-
June 4, 2021Professor Alston Thoms, June 18, 1948 — June 4, 2021
It is with the greatest of sadness that we share the news of the untimely passing of our dear friend and colleague, Alston Thoms, who passed peacefully on the 3rd of June. Alston had been with our department for more than 30 years, and was at the core of our CRM program for many years. His outreach efforts with the Indigenous Peoples of Texas helped to transform archaeology in the state, as did his research into the evolution of plant-food cooking technology. Alston was a kind and caring friend and mentor, and we will miss him deeply.
-
May 11, 2021Catharina Laporte named Hullabaloo U Instructor of the Year
Our very own Catharina Laporte was named as Texas A&M University's first-ever Hullabaloo Instructor of the Year! Congratulations and well-deserved!
-
March 3, 2021Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Bass, December 9, 1932 – March 2, 2021
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Bass, Founder of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and Father of Underwater Archaeology. He influenced generations of Nautical Archaeologists, pioneering the science of archaeological excavation under water. If you are among the thousands of friends, colleagues, students, and enthusiasts who were influenced by the life and legacy of George Bass, please share your photos by sending them to remembergeorge@nauticalarch.org. We will post them online just as soon as we can.
-
February 25, 2021Ancient Skeletal Hand Could Reveal Evolutionary Secrets
A recent discovery by Dr. Cody Prang of the Department of Anthropology provides clues about how early humans began to walk upright and make similar movements that all humans perform today. The research was published in the February 24 issue of Science Advances.
-
February 3, 2021Regents Professor Vaughn Bryant, October 5, 1940 — January 30, 2021
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share this sad news. Our friend, our mentor, our dearest colleague, Dr. Vaughn Bryant, passed away peacefully on the morning of January 30, 2021 after battling one of the most aggressive forms of cancer for the past several years. He will be remembered with the greatest fondness for his kindness of spirit and his generosity of heart. He created our department, made so many careers and futures here possible, and touched the lives of every person he came in contact with during his 50 years in the Department of Anthropology. We will miss him dearly. A memorial scholarship will soon be established in his name. Because of the pandemic, a service has not yet been planned, but we will share more details as soon as we can. Gifts in memory of Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant should be sent to Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, Texas 77840. For online gifts please copy and paste the following link: https://www.txamfoundation.com/How-to-Give/Honorary-And-Memorial.aspx Please add Vaughn M. Bryant to the note area. Please visit his memorial page here: https://drbryantmemorial.github.io/
-
August 10, 2020Texas A&M Department of Anthropology study: Cooling of Earth caused by eruptions, not meteors
Analysis of sediment found in Hall’s Cave shows volcanic eruptions responsible for cooling of Earth around 13,000 years ago.
-
July 15, 2020Anthropology Faculty Statement on Campus Monuments
Tradition is at the heart of Aggie culture. As Anthropologists we study culture, and we understand that traditions and monuments are powerful mechanisms of cultural transmission[1]. Culture is learned in a myriad of tangible and intangible ways. Symbolism, ideals, and values bleed into reality through the creation of public memory. Monuments, including statues, represent […]
-
June 5, 2020An Open Letter to Our Community in Response to Police Brutality Against African-Americans and a Call to Antiracist Action
An Open Letter to Our Community in Response to Police Brutality Against African-Americans and a Call to Antiracist Action – from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists
-
January 22, 2020What We Leave Behind
Marijo Gauthier-Bérubé, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology, remarks in his editorial article on the journey of Vaughn Bryant, founder of the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M. This article originally appeared on the College of Liberal Arts website.
-
November 14, 2019Dialogue with Department Head: Darryl de Ruiter
Anthropology professor Darryl de Ruiter is stepping into a new role of Head of the Department of Anthropology. In this dialogue, de Ruiter shares why he believes studying fossil evidence for human evolution is relevant for today’s issues, as well as the value of an education in anthropology and what he hopes to do as Department Head. […]