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Stone Age classroom

July 21, 2017 - The Ring

A group of 17 UVic anthropology students went back to the Stone Age working with bone, shell, obsidian, stone and wood to make hand tools and spear-like weapons that are thrown with a spear thrower, known as the atlatl.

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Dancing with Molly – how do people using illicit drugs measure purity?

June 7, 2017 - The Ring

It wasn't so long ago that Molly was just a name. Now, the moniker is slang for the chemical compound MDMA, also known on the street as ecstasy, an illegal psychoactive drug known for its ability to invoke feelings of empathy and euphoria—and a popular drug of choice among festival-goers and young people.

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Mummies and bones: a love story

June 7, 2017 - The Ring

It was the perfect hands-on research project for someone with small hands. Renée Adams' project required extensive preliminary research into archaic death rituals and Egyptian mummification practices, as well as meticulous attention to detail... and a lot of tiny tools.

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Awards celebrate community engagement

March 13, 2017 - The Ring

Drs. Cecilia Benoit (sociology), Jay Cullen (earth and ocean sciences) and Andrea Walsh (anthropology) have been named the 2017 recipients of the Provost's Engaged Scholar Award. The award celebrates tenured faculty members who have made significant contributions to community through their integration of outstanding scholarship, inspired teaching and community engagement.

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Millennia-spanning forest study garners international environmental award

March 2, 2017 - The Ring

Outstanding research in ecology was announced this week by the Ecological Society of America. A team of UVic researchers and grad students were recognized for their contribution to the fields of plant ecology and biogeography with the William Skinner Cooper Award for their research study, "Intertidal resource use over millennia enhances forest productivity," published in Nature Communications last year.

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Studies in shallow graves

January 5, 2017 - The Ring

Forensic anthropology course conducts in-death investigations. All jokes about popular TV shows like Sherlock and CSI aside, real-world forensic anthropologists who assist in identifying and locating of missing persons share a desire for problem solving, critical thinking and a deep curiosity. Stephanie Calce’s forensic anthropology class exposes students to the huge field of forensic science through hands-on projects. Spoiler alert: the students live.

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Learning the human history of the west coast

September 8, 2016 - The Ring

A six-week archaeology field school brought the promise and challenges of the Pacific west coast to life for 19 enthusiastic anthropology students this summer. The group traveled to the west coast of Vancouver Island to do research at ancient First Nations settlements, and to learn archaeological field techniques and environmental and cultural history from Tseshaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations, professional archaeologists, and marine ecologists at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.

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UVic-led archaeology team makes world-first discovery about early use of stone age tools

August 8, 2016 - Media release

How smart were human-like species of the Stone Age? New research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by a team led by paleoanthropologist April Nowell of UVic reveals surprisingly sophisticated adaptations by early humans living 250,000 years ago in a former oasis near Azraq, Jordan.

Read more: UVic-led archaeology team makes world-first discovery about early use of stone age tools