Research shows parasite more dangerous than thought From The Brown Daily Herald A team of researchers led by Julia Finkelstein '05, now a graduate student in nutritional anthropology at the Harvard School of Public Health, evaluated field research conducted in the Philippines by Stephen McGarvey, professor of community health and anthropology. They found that the disease burden of the parasite Schistosoma japonicum is "seven to 46 times greater than current global estimates" made by the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease Project, a University statement...

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Legalize prostitution From Los Angeles Times Paying for sex is common. Legalizing and regulating prostitution has its own problems -- it stigmatizes sex workers (mostly by requiring them to register with the authorities), subjects them to mandatory medical testing that is not always effective, and gives clients and workers a false sense of security (with respect to sexual health and otherwise). Meanwhile, prices for sexual services dropped, clients were fewer but more often violent, more wanted to pay for sex and not use a condom --...

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Junk-shop find leads to phenomenon From Arizona Daily Star American anthropologist Spencer MacCallum found three clay pots in a Deming, N.M., junk shop - a find that changed the life of a Mexican potter and led to a worldwide art movement. The agreement was that Quezada could experiment with art - including art other than pottery - and that MacCallum would get anything he produced, giving him economic freedom to pursue his art. Now looking back, MacCallum said there were a lot of coincidences that led up to him meeting Quezada - such as finding the...

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Studying Up: Hedge Fund Manager Edition From savageminds.org I'm working with a Princeton economics professor on a book that will essentially be an expos  of hedge funds: their origins, inner workings, external impact, and future-or potential demise. Since hedge funds carefully guard a mysterious, cult-like status in the world of finance, we thought it might be useful to incorporate some anthropological insights.

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Becoming her work From Corvallis Gazette Times For Oregon State University assistant professor of anthropology Melissa Cheyney, the best way for her to study homebirths and the people who participate in them was to become a licensed midwife. Becoming a midwife gave her access to many women and midwives practicing homebirth. Cheyney's work involves studying midwives as a marginalized group that the broader medical community looks upon with suspicion. Midwives tend to focus on avoiding medical intervention such as Cesarean sections or...

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Posted Under: Anthropology