Anthropology

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Professor’s Himalayan Archaeological Finds Documented on ‘NOVA’

Join UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer as he and his colleagues explore the world’s highest cave tombs, revealing new details about the lives of the people who settled the Himalaya, in the season premiere of “NOVA” on PBS.

In “Secrets of the Sky Tombs,” archaeologist Aldenderfer and fellow researchers from around the globe step back in time to learn more about the people who buried their dead in these hard-to-reach rock-cut caves.

High-Altitude Archaeology Uncovers Earliest Evidence of Potato Consumption

Every French fry, gnocchi, tater tot and order of hash browns humans have eaten in the past 5,000 years can be traced back to one place in the world — northwestern Bolivia and southern Peru.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Origins of Himalayan Populations

Mark AldenderferIn a collaborative study by the University of California, Merced, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Chicago and Uppsala University in Sweden, researchers conduct the first ancient DNA investigation of the Himalayan arc, gen

Two Professors Named Campus’s First MacArthur Chairs

Two UC Merced faculty members with distinguished, international research careers recently became the campus’s first John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chairs.

Professor Mark Aldenderfer, who served as dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for more than five years, and new UC Merced Professor Arturo Arias have both been named MacArthur Chairs.

Aldenderfer to Speak at Prestigious Indian Event

Mark Aldenderfer, dean of the UC Merced School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, will speak this weekend as a guest lecturer at Kshitij, the annual “techno-management fest

Discover Magazine Features Archaeologist’s Cave Research

Most archaeologists have to dig in the field, but Professor Holley Moyes digs deeper than most. Her research takes her more than 400 feet into the Belize underground, where ancient Maya caves hold evidence of rituals to appease gods of fertility and rain.

Grad Students to Continue Heritage Research with Fellowship

Two UC Merced graduate students will continue their research into world heritage with the support of prestigious Marie Curie Fellowships.

Mammoth Bones to be Displayed, Studied

The youngest University of California campus is now the steward of some ancient remains.