researcher's project ranked number 1: study promises to profoundly change views of ancient subarctic people

(may 27, 2009 --thunder bay, on)
阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 researcher, dr. matthew boyd of the department of anthropology, has received more than $177, 000 for his latest research project which promises to fundamentally change the way the ancestors of subarctic peoples are viewed and studied by archaeologists. his project was ranked first among 106 competitive social sciences and humanities research council of canada applications.

this project, entitled "tracking ancient maize (zea mays spp. mays) consumption in boreal north america: paleoecological, food residue, and archaeological investigations," involves dr. scott hamilton from 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 as a co-investigator, and represents an expansion of boyd's previous research on the history of cultivated plants in north america. with his 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , boyd has discovered that domesticated plants like maize and beans were consumed by subarctic peoples at least 1000 years before european contact--both significantly earlier and further north than archaeologists have previously suspected. according to boyd, the northward spread of maize horticulture represents a pivotal event in the history of precontact indigenous societies in north america. by the time of european contact, maize was a dietary staple across much of the eastern woodlands, the american southwest, and the eastern great plains.

boyd says, "in all of these areas the introduction and intensification of corn horticulture are strongly linked to the emergence of increased social complexity and sedentary village life. however, many aspects of the timing and nature of maize dispersal are unclear. understanding this early and non-intensive use of maize is crucial for modeling subsistence exchange networks, and the transition to food production, in the past."

understanding the dynamics of cultivated plant use in small-scale societies is a fundamental goal of archaeology--one that lies at the heart of some of the most important changes in human society and human-environmental relations. boyd says, "by mapping the spread of maize into northern north america, and by understanding and contextualizing its use in this setting, this project will yield important new insight into the history of maize, the food-producing transition, and hunter-gatherer/villager food exchange networks. the results of this study will interest a wide range of academic and non-academic communities."

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media: dr. matthew boyd is available for media interviews. for more information contact lisa pelot, communications officer, at 343-8177, or commun@lakeheadu.ca

about lakehead
lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. with a main campus located in thunder bay, ontario and a campus in orillia, ontario, lakehead has over 7,900 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the northern ontario school of medicine. in 2006, research infosource inc. named 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 canada's research university of the year in the undergraduate category. for more information on 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , visit www.hsbcwebinars.com