Bones and Environmental Health

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Introduction

National Middle School Science Standards

Life Science, Physical Science

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

Key Terms

physical anthropology, archaeology, skeletal remains, cranium, contaminant, pollution, environmental health

Key Concepts

Skull analysis for age, sex, ancestry, and health
Human skeletal development
Organic vs. inorganic environmental contaminants
Contaminant impacts on bones
Technology used by bio-archaeologists

Resource Types

Videos and Webcasts

How Bones Reveal Environmental Health with Smithsonian Anthropologist Sabrina Sholts on Smithsonian Science How
Forensic Anthropology - Bone Whispering with Smithsonian Anthropologist Kari Bruwelheide on Smithsonian Science How
Secrets: What the Remains of the Muisca People Can Teach Us Smithsonian Channel
Truly Strange: Can Your Fingerprints Predict Cavities? Smithsonian Channel
Ecosystems on the Edge: Tracking Mercury Smithsonian Insider

Printable Lessons

Decoding the Past: The Work of Archaeologists Smithsonian Learning Lab

Online Activities

Enviromysteries Inside Stories (Requires Flash)

Science Literacy Resources

Middle School Level

Young or Old Written In Bone, National Museum of Natural History
For Archaeologists, Ancient Bones are Like Christmas Tween Tribune

High School Level

Tar Shrank Heads of Prehistoric Californians Over Time National Geographic
Hi-Tech Analysis Cracks Curious Case of Contaminated Cremains Smithsonian Insider
Arsenic and Old Graves: Civil War-Era Cemeteries May Be Leaking Toxins Smithsonian Magazine
Telling Stories about the Dilmun Bioarchaeology Project These Bones of Mine

Gifted Reading Level

Survey Pinpoints Where Toxic Mercury Accumulates in World Environments Smithsonian Insider

Toxicity of Mercury Hot Spots Can Be Reduced With Application of Activated Carbon Smithsonian Insider
Reading the Remains of the 17th Century National Museum of Natural History (PDF)
The Toxins that Affected Your Great-Grandparents Could Be in Your Genes Smithsonian Magazine

Subject Guides

Anthropology Subject Guide Smithsonian Libraries

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

The Bones and Environmental Health teaching resources support students in meeting the following middle school NGSS Performance Expectations.

Life Science

MS-LS 1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

MS-LS1-3 Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

Physical Science

MS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

MS-PS1-2 Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
MS-PS1-3 Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

National Curriculum Standards For Social Studies (NCSS)

The Bones and Environmental Health resources align with the following Social Studies standards listed below that integrate anthropology concepts with anthropology skills.

Time, Continuity, and Change

Studying the past makes it possible for us to understand the human story across time.
Knowledge and understanding of the past enable us to analyze the causes and consequences of events and developments, and to place these in the context of the institutions, values and beliefs of the periods in which they took place.
Knowing how to read, reconstruct and interpret the past allows us to answer questions such as: How do we learn about the past? How can we evaluate the usefulness and degree of reliability of different historical sources?

People, Places, and Environments

The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world.
During their studies, learners develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between peoples, places and environments.

Resource Type