Dr. Sofía Pacheco-Fores is a bioarchaeologist whose research focuses on migration in ancient Mexico. Using a range of methods including archaeological biogeochemistry and phenotypic variation in human skeletal and dental morphology, she reconstructs migration patterns to understand the experiences of past migrants and their recipient communities. She examines the role migration played in social and cultural change, including in ancient state formation, the spread of novel material culture complexes, the expression of social inequality, and eruptions of mass violence. She has on-going collaborative research projects in central Mexico, Oaxaca, and northwestern Mexico.
In addition to her research, Dr. Pacheco-Fores is involved in science education and outreach activities with the goal of fostering increased inclusion and diversity within anthropology. She is a Senior Editor at Anthro Illustrated, a collaborative project creating illustrations of anthropologists of diverse backgrounds at work. She also encourages increased representation and participation in anthropology through the Skype A Scientist program, speaking with bilingual K-12 students about anthropology and bioarchaeology.
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Find the paper discussed in this episode:
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart. 2024. Beyond “non-local”: biogeochemical and morphological approaches to examining diverse migrant experiences in Epiclassic central Mexico. Bioarchaeology International 8:104-122. https://doi.org/10.5744/bi.2022.0038
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart, JE Buikstra, GW Gordon, KJ Knudson. 2021. Migration, violence, and the “other”: a biogeochemical approach to identity-based violence in the Epiclassic Basin of Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 61: 101263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101263
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Contact Dr. Azcorra-Pérez: sipf@umn.edu
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Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli
Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow/ E-mail: ruderman@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar
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Dr. Sofía Pacheco-Fores is a bioarchaeologist whose research focuses on migration in ancient Mexico. Using a range of methods including archaeological biogeochemistry and phenotypic variation in human skeletal and dental morphology, she reconstructs migration patterns to understand the experiences of past migrants and their recipient communities. She examines the role migration played in social and cultural change, including in ancient state formation, the spread of novel material culture complexes, the expression of social inequality, and eruptions of mass violence. She has on-going collaborative research projects in central Mexico, Oaxaca, and northwestern Mexico.
In addition to her research, Dr. Pacheco-Fores is involved in science education and outreach activities with the goal of fostering increased inclusion and diversity within anthropology. She is a Senior Editor at Anthro Illustrated, a collaborative project creating illustrations of anthropologists of diverse backgrounds at work. She also encourages increased representation and participation in anthropology through the Skype A Scientist program, speaking with bilingual K-12 students about anthropology and bioarchaeology.
------------------------------
Find the paper discussed in this episode:
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart. 2024. Beyond “non-local”: biogeochemical and morphological approaches to examining diverse migrant experiences in Epiclassic central Mexico. Bioarchaeology International 8:104-122. https://doi.org/10.5744/bi.2022.0038
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart, JE Buikstra, GW Gordon, KJ Knudson. 2021. Migration, violence, and the “other”: a biogeochemical approach to identity-based violence in the Epiclassic Basin of Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 61: 101263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101263
------------------------------
Contact Dr. Azcorra-Pérez: sipf@umn.edu
------------------------------
Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli
Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow/ E-mail: ruderman@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar
SoS 251: Proteomics and Human Origins: Reconstructing the Past with Palesa Madupe & Becky Ackermann
Sausage of Science
44 minutes 5 seconds
1 month ago
SoS 251: Proteomics and Human Origins: Reconstructing the Past with Palesa Madupe & Becky Ackermann
This week on the Sausage of Science, Cara sits down with two trailblazing scholars shaping the future of paleoanthropology from the African continent outward. Dr. Palesa Madupe, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s Globe Institute, shares her pioneering work on enamel proteomics—reconstructing protein sequences from Paranthropus robustus and other South African hominins to unravel questions of taxonomy, sex determination, and sexual dimorphism. Joining her is Professor Becky Ackermann of the University of Cape Town, co-director of the Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), whose influential research on evolutionary processes, phenotypic variation, and human diversity is reframing our understanding of our evolutionary story. Together, they highlight how African-led research is reshaping the global narrative of human origins, one fossil and one protein at a time.
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Find the paper discussed in this episode:
Madupe, P. P., Koenig, C., Patramanis, I., Rüther, P. L., Hlazo, N., Mackie, M., ... & Cappellini, E. (2025). Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus. Science, 388(6750), 969-973. DOI: 10.1126/science.adt9539
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Contact Dr. Madupe: palesa.madupe@sund.ku.dk
Contact Dr. Ackermann: becky.ackermann@uct.ac.za
Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) website: https://www.heriuct.co.za/
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Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Cara Ocobock, Host, Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:cocobock@nd.edu, Twitter:@CaraOcobock
Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow
Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,
Sausage of Science
Dr. Sofía Pacheco-Fores is a bioarchaeologist whose research focuses on migration in ancient Mexico. Using a range of methods including archaeological biogeochemistry and phenotypic variation in human skeletal and dental morphology, she reconstructs migration patterns to understand the experiences of past migrants and their recipient communities. She examines the role migration played in social and cultural change, including in ancient state formation, the spread of novel material culture complexes, the expression of social inequality, and eruptions of mass violence. She has on-going collaborative research projects in central Mexico, Oaxaca, and northwestern Mexico.
In addition to her research, Dr. Pacheco-Fores is involved in science education and outreach activities with the goal of fostering increased inclusion and diversity within anthropology. She is a Senior Editor at Anthro Illustrated, a collaborative project creating illustrations of anthropologists of diverse backgrounds at work. She also encourages increased representation and participation in anthropology through the Skype A Scientist program, speaking with bilingual K-12 students about anthropology and bioarchaeology.
------------------------------
Find the paper discussed in this episode:
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart. 2024. Beyond “non-local”: biogeochemical and morphological approaches to examining diverse migrant experiences in Epiclassic central Mexico. Bioarchaeology International 8:104-122. https://doi.org/10.5744/bi.2022.0038
SI Pacheco-Fores, CT Morehart, JE Buikstra, GW Gordon, KJ Knudson. 2021. Migration, violence, and the “other”: a biogeochemical approach to identity-based violence in the Epiclassic Basin of Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 61: 101263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101263
------------------------------
Contact Dr. Azcorra-Pérez: sipf@umn.edu
------------------------------
Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli
Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow/ E-mail: ruderman@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar