The Bioeconomy and the Birth of a “New Anthropology” [Scholarly Article - Cultural Anthropology, 2022]

Title:

The Bioeconomy and the Birth of a "New Anthropology"

 

Author:

Ruben Andersson

 

Published:

Cultural Anthropology, Volume 37, Number 1 (2022): 37-44

https://journal.culanth.org/index.php/ca/article/view/5315 

 

Abstract:

This concluding reflection of the Colloquy considers how the bioeconomy, as an analytical lens, may cast light on processes of colonization beyond the territorial frame of spatial domination, settlement, and exploitation. Examining the power to colonize with special reference to the politics and policing of migration, it shows how certain migrants have come to serve as a laboratory in the quest to extract value from life itself—which itself links back to historical colonizations. What we may call a “new anthropology” is taking shape at the confluence of algorithms of artificial intelligence, mechanisms of finance and surveillance, and the multipolar geopolitical world emerging amid the Western project’s demise. Understanding the new frontiers of value extraction of this piecemeal yet powerful (quasi) science of humankind constitutes a crucial analytical task for us “old anthropologists,” and the bioeconomy may serve as a tool in this endeavor.

 

Harvard’s New Genetics Research on Ancient Britain Contains Insights on Language, Ancestry, Kinship, Milk [SciTechDaily, January 2022]

Title:

Harvard’s New Genetics Research on Ancient Britain Contains Insights on Language, Ancestry, Kinship, Milk

 

By:

Harvard University, USA - 

 

Published:

SciTechDaily, 7 January 2022

https://scitechdaily.com/harvards-new-genetics-research-on-ancient-britain-contains-insights-on-language-ancestry-kinship-milk/

 

From the article:

New research reveals a major migration to the island of Great Britain 3,000 years ago and offers fresh insights into the languages spoken at the time, the ancestry of present-day England and Wales, and even ancient habits of dairy consumption.  

 

The findings are described in Nature by a team of more than 200 international researchers led by Harvard geneticists David Reich and Nick Patterson. Michael Isakov, a Harvard undergraduate who discovered the existence of the migration, is one of the co-first authors.

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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04241-4

New Ethical Code for World Research of Ancient DNA [Tel Aviv University, December 2021]

Title:

New Ethical Code for World Research of Ancient DNA 

 

Published:

Tel Aviv University (TAU), 13 December 2021]

https://english.tau.ac.il/news/new-ethical-code

 

From the article:

For the first time, an international team of experts, among them TAU anthropologist and paleo-geneticist Dr. Viviane Slon from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, has formulated a globally-applicable ethical code for research of ancient human DNA.

ALSO SEE

 

Title:

Ethics of DNA research on human remains: five globally applicable guidelines 

Authors:

Songül Alpaslan-Roodenberg, David Anthony, Hiba Babiker [et al]

Published:

Nature, 20 October 2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04008-x

Abstract:

We are a group of archaeologists, anthropologists, curators and geneticists representing diverse global communities and 31 countries. All of us met in a virtual workshop dedicated to ethics in ancient DNA research held in November 2020. There was widespread agreement that globally applicable ethical guidelines are needed, but that recent recommendations grounded in discussion about research on human remains from North America are not always generalizable worldwide. Here we propose the following globally applicable guidelines, taking into consideration diverse contexts. These hold that: (1) researchers must ensure that all regulations were followed in the places where they work and from which the human remains derived; (2) researchers must prepare a detailed plan prior to beginning any study; (3) researchers must minimize damage to human remains; (4) researchers must ensure that data are made available following publication to allow critical re-examination of scientific findings; and (5) researchers must engage with other stakeholders from the beginning of a study and ensure respect and sensitivity to stakeholder perspectives. We commit to adhering to these guidelines and expect they will promote a high ethical standard in DNA research on human remains going forward.

Human DNA Can Now Be Collected From Air To Solve Murders, Track Disease Spread [India Times, 27 June 2021]

Title:

Human DNA Can Now Be Collected From Air To Solve Murders, Track Disease Spread   

 

Author:

Monit Khanna

 

Published:

India Times, 27 June 2021

https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/human-dna-air-tracking-forensics-science-537741.html

 

From the article:

Scientists have managed to collect DNA samples straight from the air, paving the way for new techniques that could enable better forensic, anthropological research and maybe even help researchers better understand the transmission of COVID-19. 

 

Scholarly Article (2020) - More eyes on COVID-19: Perspectives from Anthropology: What people believe is a lot less important than that they believe it

Title:
More eyes on COVID-19: Perspectives from Anthropology: What people believe is a lot less important than that they believe it

Author:
Jess Auerbach
Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University

Published:
South African Journal of Science, Volume 116, Number 7/8 (2020)
https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2020/8491

From the article:
Anthropology compels us all to see the world from many different perspectives at once. On the rare occasions, such as a pandemic, where we all need to adopt very specific habits from the intimate to the public, these different perspectives must be taken seriously and must inform policy at every level.

Health is not only biophysical, but also emotional, spiritual, environmental and societal. Dignity, security, and purpose cannot be achieved alone, but through collective everyday experiences that are currently being radically altered.