SoS 260: From Collections to Care: Ethics in Bioarchaeology with Molly Zuckerman

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Molly Zuckerman, Professor of Biological Anthropology at Mississippi State University, about ethics, care, and responsibility in bioarchaeology. We discuss her recent article, “Exercises in ethically engaged work in biological anthropology,” and explore how human remains can be dehumanized in research and teaching collections, and how approaches such as osteobiographies can help restore personhood. Dr. Zuckerman also reflects on generational tensions in the field, the ethical challenges posed by climate change to archaeological sites, and how early-career scholars can develop thoughtful, context-specific ethical frameworks. ------------------------------ Find the work discussed in this episode: Zuckerman, M. K., Marklein, K. E., Austin, R. M., & Hofman, C. A. (2025). Exercises in ethically engaged work in biological anthropology. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 186(1), e25015. ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Zuckerman: mzuckerman@anthro.msstate.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Cristina Gildee, Co-Host, Co-Producer, HBA Fellow Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu, Mecca Howe, Co-Host, Co-Producer, HBA Fellow E-mail: mhowebur@charlotte.edu