04/14/2025
AAHA would like to congratulate our Project Archaeologist, Kristen Browne, on the completion of her Master of Arts degree from George Mason University. Kristen presented her research at the 2025 Annual Meeting for the American Association of Biological Anthropology this past March.
Kristen's research explores dental fluctuating asymmetry as an indicator of developmental stress among European colonizers in the colonial Chesapeake. Odontometric data from 18 individuals across three Maryland sites reveal significant left-right tooth size differences suggesting early-life stress. The findings indicate that colonizers were not buffered from substantial environmental challenges and stressors within the systems they created and highlights fluctuating asymmetry as a valuable tool for assessing biological stress in historic populations.