UAF Department of Anthropology

07/01/2026

A new paper by our own Dr. Ben Potter is out in Science Advances today.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aef9628

Title: Hemisphere-Wide Evidence of Early Paleoindian Megaherbivore Specialization

Abstract: The adaptive strategies of Early Paleoindians associated with the rapid and continent-wide expansions of Clovis and related Fishtail Projectile Point (FPP) complexes in the Americas have been subject to differing interpretations. Were Early Paleoindians megafauna specialists or dietary generalists? These alternative models offer profoundly different implications for Early Paleoindian prey choice, mobility, and technology. Here we synthesize and evaluate the zooarchaeological records of the earliest widespread cultural manifestations in Eastern Beringia (~14,000-13,300 cal BP), North America (Clovis Complex, ~13,400/13,050-12,800 cal BP) and South America (FPP Complex, ~12,900-11,600 cal BP) and summarize their adaptive strategies. Zooarchaeological, technological, and mobility data strongly support the megafauna specialization model. All three groups obtained most of their food from megaherbivores (>1000 kg): woolly mammoth in Beringia, Columbian mammoth in North America, and giant ground sloths and gomphotheres in South America. Focus on megaherbivores facilitated rapid human expansion into different ecosystems before the time-transgressive extinction of megafauna led to regional diversification through adaptations to other locally available resources.

The three earliest continent-wide cultures in the Americas focused on the largest prey, like mammoths and giant ground sloths.

06/11/2026

Today, UAF Anthropology Professor Ben Potter led a multidisciplinary team of geneticists and archaeologists in evaluating current archaeogenetic data on the peopling of the Americas. They conclude that the data support a late entry into the Americas (after 16,000 years ago), but that details like migration route(s), through the Ice Free Corridor between Canadian Ice Sheets or along the North Pacific Coast, cannot be determined at present, and remain open hypotheses. Further, the redating of the purported 14,500 year old Pre-Clovis Site of Monte Verde, Chile (forming basis of many earlier peopling models) to the much later middle Holocene (after 8200 years ago) is consistent with the genetic record.

The eletter was published today in Science

Our understanding of the timing of the human colonization of South America has been anchored by the Monte Verde II site in Chile, reported to date to ~14,500 years before the present (B.P.) and regarded as one of the most secure pre-Clovis archeological ...

06/07/2026

05/15/2026

Thank you to all the guests and contributors to the 2026 Arctic Research Open House. We especially appreciate the young visitors eager to get some practice in archaeological excavation and reindeer herding. This year the UAF College of Liberal Arts was represented by the Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, each sharing the work they are doing, respectively, with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research and Museum of the North, highlighting the CLA collaborations with programs across campus. The Anthropology team would like to extend a heartfelt shoutout to our colleagues in Psychology (top photo) for the experience of the Story Cafe Project provided at the AROH - thank you, congratulations, and happy summer!

04/29/2026

Finals week might have you buried in papers—but what about the field?

The CLA StoryWorks Field Intensive gives students the chance to work alongside an active anthropology field school in Tok, documenting real excavation and research as it happens.

This is a rare opportunity to observe, document and engage with fieldwork in real time while building storytelling skills that translate research beyond academia.

📍 Fairbanks + Tok, Alaska
📅 June 7–13, 2026
👥 4 students selected
💰 All expenses covered + $1,000 compensation

🗓 Apply by May 1 at 5pm AKST
👉 https://forms.gle/VDqDPHtrPLDyNnBs9

Made possible by Transformative Experience Funding.

04/13/2026

We are very pleased and proud to congratulate UAF Anthropology MA student Kendra Nichols on this well-deserved recognition from the Society for Historical Archaeology! Thank you, Kendra, for the outstanding work you have been doing during your graduate studies!

04/06/2026

Step into the field.The CLA StoryWorks Field Intensive offers students the opportunity to work alongside an active archaeology field school in Tok, Alaska, documenting real research as it happens. This summer’s fieldwork explores sites connected to the construction of the Alaska Highway during World War II.

📍 Fairbanks + Tok
📅 June 7–13
💰 All costs covered + $1,000 compensation
👥 4 students selected

No experience required—just curiosity and interest in fieldwork.

👉 Apply now: https://forms.gle/VDqDPHtrPLDyNnBs9
🗓 Deadline: May 1 at 5 PM AKST

This opportunity is made possible through UAF Transformative Experience Funding, supported by the Matriculation Fee.