Taphonomic

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Stargzer
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Taphonomic

Postby Stargzer » Wed Jun 29, 2005 8:46 am

Scientists to Begin Studying Kennewick Man
Scientists to Begin Studying Kennewick Man

Jun 28, 10:56 PM (ET)

By WILLIAM McCALL

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - After nearly a decade of court battles, scientists plan to begin studying the 9,300-year-old skeleton known as Kennewick Man next week.

A team of scientists plans to examine the bones at the University of Washington's Burke Museum in Seattle beginning July 6, according to their attorney, Alan Schneider.

Four Northwest Indian tribes had opposed the study, claiming the skeleton could be an ancestor who should be buried. The Interior Department and the Army Corps of Engineers had sided with the tribes.

But a federal judge in Portland, backed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that the researchers could study the bones to determine how the man died and to find clues to prehistoric life in North America.

. . .

The researchers plan to do what is called a "taphonomic" examination of the skeleton, taking measurements and making observations about the processes that affect animal and plant remains as they become fossilized. Further study is planned based on the initial findings, Schneider said.

"Taphonomy is really a forensic examination," Schneider said. "You try to determine everything that has affected the skeleton from day of death until you study it."

. . .
Main Entry: ta·phon·o·my

Pronunciation: t&-'fä-n&-mE, ta-

Function: noun

Etymology: Greek taphE burial + English -nomy
: the study of the processes (as burial, decay, and preservation) that affect animal and plant remains as they become fossilized
- taph·o·nom·ic /"ta-f&-'nä-mik/ adjective
- ta·phon·o·mist /t&-'fä-n&-mist, ta-/ noun

Suggested Usage:

"Larry has worked for the Government for so long, his doctor is a taphonomist instead of a gerontologist."
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

Flaminius
Lexiterian
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Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:36 am

Postby Flaminius » Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:39 am

A related word is kenotaph.

Stargzer
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2578
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
Location: Crownsville, MD

Postby Stargzer » Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:31 pm

A related word is kenotaph.
Also spelled with a c:

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

cenotaph

SYLLABICATION: cen·o·taph
PRONUNCIATION: sĕn-Image-tăf
NOUN: A monument erected in honor of a dead person whose remains lie elsewhere.
ETYMOLOGY: French cénotaphe, from Old French, from Latin cenotaphium, from Greek kenotaphion : kenos, empty + taphos, tomb.
OTHER FORMS: ceno·taphic —ADJECTIVE

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

Flaminius
Lexiterian
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:36 am

Postby Flaminius » Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:33 pm

Also related to cenote?

Stargzer
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2578
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
Location: Crownsville, MD

Postby Stargzer » Thu Jun 30, 2005 9:30 am

Also related to cenote?
Apparently not, according to Bartleby:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

cenote

SYLLABICATION: ce·no·te
PRONUNCIATION: sImage-nō'tē
NOUN: A water-filled limestone sinkhole of the Yucatán.
ETYMOLOGY: American Spanish, from Yucatec ts'onot.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

Flaminius
Lexiterian
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:36 am

Postby Flaminius » Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:20 pm

I am just glad that it is not from Nauatl. Also the word has nothing to do with taphology. Sigh.


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