Dr. Daniel L. Osborne
Ph.D. Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington 2007.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Courtesy Faculty Department of Nutrition
Office: 834 Oldfather Hall
Email: dosborne2@unl.edu
Phone: (402) 472-8360
Fax: (402) 472-9642
Major Research Interests:
Skeletal biology, nutrition, human adaptation, growth and development, medical anthropology, evolutionary medicine
As a biological anthropologist I am interested in human and non-human primate biological variation. My specific research falls under the realm of human biology in that I study health outcomes in contemporary, historic, and prehistoric settings. My research requires that human biological variation is considered in light of both biology and culture. I am particularly interested in phenotypic response to environmental stressors during growth and development. Physical activity, nutrition and stress during the growth period contribute to shaping adult health. The degree to which contemporary diet and environment differ from our evolutionary environment often leads to negative health outcomes. The decisions we make regarding nutrition and activity within our local environments is subject to agency and thus provides an attractive arena for the interaction between culture and biology. To date I have examined this issue largely focused on skeletal biology, but my future projects will consider measures of lean and fat mass as indicators of growth.
In addition to my interests in human biology, I am also involved in methodological issues concerning the field of biological anthropology in general. This may include research design, quantitative or qualitative inquiry. Most recently I took part in a project evaluating the effects of medical grade radiation exposure on the ability to amplify aDNA using a modern analogue. Previously I took part in research on the identification of fragmentary skeletal remains in an experimentally derived archaeofauna, modified a staining method for histological analysis of bone, and evaluated and modified an existing method of adult age estimation in the human skeleton.
Recent and Representative Publications:
Osborne, Daniel L. (in press) Assessing dental health at Oakwood Mound, Will County, Illinois. Illinois Archaeology.
Grieshaber, Britta M., Daniel L. Osborne, Alison F. Doubleday, and Frederika A. Kaestle (2008) Investigating the effects of X-ray and computed tomography exposure on the amplification of DNA from bone. Journal of Archaeological Science.
Pickering, Travis R., Charles P. Egeland, Amy Schnell, Daniel L. Osborne, and Jake Enk (2006) Success in identification of experimentally fragmented limb bone shafts: implications for estimates of skeletal element abundance in archaeofaunas. Journal of Taphonomy, 4(2):97-108.
Osborne, Daniel L. and Janene M. Curtis (2005) A protocol for the staining of cement lines in adult human bone using toluidine blue. Journal of Histotechnology, 28(2):73-79.
Osborne, Daniel L., Tal L. Simmons, and Stephen P. Nawrocki (2004) Reconsidering the auricular surface as an indicator of age at death. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 49(5):905-911.
Current Projects
Growth related change in structural geometry at the hip among adolescent females living in the U.S.
Skin pigmentation in Hawaiian adolescents: implications for an the synthesis of vitamin D3 and bone growth
Amplification of DNA and stable isotope data from bone under varying diagenic environments
Intergenerational effects of diet and caloric balance on early growth in refugees living in Lincoln, NE
Professional Memberships:
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
American Association of Human Biologists
American Association of Anthropological Genetics
Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Association
