Some aquatic oligochaetes of the Nilgiris,South India

Eight species of aquatic oligochaetes, belonging to the families Naididae and Tubificidae, are reported, of which six species are new to the Nigiris. Tubifex tubifex known from Coonoor is reported again from this area.     

The history of visual anthropology in India and the task ahead

This paper is a brief history of the earliest efforts of anthropological film making in India. It includes documentation of ethnographic films, the international body in India, and seminars at Delhi and Jodhpur. The filming of the rich cultural heritage of the country; stock‐taking; realistic fiction films; national, regional, and global networks; educational, archival, and research activities are explored. Additionally, the author looks to future tasks to be undertaken by visual anthropologists in India.     

The Etruscans: The physical anthropology of an ancient population

The Etruscans: The physical anthropology of an ancient population     

Trends and developments in physical anthropology, 1978-1979

Members of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists were asked to supply information about their current programs and their own graduate training in order to compile a training directory and to analyze certain aspects of the discipline. The data indicate that the majority consider their graduate training to have been deficient, mainly in statistics, genetics, chemistry, physiology, and mathematics. The areas though most important for future research in physical anthropology include fields such a genetics, anatomy, ecology, physiology, and paleontology, although a great many individuals are engaged in teaching and research in other areas. A brief analysis of relative growth in the field over the last few decades indicates a serious imbalance between the number of new Ph.D.'s and available employment opportunities.     

Statistical power in physical anthropology: a technical report

A statistical power analysis of The American Journal of Physical Anthropology (Volume 44, 1976) was conducted. Twenty-five articles, which included 3,304 major significance tests, constituted the final sample. Resultant power estimates of 0.38, 0.62, and 0.81, corresponding to small, medium, and large population effects respectively, were obtained. Although the medium effect size estimate falls short of the recommended 0.80 level, the statistical power of physical anthropological research fares well relative to several of the social scientific fields of inquiry.     

Small mammal trapping in tropical montane forests of the Upper Nilgiris, southern India: An evaluation of capture-recapture models in estimating abundance

Capture-mark-recapture was used to study small mammal populations in tropical montane forests in southern India. Eleven plots in six montane forest patches were sampled from February-October, 1994. Six species were captured, including four rodents and two shrews. PROGRAM CAPTURE was used to derive estimates of density of the most abundant species in the study area,Rattus rattus Linnaeus. The coefficient of variation of the density estimate was used as an index of precision. The coefficient of variation decreased exponentially with increasing capture probability and with an increase in trapping duration. The coefficient of variation and the capture probability were not correlated with estimates of density. The density estimate increased with trapping duration, as did trap mortality. The latter may have been due to the trend of increased mortality with recaptures of the same individual, which in turn may have been due to weight loss over consecutive captures. Estimates of density derived using four estimators were different for 2, 3, 4 and 5 days of trapping. The coefficient of variation was highest for the generalized removal estimate and lowest for Darroch’s estimate. The models and estimators could not be applied to more than one species, and for this species, only in select habitats in a few seasons. Therefore, models of density estimation developed for temperate areas may not be suitable for tropical habitats due to low densities of small mammals in these habitats.     

Trends and developments in physical anthropology, 1990–91

The 1408 members of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists were surveyed by mail regarding professional background, training deficiencies, opinions regarding areas of future importance to the discipline, and teaching/research specializations. A total of 544 responses (39%) resulted; 71% were from professionals in the United States and 16% were from U.S. students. Survey results are compared to surveys done in 1971 and in 1978, and are broken into three cohorts: pre-1971 Ph.D.s, 1972–1978 Ph.D.s, and post-1979 Ph.D.s. Statistics and anatomy continue to be common training deficiencies across cohorts. Molecular/cell biology and writing are new training deficiencies that reflect contemporary concerns and trends in the discipline. Anatomy, genetics, ecology, and paleontology are still considered important to the future of physical anthropology; statistics, computer science, and the biomedical sciences are also thought to be of importance to its future. The most frequent teaching/research specializations are growth and development, evolutionary biology, and population studies. Genetics and primatology appear to be losing popularity; biomedical anthropology, statistics, and ecology appear to be gaining it. The survey results have implications for the future training of graduate students and for employment opportunities in physical anthropology.     

A view on the science: physical anthropology at the millennium

EDITOR's NOTE The year 2000 marks the onset of the 21st century. Physical anthropologists will provide brief reflections on our discipline, including what attracted them to it, and their views on the directions our discipline may pursue as we enter, in January 2001, the third millennium.     

A view on the science: physical anthropology at the millennium

EDITOR's NOTE The year 2000 marks the onset of the 21rst century. Physical anthropologists will provide brief reflections on our discipline, including what attracted them to it, and their views on the directions our discipline may pursue as we enter, in January 2001, the third millennium.