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Introduction
Dr. Richard L. Jantz, Professor Emeritus served as the director of the Forensic Anthropology Center from 1998-2011 and is a retired professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. His research focuses on forensic anthropology, skeletal biology, dermatoglyphics, anthropometry, anthropological genetics, and human variation, as well as developing computerized databases in these areas which aid in anthropological research. The author of over a 100 journal articles and other publications, his research has helped lead and shape the field of physical and forensic anthropology for many years. 
Background
Jantz spent his childhood and received his early education in a small town in central Kansas. He attended a community college before attending Kansas University, where he took a class from noted anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 1962, a Master of Arts in Anthropology in 1964, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology in 1970 all from the University of Kansas. He realized early on that his strengths lied in statistical analysis of measurements.
Research
Some of Dr. Jantz’s more current research involves quantitative osteometric and anthropometric variation among Native American populations, including an analysis of the work of Franz Boas. In the early 1900s, Boas did a study showing the plasticity of the human body in response to environmental changes. Dr. Jantz conducted a reassessment of this work in 2002. This was the first time anyone had really critiqued Boas’ work for its validity. Specimens from Jantz’s research ranged from 10,000 years old to the 20th century. Through this research, Dr. Jantz discredited Boas’ original claims about considerable varied skeletal plasticity between European and American born children. Dr. Jantz found that there are very insignificant differences between European and American born children. He also found that there was no effect on the crania of these children from exposure to the environment in America. Dr. Richard Jantz’s work with this research project demonstrated that the arguments of Franz Boas were unsound, making them no longer valid to support future arguments of cranial morphology and their plasticity; though, like a lot of research, not all agree with these findings. [1]
His other research also includes looking at microevolutionary forces acting on Aleut and Eskimo populations of the Bering Sea. This can be studied through anthropometrics. [2] Databases are currently being developed and maintained for research purposes by Dr. Jantz for students and faculty. These databases include: Boas anthropometrics which include body measurements on 15,000 BP Native Americans and 2,000 BP Siberians, Forensic-osteometric and other forensic data from 1,500 BP recent American skeletons, Heinz Brehme Dermatoglyphic Database which includes ridge-counts, pattern classifications on 50,000 BP people from most parts of the world, Plains osteometric cranial and postcranial morphometric data on 2,000 BP individuals from the Great Plains region, the Great Basin, the Southwest and Northwest. [3]
Other recent research includes looking at mtDNA of three Arikara sites in South Dakota that were occupied between AD 1600 and 1832. Analysis from this research shows similarities between these people and other Native American groups. This suggests an admixing of these groups in recent times. [4]
Another research project underway is the CT sexing project. This project’s goal is to improve the ability to estimate sex from cranial bones, because when the pelvis is not available the skull is considered by most professionals to be the second best indicator of sex. Currently, the accuracy lies between 85-90% for traditional sexing methods using cranial bones. The CT sexing project strives to increase this accuracy using CT scans of modern skeletal remains from the William Bass Donated Collection. Using these specimens, Jantz has examined sexual dimorphism in greater detail than what can be accomplished through external measurements and observations. This project is being funded by the National Institute of Justice and is being jointly conducted by the department of Anthropology and the department of Biomedical Engineering. [5]
Dr. Jantz has also played a role in the scientific examination and legal challenge associated with the discovery of Kennewick Man found in Washington on the Columbia River in 1996 and radiocarbon dated to ca. 9,000 years old. Dr. Jantz was one of 8 anthropologists who sued the federal government to gain more access to Kennewick Man’s remains to study. [6]
Another project Jantz was involved with was the identification of crew from the confederate submarine Hunley found off the coast of South Carolina using skeletal data and existing archaeological records. This information was combined with genealogical data available about each soldier. Goals include determining the activities of the soldiers that took place onboard, the length of time they were on the submarine, and any injuries, malnutrition, or illnesses they might have had. The crew’s skeletons were well preserved making it possible for scientists to do facial reconstructions to show what they might have looked like. [7]
Awards
Dr. Jantz was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his distinguished contributions of database and software development to the field of biological anthropology. He received the Research and Creative Achievement Award from the University of Tennessee in 2003.
Major Works
  • FORDISC 3.0: Personal Computer Forensic Discriminant Functions. 2005. (S.D. Ousley and R.L. Jantz) University of Tennessee.

Changing times, changing faces: Franz Boas’s immigrant study in modern perspective. 2003. (Richard L. Jantz and Corey S. Sparks) Amer. Anthrop. 105:333-337.

  • The Anthropometric Legacy of Franz Boas. 2003. (Richard L. Jantz) Econ. Hum. Biol. 1/2:277-284.

A Reassessment of Cranial Plasticity: Boas Revisited. 2002. (Corey S. Sparks and Richard L. Jantz) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 99:14636-14639.

  • "Anthropometric Variation Among Bering Sea Natives" 2010. (Anne Justice, Rohina Rubicz, Geetha Chittoor, Richard L. Jantz, and M. H. Crawford) Human Biology 82.6.


Papers and Publications
  • Sex estimation in forensic anthropology: skull versus postcranial elements. 2011. (Katherine M. Spradley and Richard L. Jantz) Jour. Of Forens. Sci. 56:289-296.
  • Bulleted list item

Why does head form change in children of immigrants? A reappraisal. 2010. (Michael H. Logan and Richard L. Jantz) Am. J. Hum. Biol. 22:702-707.

  • A Bayesian approach age estimation in modern Americans from the calvicle. 2010. (Natalie Langley-Shirley and Richard L. Jantz) Jour. Of Forens. Sci. 55:571-583.
  • Understanding race and human variation: why forensic anthropologists are good at identifying race. 2009. (Stephen Ousley, Richard L. Jantz, and Donna Freid) Am. J. of Phys. Anthropol. 139:68-76.
  • Sexing and stature estimation criteria for Balkan populations. 2008. (R. Jantz, Erin H. Kimmerle, Jose P. Baraybar) Journal of Forensic Sciences 53:601-605.
  • Anthropometry. In: Ubelaker DH, editor. 2006. (Richard L. Jantz) Handbook of North American

Indians: Vol. 3. Environment, Origins and Population. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 777-788.

  • A multivariate examination of Hexian calvaria. 2005. (Richard L. Jantz, James H. Kidder, and Arthur C. Durband) Anthrop. Sci. 113:147-154.
  • Cranial Change in Americans. 2001. (Richard L. Jantz) J. For. Sci. 46: 784-787.
  • Variation Among Early North American Crania. 2001. (Richard L. Jantz and Douglas W. Owsley) Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 114:146-155.
  • Archaeological Politics and Public Interest in Paleoamerican Studies: Lessons from Gordon Creek Woman and Kennewick Man. 2001. (Richard L. Jantz and Douglas W. Owsley) Am. Antiq. 66:565-575.
  • Secular Change in Craniofacial Morphology. 2000. (Richard L. Jantz and Lee M. Jantz) Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:327-338.
  • Databases for Paleo-American skeletal biology research. 1999. (Richard L. Jantz and Douglas W. Owsley) Who were the first Americans: proceedings of the 58th Annual Biology Colloquium, Oregon State University. pp.79-96.
  • Anthropometric variation among Sioux and the Assiniboine. 1999. (Richard L. Jantz and Daniel Wescott) Hum. Biol. 71:847-858.
  • Directional and fluctuating asymmetry in the palmar interdigital ridge-counts. 1993. (Richard L. Jantz and Hugo Brehme) Anthrop. Anz. 51:59-67.
  • Variation among North Amerindians: analysis of Boas’s anthropometric data. 1992. (Richard L. Jantz) Hum Biol. 64:435-461.
  • Palm and sole interdigital ridge-count correlations. 1990. (Hugo Brehme and Richard L. Jantz) Z. Morph. Anthrop. 78:243-256.
  • Statistical assessment of population variability: a methodological approach. 1990. (Patrick J. Key and Richard L. Jantz) Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 82:53-9.
  • Long bone lengths and gestational age distributions of post-contact Arikara Indian perinatal infant skeletons. 1985. (Richard L. Jantz and Douglas W. Owsley) Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 68: 321-8.
  • A comparison of dermatoglyphic methodologies in population studies. 1983. (Richard L. Jantz and V.P. Chopra) Amer. J. Phys. Anthrop. 60:61-67.
  • On the epidermal pattern system of seven families with triplets of various zygosity patterns. 1982. (Richard L. Jantz and Hugo Brehme) Mitt. Anthrop. Ges Wien. 112:1-15.
  • Craniometric variation in the northern and central Plains. 1981. (Richard L. Jantz, Douglas W. Owsley, and P. Willey) Plains Anthrop. 26:19-29.
  • Race differences in the sex dimorphism of dermatoglyphic traits. 1979. (Richard L. Jantz and Ilse Schwidetzky) J. Hum. Evol. 8:773-776.
  • The Redbird focus: cranial evidence in tribal identification. 1974. (Richard L. Jantz) Plains Anthrop. 19:5-13.

The Leavenworth Site Cemetery: Archaeology and Physical Anthropology. 1971. (William M. Bass, David R. Evans, and Richard L. Jantz) 5:118-119.

  • Palmar dermatoglyphics of the Peruvian cashinahua. 1970. (Richard L. Jantz, Francis E. Johnston, Kenneth M. Kensinger, and G.F. Walker) Hum Hered. 20:642-649.
Foot Notes
  1. ^ Spark, C.S. and Jantz R.L. “A Reassessment of Cranial Plasticity: Boas Revisited.” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 99:14636-14639. (2002)
  2. ^ Anne Justice, Rohina Rubicz, Geetha Chittoor, Richard L. Jantz, and M. H. Crawford. "Anthropometric Variation Among Bering Sea Natives" Human Biology 82.6 (2010).
  3. ^ “Human Osteometric and Anthropometric Variation: Dr. Richard Jantz.” Department of Anthropology, Research. http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/research/variation.html
  4. ^ Diana M. Lawrence, Brian M. Kemp, Jason Eshleman, Richard L. Jantz, Meradeth Snow, Debra George, and David Glenn Smith. "Mitochondrial DNA of Protohistoric Remains of an Arikara Population from South Dakota: Implications for the Macro-Siouan Language Hypothesis" Human Biology 82.2 (2010).
  5. ^ “Dr. Richard Jantz” Department of Anthropology, CT Sexing Project. http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/faculty/jantz_r.html
  6. ^ Fergus, Charles. “Boas, Bones, and Race.” Penn State: Research. 24:2 (2003) http://www.rps.psu.edu/0305/boas.html
  7. ^ Handwerk, Brian. “Civil War Submariner’s Teeth Tell Much About The Men.” National Geographic News. (2002) 


External Links

http://fac.utk.edu/faculty.html

http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/research/variation.html

http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/skeletal_research_collections.html

http://web.utk.edu/~fac/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/09/0919_020919_hunley.html

http://web.utk.edu/~fac/fordisc.html

http://fac.utk.edu/faculty.html

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