#39 Dr. Donald Johanson

Lucy, AL288 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lucy_blackbg.jpg)Two days ago I saw a post from the Reno Skeptics about a talk at the Truckee Meadows Community college.  The post referred to the Distinguished Speaker Series that they have every year.  This year’s speaker: Dr. Donald Johanson (think Lucy).  How could I not go?

My fiancé wife (just married!) and I got there about 40 minutes early so we could get good seats.  As always, I expect these events to take place in a 10,000 seat auditorium and have standing room only.  Of course there were very few people there and seating for only a few hundred.  All of those seats were full, though.

Johanson’s talk was titled, “Lucy’s Legacy: Our African Heritage”.  At first I was shocked and a bit disappointed that he is still just talking about Lucy.  Researchers are still learning from her but she was discovered almost 37 years ago!  I was pleased to find that most of the lecture was more broadly based.

Early on, Dr. Johanson talked about doing paleoanthropology and why he loves it so much.  He said what every successful scientist says which is to find your passion.  I firmly believe that the road to success was paved by people that found their passion and pursued it.  I’ve heard people say that what they want to do is too hard, too expensive, or requires too much education.  If you have that attitude then you haven’t found your passion.  That’s it.  No more discussion.  Having a passion for something means being blind to the road blocks and pushing through anyway.  You’ll know when you’ve found it.

Most of the lecture was about how great Ethiopia is and a discussion of the finds and geology of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, where Lucy, among others, was found.  It was a good paleoanthropological primer for the region.  He also discussed some of the more recent finds including the fossils of A. sediba.  The discoverers of A. sediba are saying that the fossils are ancestors of Homo.  Not only are they ancestors but they are the FIRST ancestors of Homo.  They are dated at about 1.9 mya.  Johanson say that the 2.2 mya jaw found in Ethiopia is ancestor to Homo, and therefore, so is Lucy.  The jaw is more Homo like rather than ape like so I tend to agree with him.  However, it makes me wonder whether there is a piece of evidence that would make him question the ancestral nature of Lucy.  I’m not saying that I question Lucy...I just want to know if he has an open mind and is open to changing it.

During the course of the lecture Johanson mentioned God.  It was in jest, somewhat, but still made me wonder whether he is a believer.  It may be that he made the mention simply because we do it without thinking.  Even I, a crazy atheist, say “god” sometimes.  He can’t seriously be a believer, though.  He is partially responsible for evolution being so prevalent in the world, after all.

I’m glad I went to the lecture.  Even thought I don’t always agree with Johanson, he is still a powerful figure in the world of paleoanthropology and is a great ambassador for the field.  His books are fun to read and teach you at the same time.  I even scored an autograph for is first book, “Lucy”.  I’m an autograph whore, though.  Only for scientists, though.

If you have a chance to see Dr. Johanson in person I highly recommend that you go.  You won’t forget it.

Written while listening to hour 9 (11:30pm PST) of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe 24 hour podcast, in Sparks, NV!

From the Dictionary of Archaeology, Peguin Reference, 2004, an entry chosen using a random number generator Pg 389, entry 9:

Pontian is a site in peninsular Malaysia of a boat burial of the early centuries AD associated with pottery similar to that from Kaula Selinsing, with decorative motifs also noticed at Oc Èo.  The boat is of Southeast Asian type.

#38 Pin Flag Organization

I mentioned in a previous post that I would post a solution to the pin flag problem.  What is the pin flag problem? Pin flags are a problem in two places: your back pack and your vehicle.  In both cases pin flags tend to get into general disarray after a short time and require constant attention.  In the vehicle people tend to put pin flags just anywhere in the truck and by the end of the week or session they are bent up and are all over the back of the truck.  Pin flags in the backpack are just a hazard.  There is a good chance that they will poke through the pocket you put them in and fall out anyway.  They could also poke through your water bladder.  There is a solution to both of these problems.

You can buy a pin flag sheath but there is another option that should cost about $5 or less.  I recently made my fiancè and I new flag tubes and, like an idiot, I didn't take pictures of the process.  However, I decided to expand the flag tube idea to the work truck, but on a slightly larger scale.  What follows is the process with pictures and both sizes of tubes at the end.

For my supplies I went to Home Depot and Michael's.  I got the tube supplies at Home Depot and the duct tape at Michael's.  Of course you can get the duct tape at Home Depot but Michael's has a rack of about 15-20 different colors and styles of duct tape so you can get that individual look.

Black 2 ft. PVC tubes. (c) 2011 Chris WebsterWhite 2 ft. PVC tubes. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Start by buying a pre-cut PVC tube in the color of your choice.  If you cover it in tape or spray paint your creation then color won't matter much.  I chose a 1 1/2" diameter for my backpack.  You may need to find a way to cut the tube down to size.  The two foot standard holds the longer pin flags out there but not the shorties.  You could still store them in the tube but you won't be able to grab them from your backpack without taking your backpack off.  I like being able to reach over my shoulder and pull out a pin flag whenever I need to.

2" black end cap. (c) 2011 Chris WebsterYou will need an end cap for your tube.  For the black tube that I'm making to hold pin flags in the truck I could only find a flat-ended end cap.  My white one has a rounded end cap which I think is better for your backpack.  Fabric does not like pressure points and over time the flat end could cause stress that could result in a rip or tear.

There is an adhesive that is specially made for PVC.  You don't really need it if you decorate your tube.  Duct tape is cheaper and more versitile than a can of PVC adhesive that you will likely only use once.  Also, the end caps fit on pretty snug without any help.

Apply your end cap and place two strips of duct tape, in a "plus" pattern, over the end cap, securing it to the tube.  I then put a horizontal piece around the tube, covering the end cap pieces.  That should be enough to secure the cap in place.

Next, I put in the duct tape in a barber pole pattern.  I only used one color of duct tape so I kept the spiral pretty close.  On my fiancè's tube I first did a widely spaced spiral in pink and then I did the same spiral, covering the open areas, in polka-dot pink.

As I said above, you don't have to use duct tape.  You could spray your tube in distinctive colors.  You could also just leave your tube naked.  You should glue on the end cap in some way, though.  When a bundle of flags is dropped into the tube they have a tendancy to knock the end cap off.

Completed backpack tubes. (c) 2011 Chris WebsterAbove are the two backpack tubes that I made.  We used them for a session and they work really well.  I'm able to easily place the end of the tube in a side, outer pocket, of my backpack. I secure the upper half with a side strap on my pack.  I can easily grab flags when I need them.  As of yet, I can't put flags back in very easily.  However, I haven't run into this as a problem.  Usually we are collecting flags after recording a site and I'm not wearing my pack.  When I return to my pack I put the flags in the tube and move on.

Stay organized and I'll see you in the field!

Written in Sparks, Nevada.

From the Dictionary of Archaeology, Peguin Reference, 2004, an entry chosen using a random number generator Pg 179, entry 1:

Glyph a symbol in a writing system.  In the Mesoamerican system, a glyph may represent an idea, word, sound, syllable or some combination of these.

#37 Native Americans as Archaeologists

Crow, Northern Cheyenne Earn Archaeological Credentials

This is the only picture I have of a Monitor we had in Washington State in 2008. He stood around mostly but liked telling interesting stories. He was a good guy. (c) 2008 Chris WebsterThe link is to an article in the Billings Gazette posted on August 15, 2011.  I'm glad to see Native Americans taking an interest in their heritage with a scientific viewpoint.  I've worked with monitors before and they come in all different types.  Sometimes they stand next to your unit and don't say a word.  Occaisionally one has commented on an artifact or a feature but they usually want to know what we think it is.  Then they say we are wrong.  I've also worked with monitors that are interested in the science behind what we are doing but didn't have the education and training to really understand it.

The more we work with trained Native Americans the better it will be for both of us.  We will be able to work with them and include them as a part of our team.  At the same time they can work along side us while telling us of their history from their own point of view.  I think that it is a worth while partnership that can only result in happy parties on both sides.

Written in Sparks, Nevada

 From the Dictionary of Archaeology, Peguin Reference, 2004, an entry chosen using a random number generator Pg 188, entry 1:

Grid a systematic array of perpendicular lines used as a frame of locational reference on an archaeological site.  Elements of the grid are usually assigned some value of distance and direction with reference to a local or regoinal datum.  Excavation units, recovered debris and other field observations are recorded and sometimes planned with reference to the grid.  Grids are usually aligned with respect to the primary compass directions, but it is often advantageous to align them with respect either to the expected site structure, or to the primary depositional slope of the landform the site is situated upon.

#36 Entropy

A concept of entropy is that nature tends from order to disorder in isolated systems (1).

Day one. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Day Two. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Day Three. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Day Four. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Day Five. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

Day Six. (c) 2011 Chris Webster

I usually run a tighter ship than this but I thought I'd run a little experiment and see what would happen if I didn't say anything.  I recieved the results I expected.  My next post will demonstrate a solution to this problem.

Stay organized and I'll see you in the field.

Written in Sparks, Nevada.

From the Dictionary of Archaeology, Peguin Reference, 2004, an entry chosen using a random number generator Pg 265, entry 6:

Kurgan (from an Old-Turkic term for a fortress) a term which was primarily used for any hill, including big burial mounds, but is now used in Russian archaeology as a term for any barrow, burial mound or tumulus.  The best known, due to their enormouse size, are the so-called 'royal' kurgans of the Scythian period.

#35 Mining, Mining, Mining

[Photos removed.  Sorry]

Recently I've been working in northern Nevada, somewhere between Idaho, Arizona, Utah, and California (I learned my lesson with the Tonopah post!). The project is a survey of just over 5000 acres for a mining company. There has already been heavy mining in the area that dates back over 100 years.

I wanted to talk a little about the survey that we are doing and what someone can expect in these types of areas. The elevation is between 5000 ft MSL and 6000 ft MSL. There are no trees or tall vegetation; just sagebrush and other small plants. We are doing block survey which means that we have a massive block of land (with weird boundaries because they are never a straight line) that we are walking over in 30 m transect intervals. Some companies do "flag and run" survey where they flag sites when they find them, take a point with the GPS, and continue surveying. They like to do this so they know how many sites they have to record and can better update the client with a completion time. This company is having us record as we go. I don't mind doing it that way on this project because it breaks up the very hilly survey. It's nice to have a break. It must make it somewhat difficult to determine how long the project will take, though.

It's surprising how few prehistoric artifacts we have found. They must have been out here at various times over the past 12,000 years or more. The majority of what we find are shallow prospect pits and mining claim cairns. Prospect pits are usually less than a meter deep and are typically about 3-5 meters in diameter. There are larger ones and smaller ones, of course, and some are in the shape of a trench. Some of the shallow pits may be the result of some early laws in Nevada mining rather than the search for minerals. At one point (I don't know when or for how long) a prospector had to actually break ground on a claim to make it valid. You couldn't just make claims all over the place and never go out and explore them. The mining claim cairns (pronounced with one syllable, not two) are where copies of the claim papers are actually kept. They are usually just a pile of 20-30 rocks piled up around a 4x4 in post with a container nailed to the side near the top. The container is often an upright pocket tobacco tin (UPTT) or some other can that has been modified to hold papers. Sometimes we still find the papers intact and legible. Last week we found one dated to 1935 (I think, it's around 1935 anyway). Prospectors, including massive international mining companies, still have to put up their claim posts. Although now they just pound a 1 x 1 inch post in the ground and attached a film canister to the top that contains the papers.

With all of the heavy prospecting and mining activity it makes the survey go pretty slow. My crew of four (including me) is covering about 1200-1600 meters (two sets of transects, one out and one back) in a day. That is a pretty small distance for survey. The problem is that we run into a prospect pit or a cairn, or both about every 100 meters or less. In Nevada, two artifacts or features or a combination of the two, is a site. If we have a cairn and a pit, that's a site. If we have a pit and a can, that's a site. If we have a cairn and a can, wait, that might not be a site. If the can has a nail hole in it and looks like it could have been nailed to the cairn then it gets recorded as an isolated feature wit the cairn. You have to pay attention to the small details sometimes.

The mining stuff can get a little tedious but for the most part I love working up here. The entire Nevada mining operation is fascinating to me. I can't imagine the hardships and the struggles that those early pioneers went through to get out into some of these areas in search of fortune and glory. It takes us about 75 minutes to get to our project area from the nearest town with a hotel and that's doing 80 mph! The living conditions, clothing, and equipment 100+ years ago would have made doing even the simplest of tasks difficult. I have to admire them for that, at least.

Just as a carrot to dangle in front of anyone reading this from the rest of the U.S., the temps have already started to fall here. We may be having our last days in the 90's next week and could possibly get snow in some parts of the state as early as a month or two from now. Summer comes on pretty suddenly here but leaves just as quickly. The mornings are chilly and the afternoons are pleasant right now. Come work in the Great Basin! No humidity!

See you in the field.

Written in Battle Mountain, NV: Half way to everywhere (Their slogan, not mine)

#34 Shovelbums Guide Part 8: A Note About Hotels

Sunrise Motel, Cedarville, CA (c) 2009 Chris Webster

(Note: For some reason this post disappeared off of the website.  So, I reposted it and added some pics.  Enjoy)

I've written about hotels in a previous post but I wanted to discuss a little more about HOW to live in a hotel and be happy.  Here it goes.

Some companies do not allow you to live wherever you want to and force you to live in a hotel of their choosing.  While this isn't what I would call an ideal situation it is something that we deal with in this profession for one reason or another.  I’m currently working for such a company.  I'm dealing with this situation right now because I like all of the other aspects of the company, including the people that I work for, and I'm willing to overlook the hotel thing.

So, how do you live in a hotel and not be absolutely miserable?  The most basic way I can put this is to make the room your own.  Make it your home and think of it that way.  When I'm out in the field I say things like, "When I get home I'm going to read my book and have some wine".  I'm not talking about my permanent home.  I'm talking about my hotel room, or my tent, or whatever I'm sleeping in that night.  If you are constantly pining for that home that you left or that you don't even have then you are not going to be happy with your current living situation and that attitude will reflect upon your coworkers.  No one wants to hear someone complain all day about how much they think their life sucks right now. 

Ranch House near Chaco Canyon, New Mexico (c) 2008 Chris WebsterI know that in most of the country archaeologists are underpaid and under appreciated.  Luckily, out here in the Great Basin the pay and the per diem are much higher than the national average.  An entry level field technician could conceivably take home $36-40k in an eight month field season when salary and per diem are both counted together (calculated at $13 per hour, 40 hours per week, and $125 per diem for eight months).  That's not too bad.  Now, I'm not going to presume to understand everyone's personal situation but in my experience, field techs try to save every possible penny that they earn by sacrificing living conditions.  The exception to that is alcohol.  I was in the Navy and I still have never seen someone spend more money on alcohol than the average field tech.  Explain that one to me.

Many western archaeologists save money so they can live during the winter months.  I get that.  I'm doing the same thing.  Work is not always a guarantee during the snowy season.  You have to prepare your savings account to take a hit during that time.  I just don't understand living like a homeless person so you can save a few bucks, though.  Where does all of the money go? From what I've seen it doesn't go towards clothing, food, cars, or personal items.  Student loans?  Maybe.  Student loans are a good way to build credit and they are likely the lowest interest rate loans you can have in this economy.  I'm not saying don't pay them off as soon as you can but having that balance isn't really going to break the bank either.

I guess my point is that your attitude towards living on the road is what you make of it.  If you don't enjoy and embrace it then you will be unhappy.  You have to realize that if you stay a field CRM archaeologist you are likely going to be in the field for quite some time before you land that desk job writing reports and proposals.  When you do get there you will likely miss going out into the field.  Take this opportunity to see new things and meet new people.  Every project is an adventure if you choose it to be.  If you keep your blackout curtains closed and your TV on your view of the world will be as myopic as the view out of the peephole in your hotel room door.

Water Canyon Campground, Winnemucca, NV (c) 2009 Chris WebsterWe have a job that most people envy.  Talk about it.  Spread the love.  Be thankful that you say things like "Does that rock outline look like a structure platform?" and "Do you think that was an impact fracture?" rather than "Paper or plastic?" and "Do you what fries with that?".

See you in the field.

Written on Southwest Flight 416 to Seattle, WA.

#33 Thank You, Grandpa.

I'm traveling to Seattle right now for my grandfather's funeral. He was 87 and to the best of my knowledge he lived a great life and had a productive and happy retirement. I never really had a chance to spend much time with him in my adult years because I haven't lived in that area in a while. A few weeks ago I got to see Grandpa one more time. I wish I could have thanked him for helping to make me the person that I am today. Let me explain.

I recently heard a discussion about epigenetics on NPR's Science Friday and it made me think about my own genetic heritage. In short, epigenetics is a sort of Lamarckian way of thinking about evolution. Before Darwin, Lamarck thought that you could influence your genes during your lifetime and pass those traits on to your offspring. The classic example is of a giraffe stretching its neck to reach those really high leaves and therefor passing on a couple extra inches in neck length to its offspring. We know this physical alteration and passing on of traits to be incorrect in the Darwinian sense of evolution. There may be, however, some traits that you can develop and pass on to your offspring via epigenetics.

I'm not going to pretend to know anything about this science so I'm not going to explain it in detail either. PZ Meyers did a better job here. Basically, epigenetics involves a cellular memory that can by "imprinted" throughout someone's life. The idea is that you can think a certain way and construct your brain in a certain way so as to have an aptitude for one skill or another and that can be passed on.

If all of this is true then it might explain some aspects of my own life. My grandfather worked at Boeing and always had an aptitude for and an interest in engineering and design. Grandpa used to get plans from Popular Mechanics and build all sorts of things. The first boat I ever waterskied behind was built by Grandpa. The first metal detector I ever used was built by Grandpa. Grandpa also designed and built radio controlled airplanes and RC radios. He was into rock collecting and used to go to Arizona every year to hunt for agates and whatever else they could find.

My Dad is the youngest of five siblings. Grandpa must have been in his thirties when my Dad was born. He had plenty of time to start developing his interests and organizing his brain into the type of person he would be for his entire life. If there is any truth to epigenetics then it is possible that Grandpa passed on some of his technical ability to my Dad. While my Dad didn't really use that ability in his professional life, he did use it in his recreational activities. Dad is always taking things apart and fixing them himself. He also builds model airplanes and enjoys designing and making any number of things. I may have received some of this ability from my Grandpa through my Dad and, since I'm 36 already, could pass some of my skills onto my children, if I ever get around to having any.

The theories of epigenetics could give people a reason to have children later in life. Having kids in your twenties may not give them all the advantages they could possibly have. Of course, this could all turn out to be wrong. I still like to think that while I didn't have the benefit of my grandfather's direct influence, I still have some of his skills and abilities and his passion for doing new and different things.

Thank you, Grandpa. I love you and I'll miss you.

Written on Southwest Flight 416 to Seattle, WA.