Decoding Skeletal Growth: What Shapes Human Limb Bones?

Welcome to another enlightening episode of The Arch and Anth Podcast. In this installment, we journey into the captivating world of skeletal growth and limb bones with An-Di Yim from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Meet An-Di Yim

A Quest for Understanding: Get to know An-Di, a passionate researcher on a mission to unravel the mysteries of skeletal growth variation in human limb bones. Discover the fascinating blend of environmental and genetic factors that shape the skeletal form before adulthood.

The Population Genetics Approach

Quantifying Evolutionary Influences: Explore the intriguing concept of the ‘population genetics’ approach and how anthropologists utilize it to quantify the impact of evolutionary influences on skeletal growth. Find out how this method sheds light on why some individuals have shorter or longer limbs compared to others worldwide.

From Birth to Adolescence

Unveiling Trends: Delve into the question of whether juvenile skeletons exhibit variations in limb length right from birth. Gain insights into the factors that contribute to these trends and the diverse data sources that An-Di combines to conduct his comprehensive analyses.

Bridging Realities and Education

Teaching and Fieldwork: Discover An-Di’s experiences in teaching biological anthropology and his impactful work as a forensic anthropologist. Learn how he combines his academic insights with real-world fieldwork, contributing to the realm of forensic anthropology.

A Global Perspective

Representing East and Southeast Asia: Join the conversation as Michael and An-Di share their impressions of biological anthropology in East Asia and Taiwan. Gain an understanding of their shared vision to improve the representation of East and Southeast Asian skeletal samples in future anthropological research.