose petals [21][22][23].…”

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“…A small number of studies also tend to employ evolutionary theory or political economic analyses [ 19 ]. Various associations of anthropology have organized conferences in biocultural studies/anthropology, and a plethora of articles have also been published in leading journals in anthropology [ 19 , 23 ].…”

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“…). Finding those norms often wanting or even hostile, members have loudly called for explicit action to promote a more inclusive and diverse community across ranks, and they have been successful in implementing codes of conduct to address sexual harassment (Willermet ) and initiatives to recruit and retain diverse scholars (Antón, Malhi, and Fuentes ). But the work is ongoing.…”