Speaker: Tori Randall

Information pertaining to human biology, nutrition, and paleopathology can be gained from the study of human bones.  Paleopathology is the study of ancient diseases and trauma which leave evidence in skeletal remains.  Human skeletal remains can record stress reaction to a variety of biological insults, and therefore, the skeleton can display information about an individual’s life history.  Skeletal indicators of non-specific stress, dental disease, interpersonal violence, osteoarthritis, and behavioral markers can be observed, and this information contributes to our knowledge of the past by illuminating the general health and behavior of the population.

Tori Randall is a skeletal biologist and paleopathologist who studies the reconstruction of past lifeways of modern human populations. She obtained her BA in Anthropology from the University of San Diego, her MA in Anthropology from San Diego State University, and her PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She is a professor of Anthropology at San Diego City College.