Briana Pobiner

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, Rutgers University 2002 - 2007
• M.A. in Anthropology, Rutgers University 1999 - 2002
• B.A. in Evolutionary Studies, Bryn Mawr College 1993 - 1997

Human Evolution, Zooarchaeology, Taphonomy, Science Education. More on Briana Pobiner's Research.

Journal Article

• Egeland, Charles P., Pobiner, Briana L., Merritt, Stephen R., and Kunitz, Suzanne. 2024. "Actualistic butchery studies in zooarchaeology: Where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we want to go." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101565.
• Pansani, Thaís R., Bertrand, Loïc, Pobiner, Briana, Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Asevedo, Lidiane, Thoury, Mathieu, Araújo-Júnior, Hermínio I., Schöder, Sebastian, King, Andrew, Pacheco, Mírian L. A. F., and Dantas, Mário A. T. 2024. "Anthropogenic modification of a giant ground sloth tooth from Brazil supported by a multi-disciplinary approach." Scientific Reports, 14, (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69145-5.
• Kunitz, Suzanne, Pobiner, Briana L., Yellen, John, Faith, J. T., and Brooks, Alison S. 2023. "An ethnoarchaeological comparison of observed butchery actions to bone surface modifications of the Dobe !Kung San." Historical Biology, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2023.2278151.
• Norwood, Alexandra L., Shedden, Kerby, Kingston, John D., and Pobiner, Briana L. 2023. "Modeling periodicity in equid serial enamel isotopes as a proxy for precipitation seasonality." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111666.
• Pobiner, Briana L., Pante, Michael, and Keevil, Trevor. 2023. "Early Pleistocene cut marked hominin fossil from Koobi Fora, Kenya." Scientific Reports, 13, (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35702-7.
• Croitor, Roman, Robinson, Chris, Curran, Sabrina, Terhune, Claire, Drăgușin, Virgil, Pobiner, Briana, Popescu, Aurelian, and Petculescu, Alexandru. 2023. "Early pleistocene ruminants (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the Dacian Basin (South Romania) before and after the Pachycrocuta event: implications for hominin dispersals in Western Eurasia." Historical Biology, https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2023.2167602.
• Pansani, Thais R., Pobiner, Briana, Gueriau, Pierre, Thoury, Mathieu, Tafforeau, Paul, Baranger, Emmanuel, Vialou, Águeda V., Vialou, Denis, McSparron, Cormac, de Castro, Mariela C., Dantas, Mário A. T., Bertrand, Loïc, and Pacheco, Mírian L. A. F. 2023. "Evidence of artefacts made of giant sloth bones in central Brazil around the last glacial maximum." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290, (2002). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0316.
• Barr, W. A., Pobiner, Briana, Rowan, John, Faith, J. Tyler, and Du, Andrew. 2022. "No sustained increase in zooarchaeological evidence for carnivory after the appearance of Homo erectus." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119, (5). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115540119.
• Pobiner, Briana. 2022. "Lunch break science: digestible human origins videos by the Leakey Foundation." American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 177, (1) 186–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24416.
• Fleming, Alyson H., Pobiner, Briana, Maynor, Savannah, Webster, David, and Pyenson, Nicholas D. 2022. "New Holocene grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) material from North Carolina: the most complete North Atlantic grey whale skeleton to date." Royal Society Open Science, 9, (7). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220441.
• Curran, Sabrina, Terhune, Claire, Croitor, Roman, Drăgușin, Virgil, Fox, David L., Garrett, Niki, Ironside, Lydia B., Petculescu, Alexandru, Pobiner, Briana, Robinson, Chris, Robu, Marius, Tanţău, Ioan, and Ungar, Peter. 2021. "Multiproxy paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Early Pleistocene sites from the Olteţ River Valley of Romania." Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110445.
• Eller, Andrea R., Pobiner, Briana, Friend, Sadie, Austin, Rita M., Hofman, Courtney A., and Sholts, Sabrina B. 2020. "A chomped chimp: New evidence of tooth marks on an adult chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus)." American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 172, (1) 140–147. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24049.
• Hatala, Kevin G., Harcourt-Smith, William, Gordon, Adam D., Zimmer, Brian W., Richmond, Brian G., Pobiner, Briana L., Green, David J., Metallo, Adam, Rossi, Vince, and Liutkus-Pierce, Cynthia. 2020. "Snapshots of human anatomy, locomotion, and behavior from Late Pleistocene footprints at Engare Sero, Tanzania." Scientific Reports, 10, (1) 7740. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64095-0.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2020. "The zooarchaeology and paleoecology of early hominin scavenging." Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 29, (2) 68–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21824.
• Pobiner, Briana, Dumouchel, Laurence, and Parkinson, Jennifer. 2020. "A New Semi-Quantitative Method for Coding Carnivore Chewing Damage with an Application to Modern African Lion-Damaged Bones." Palaios, 35, (7) 302–315. https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2019.095.
• Richmond, B. G., Green, D. J., Lague, M. R., Chirchir, Habiba, Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Bobe, R., Bamford, M. K., Griffin, N. L., Gunz, P., Mbua, E., Merritt, S. R., Pobiner, Briana L., Kiura, P., Kibunjia, M., Harris, J. W. K., and Braun, D. R. 2020. "The upper limb of Paranthropus boisei from Ileret, Kenya." Journal of human evolution, 141 Article 102727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102727.
• Alemseged, Zeresenay, Njau, Jackson, Pobiner, Briana, and Ndiema, Emmanuel. 2019. "Connecting palaeoscientists in eastern Africa and the wider world." Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3 330–331. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0800-y.
• Bertka, Constance M., Pobiner, Briana, Beardsley, Paul, and Watson, William A. 2019. "Acknowledging students' concerns about evolution: a proactive teaching strategy." Evolution: Education and Outreach, 12, (3). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-019-0095-0.
• Dunk, Ryan D. P., Barnes, M. E., Reiss, Michael J., Alters, Brian, Asghar, Anila, Carter, B. E., Cotner, Sehoya, Glaze, Amanda L., Hawley, Patricia H., Jensen, Jamie L., Mead, Louise S., Nadelson, Louis S., Nelson, Craig E., Pobiner, Briana, Scott, Eugenie C., Shtulman, Andrew, Sinatra, Gale M., Southerland, Sherry A., Walter, Emily M., Brownell, Sara E., and Wiles, Jason R. 2019. "Evolution education is a complex landscape." Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3 327–329. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0802-9.
• Pobiner, Briana L., Higson, Charles P., Kovarovic, Kris, Kaplan, Robert S., Rogers, Jacklyn, and Schindler, William. 2018. "Experimental butchery study investigating the influence of timing of access and butcher expertise on cut mark variables." International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 28, (4) 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2661.
• Pobiner, Briana, Beardsley, Paul M., Bertka, Constance M., and Watson, William A. 2018. "Using human case studies to teach evolution in high school A.P. biology classrooms." Evolution: Education and Outreach, 11, (1) 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-018-0077-7.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2017. "The Quest to Understand Human Evolution: A Magical Mystery Tour." The American Biology Teacher, 79, (2) 77. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.2.77.
• Liutkus-Pierce, C., Zimmer, B. W., Carmichael, S. K., McIntosh, W., Deino, A., Hewitt, S. M., McGinnis, K. J., Hartney, T., Brett, J., Mana, S., Deocampo, D., Richmond, B. G., Hatala, K., Harcourt-Smith, W., Pobiner, Briana L., Metallo, Adam, and Rossi, Vince. 2016. "Radioisotopic age, formation, and preservation of Late Pleistocene human footprints at Engare Sero, Tanzania." Palaeogeography palaeoclimatology palaeoecology, 463 68–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.09.019.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2016. "Meat-Eating Among the Earliest Humans Evidence of meat-eating.among our distant human ancestors is hard to find and even harder to interpret, but researchers are beginning to piece together a coherent picture." American Scientist, 104, (2) 110–117. https://doi.org/10.1511/2016.119.110.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2016. "Accepting, understanding, teaching, and learning (human) evolution: Obstacles and opportunities." American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 159, (Supplement S61) S232–S274. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22910.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2015. "New actualistic data on the ecology and energetics of hominin scavenging opportunities." Journal of Human Evolution, 80 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.06.020.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2014. "Stone tools and fossil bones: debates in the archaeology of human origins." Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 49, (1) 117–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2013.873197.
• Ferraro, Joseph V., Plummer, Thomas W., Pobiner, Briana L., Oliver, James S., Bishop, Laura C., Braun, David R., Ditchfield, Peter W., Seaman, John W., III, Binetti, Katie M., Seaman, John W., Jr., Hertel, Fritz, and Potts, Richard. 2013. "Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Persistent Hominin Carnivory." Plos One, 8, (4) e62174. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062174.
• Indriati, Etty, Swisher, Carl C., III, Lepre, Christopher, Quinn, Rhonda L., Suriyanto, Ruswad A., Hascaryo, Agus T., Feibel, Craig S., Pobiner, Briana L., Auber, Maxime, Lees, Wendy, and Antón, Susan C. 2012. "The age of the 20 meter Solo River Terrace, Central Java, Indonesia, and the survival of Late Homo erectus in Asia." PLoS ONE, 6, (6) e21562. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021562.
• Johnson, Norman A., Smith, James J., Pobiner, Briana L., and Schrein, Caitlin. 2012. "Why Are Chimps Still Chimps?" The American Biology Teacher, 74, (2) 74–80. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2012.74.2.3.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2012. "Use human examples to teach evolution." American Biology Teacher, 74, (2) 71–72. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2012.74.2.2.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2010. "Teacher's Corner: Resources from the SI Human Origins Program." AnthroNotes, 31, (1) 16–18. https://doi.org/10.5479/10088/22448.
• Tryon, Christian, Pobiner, Briana L., and Kauffman, Rhonda. 2010. "Archaeology and Human Evolution." Evolution: Education and Outreach, 3, (3) 377–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12052-010-0246-9.
• Njau, Jackson, Mbua, Emma, Alemseged, Zeresenay, and Pobiner, Briana L. 2009. "Second conference of the East African association for paleoanthropology and paleontology: Fifty years after discovery of Zinjanthropus." Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 18, (6) 235–236. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.20241.
• Braun, David R., Pobiner, Briana L., and Thompson, J. C. 2008. "An experimental investigation of cut mark production and stone tool attrition." Journal of Archaeological Science, 35, (5) 1216–1223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2007.08.015.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2008. "Apples and oranges again: comment on Conceptual premises in experimental design and their bearing on the use of analogy: an example from experiments on cut marks." World Archaeology, 40, (4) 466–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438240802451199.
• Pobiner, Briana L., Rogers, M. J., Monahan, C. M., and Harris, J. W. K. 2008. "New evidence for hominin carcass processing strategies at 1.5 Ma, Koobi Fora, Kenya." Journal of Human Evolution, 55, (1) 103–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.02.001.
• Pobiner, Briana L., DeSilva, Jeremy, Sanders, William J., and Mitani, John C. 2007. "Taphonomic analysis of skeletal remains from chimpanzee hunts at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda." Journal of Human Evolution, 52, (6) 614–636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.007.

Book Chapter

• Pobiner, Briana L. 2023. "Teaching Biological Anthropology: Pedagogy of Human Evolution and Human Variation." In A Companion to Biological Anthropology. 2nd ed. Larsen, Clark Spencer, editor. 603–631. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. In Wiley Blackwell Companions to Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119828075.ch36.
• Thompson, Jessica C., Bertacchi, Alex, Keller, Hannah M., Hallett, Emily Y., and Pobiner, Briana L. 2023. "The Zooarchaeology of Pleistocene Africa." In Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa. Beyin, Amanuel, Wright, David K., Wilkins, Jayne, and Olszewski, Deborah I., editors. 1955–2087. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20290-2_126.
• Schneider, Carrington S., Pokines, James T., L'Abbé, Ericka N., and Pobiner, Briana. 2022. "Reptile Taphonomy." In Manual of Forensic Taphonomy. Pokines, James T., L'Abbé, Ericka N., and Symes, Steven A., editors. 667–693. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003171492-19.
• Pobiner, Briana, Watson, William A., Beardsley, Paul M., and Bertka, Constance M. 2019. "Using Human Examples to Teach Evolution to High School Students: Increasing Understanding and Decreasing Cognitive Biases and Misconceptions." In Evolution Education Reconsidered: Understanding What Works. Harms, Ute and Reiss, Michael J., editors. Springer, Cham. (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14698-6)
• Pobiner, Briana and Terry, Mark. 2018. "Intelligent Design." In International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology. Trevathan, Wenda, editor. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118584538.
• Blumenschine, R. J., Andrews, P., Capaldo, S. D., Njau, J. K., Peters, C. R., and Pobiner, Briana L. 2007. "Vertebrate taphonomic perspectives on Oldowan hominid land use in the Plio-Pleistocene Olduvai basin, Tanzania." In Breathing Life into Fossils: Taphonomic Studies in Honor of C. K. (Bob) Brain. Pickering, T. R., Schick, K., and Toth, N., editors. 161–179. Gosport: Stone Age Institute Press.
• Blumenschine, R. J. and Pobiner, Briana L. 2006. "Zooarchaeology and the ecology of Oldowan hominin carnivory." In Evolution of the Human Diet: the Known, the Unknown and the Unknowable. Ungar, P., editor. 167–190. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Poster

• Cottrell, Elizabeth, Lascu, Ioan, Andrys, Janine, Ackerson, Michael, Corrigan, Catherine, Farfan, Gabriela, Guice, George, Miller, Matthew, Cole, Selena, Pobiner, Briana, Rasmussen, Daniel, Troch, Juliana, and Tucker, Jonathan. 2022. [Poster] Unlearning racism in a federal setting. American Geophysical Union 2021 Fall Meeting, https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10510401.2.

Book Review

• Pobiner, Briana L. 2021. [Book review] "Human Evolution, Then and Now." Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14236.
• Pobiner, Briana. 2019. [Book review] "Edible Insects and Human Evolution." Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 3, (2), 109–112.
• Pobiner, Briana. 2019. [Book review] "Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures." The American Biology Teacher, 81, (6), 454–455. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2019.81.6.454b.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2014. [Book review] "Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins, edited by John Gurche." American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 154, (2), 317. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22508.
• Pobiner, Briana L. 2014. [Book review] "Living the paleofantasy?" Evolution: Education and Outreach, 7, (1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-014-0030-3.