Dennis A. Etler

Name: Dennis A. Etler
Address: 202 Highland Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA
Telephone: 831 426-3489     Fax: 501 694-8065
E-mail: deetler@cabrillo.edu
Affiliation: Anthropology Department, Cabrillo College, Aptos, CA.
Website URL: http://www.chineseprehistory.org

Summary

• Ph. D. Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley
• M.S. Anthropology, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
• Graduate Program in Chinese Language and Literature, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• B.A. Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Dissertations and Field Statements

• Doctoral Dissertation
  • Title: "The Chinese Hominidae: New Finds, New Interpretations"
  • Committee: F. Clark Howell, Chair; Tim D. White; William A. Clemens
• Doctoral Candidacy Field Statements
  • Title: "Continuity and Change: The Human Fossil Record and Paleolithic Cultural Legacy in China"
  • Title: "Primate Evoultion in China"

Research Interests

• Middle Pleistocene hominid evolution
• Human biology of East Asia
• Primate evolution
• Paleolithic archeology of East Asia
• Neogene mammalian faunas of East and South Asia
• Quaternary studies of East Asia.

Languages

• Chinese: speak, read, write
• French: read
• Spanish: read

2002-present Gavilan College

• Anthropology Instructor
  • Introduction to Physical Anthropology

2001-present Cabrillo College

• Anthropology Instructor
  • Introduction to Physical Anthropology
  • Introduction to Physical Anthropology Lab

1997-2001 Five Branches Institute

• Associate Professor in Chinese Studies
  • Chinese History and Philosophy
  • Introduction to Chinese Language
  • Human Anatomy

1992 University of California at Davis

• Lecturer in Primate Evolution.
• Developed curriculum, prepared and presented all lectures.

1992 University of California at Berkeley

• Instructor in Human Evolution.
• Prepared and presented laboratories and guest lectures.
• Under supervision of Prof. J.-J. Hublin.

1988-1991 University of California at Berkeley

• Instructor in Human and Primate Evolution.
• Prepared and presented laboratories and guest lectures.
• Under supervision of Prof. F. Clark Howell.

1985-1988 University of California at Berkeley

• Teaching Associate in Physical Anthropology and Human Biology.
• Prepared and presented sections under the supervision of Prof. Tim D. White, Prof. Vince Sarich, Prof. Katie Milton and Prof. John Fleagle.

1983-1984 University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

• Teaching Assistant in Physical Anthropology and Paleolithic Archeology.
• Prepared and presented sections under supervision of Prof. Jack Harris and Prof. Olga Soffer.

1995-1996 Research Scholar, National Program for Advanced Study and Research in China, Committee on Scholarly Communication with China, funded by National Endowment for the Humanities.

1994-1995 Research Fellow, National Science Foundation, Division of International Programs, Grant # INT-9419529, "Archeological Investigations at the Yunxian Fossil Hominid Site, Hubei, China."

• 1996-1997 Joint study of Pliocene fossil hominoids from Yuanmou, Yunnan with Prof. Zhou Guoxing, Beijing Natural History Museum, L.S.B Leakey Foundation.
  

• 1993-1994 Study of fossil hominid crania from Yunxian, Hubei, China. Co-sponsor, with Prof. F. Clark Howell, of grant awarded to Prof. Li Tianyuan from the Committee on Scholarly Exchange with China for research at the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Anthropology.

• 1991 Study of fossil hominid crania from Yunxian, Hubei, China. Research supported by grant from the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation.

• 1989-1992 Archeological research, survey and excavations at lower Paleolithic sites in Nihewan basin, Hebei province, China. Research visits to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China. Participation supported by Henry Luce Foundation (1989-1992).

• 1988 Study tour of Paleolithic localities in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, China and Gigantopithecus caves in Guangxi. Supported by Henry Luce Foundation.

• 1987-1988 Study tour of Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene fossil hominoid localities at Lufeng and Yuanmou at the invitation of the Yunnan Provincial Museum (Kunming), China. Supported by NSF Grant 87-PRC-06.

• 1987 Research visit to Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China and study tour of Paleolithic sites in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, China. Supported by the Holt Family Charitable Trust and Robert H. Lowie Graduate Scholarship, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley.

• 1987 Participation in collaborative Chinese-American study of small-bodied hominoids from Lufeng, Yunnan. Supported by L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant and Robert H. Lowie Graduate Scholarship.

• 1985 Research visit to Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleo- anthropology, Beijing, China and study tour of middle Miocene paleontological site of Shanwang, Shandong, China. Supported by a Robert H. Lowie Graduate Scholarship, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley.

• 1984 Research Assistant in Physical Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley. Supervisor, Prof. Tim D. White.

• 1982 Research Assistant in Paleolithic Archeology, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Supervisor Prof. Jake Harris.

1. 1984 The fossil hominoids of Lufeng, Yunnan province, China: A series of translations. Yearbook Phy. Anthro. 27:1-55.

2. 1989 Miocene hominoids from Sihong, Jiangsu province, China. In, "Perspectives in Human Evolution," A. Sahni and R. Gaur eds. Delhi:Renaissance, pp. 113-151.

3. ----- Hominoid dental variability and species number at the Late Miocene site of Lufeng, China. With J. Kelley. Am. J. Primatology 18:15-34.

4. 1990 A case study of the "erectus"-"sapiens" transition in Asia: hominid remains from Hexian and Chaoxian counties, Anhui province, China. Krober Anthropological Papers 71:1-19.

5. 1991 Archeological perspectives in the Nihewan Basin, China. With K. Schick, N. Toth, Q. Wei and J. D. Clark. Journal of Human Evolution 21:13-26.

6. 1992 A walk through the open door: old bones from new China. Anthroquest 45:26-28.

7. ----- Recent developments in the study of human biology in China: a review. Human Biology 64:567-585.

8. ----- New Middle Pleistocene hominid crania from Yunxian in China. With Li Tianyuan. Nature (London) 357:404-407.

9. 1993 Symposium held in honor of Dr. F. Clark Howell. Evolutionary Anthropology 1:153.

10. 1994 New archaic human fossil discoveries in China and their bearing on hominid species definition during the Middle Pleistocene. With Li Tianyuan. In, "Integrative Paths to the Past: Paleoanthropological Advances in Honor of F. Clark Howell," R. Corruccini and R. Ciochon eds. New York:Prentice Hall, pp. 639-676.

11. ----- Reinterpreting past primate diversity. With R. Ciochon. In, "Integrative Paths to the Past: Paleoanthropological Advances in Honor of F. Clark Howell," R. Corruccini and R. Ciochon eds. New York:Prentice Hall, pp. 37-68.

12. 1995 Further discussion of the morphological features of the Yunxian crania. With Li Tianyuan. Jianghan Kaogu 55:1-6 (in Chinese).

13. 1996 The fossil evidence for human evolution in Asia. Annual Review of Anthropology. 25:275-301

14. 1998 Asian fossils and African origins. With Zhou Guoxing. Journal of Human Evolution 34(3): A6-A7.

15. 2001 Longgupo: Early Homo colonizer or late Pliocene Lufengpithecus survivor in south China?. With T.L. Crummett, M.N. Wolpoff. Human Evolution 16(1):1-12.

16. 2002 Obituary: Jia Lanpo. American Anthropologist 104(1):297-299.

17. 2004 Late Pleistocene human evolution in China: East Asian pathways to modernity. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 123(S38):92-93.

18. In press Homo erectus in East Asia: Human Ancestor or Evolutionary Dead-end? Athena Review

19. In Search of Asian Ancestors: A Natural History of Prehistoric China. In preparation.

• "A Reassessment of Middle Pleistocene Hominid Evolution Based on New Evidence from China." Paper presented at The Conference on Prehistoric Cultures of the Middle Yangtze River Valley, Changsha, Hunan, China (in Chinese), August 1995.

• "New Fossil Hominid Discoveries in Ethiopia and their Significance for Human Evolutionary Studies." Paper presented at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China (in Chinese), February 1995.

• "In Search of Asian Ancestors." Lecture presented at the Institute of Human Origins, Berkeley, CA. Sept. 19, 1994.

• "The Yunxian Fossil Hominid Site: New Research Results." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Paleoanthropology Society, Los Angeles, CA. June, 1994.

• "Middle Pleistocene Hominids: One or More Species?" Paper presented at the 61st annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, San Francisco, CA. December 4, 1992.

• "New fossil Hominid Crania from Yunxian, Hubei, China," (with Li Tianyuan). Paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropology, Las Vegas, Nevada. April 1992.

• "New Advances in the Paleolithic Archeology and Human Paleontology of China." Paper presented at the Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis. December, 1991.

• "New Hominid Fossil Remains from Yunxian, Hubei," translation of paper presented by Li Tianyuan at 13th International Convention of INQUA, Beijing, China. August, 1991.

• "Middle Pleistocene Hominid Variability in Light of the New Finds from Yunxian." Paper presented to the Hubei Archeological Institute, Wuhan, Hubei, China. July, 1991.

• "Acta Anthropologica Sinica and the Study of Physical Anthropology in China." Poster presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI. April, 1991.

• "The Significance of OH 62 for Interpreting Hominid Phylogeny." Paper presented at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China (in Chinese). June, 1990.

• "Recent Developments in the Study of Early Human Origins." Paper presented at the Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming, Yunnan, China (in Chinese). January, 1988.

• "New Advances in the Study of Robust Australopithecines." Paper presented at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China (in Chinese). June, 1987.

• Research on new hominid skulls from China acknowledged as one of the top 50 science stories of 1992 by Discover magazine (see Discover January, 1993).

• British Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery, June, 1992, joint interview on human evolution with Dr. Christopher Stringer, head of the Human Evolution Group, British Museum.

• Public Broadcasting System, Talk of the Nation, June 5, 1992, interview on fossil hominid discoveries in China.

• Radio Canada, June, 1992, interview on recent human fossil discoveries in China.

• Numerous interviews with correspondents from national and international press on new hominid discoveries in Asia and their implications for an understanding of human evolution (i.e. Science, Science News, Scientific American, The Economist, Discover, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, UPI, AP, Reuters, etc.).

• Participation in archeological excavations in the Nihewan basin of China highlighted in news stories in the New York Times and San Francisco Examiner.

• Prof. F. Clark Howell, Dept. of Anthropology, Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720. Tel.: (510) 642-1393, Fax: (510) 643-8231.

• Prof. Tim D. White, Dept. of Integrative Biology, Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720. Tel.: (510) 642-2889, E-mail: timwhite@garnet.berkeley.edu.

• Dr. Nina Jablonski, Chair, Department of Anthropology, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118-4599. Tel.: (415) 750-7161, E-mail: njablonski@calacademy.org