Starbuck\u2019s lab<\/a> and a process known as photogrammetry, where photographs are taken and translated into measurements and eventually into a rendered 3D image. Stanley will be measuring UCF\u2019s Hominin fossil casts to collect measurements on the heidelbergensis\u2019 skeletal landmarks that delineate their vocal tract. This is useful since the dimensions of their vocal tract can determine the vocal range of heidelbergensis.<\/p>\n\u201cFor instance, the dimensions of the Neanderthal laynx means they would have likely been unable to produce the sound \u2018ah\u2019 as in father, with the closest parallel sounding more like an \u2018euh\u2019 in could,\u201d Stanley said.<\/p>\n
Using measurements he collects, Stanley will be able to create audio data replicating that of the heidelbergensis. This will allow him to truly understand the<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
potential vowel range of our human ancestors and ultimately learn more about the \u201cbig picture\u201d of human origins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many questions that could be considered \u2018big picture questions\u2019 in the field of human origins,\u201d Stanley said. \u201c\u2019When did our big brains evolve? When did we learn to walk upright? When did we learn to use tools? I decided to tackle the question of when we learned to speak, mainly because there are not as many conclusive answers to this question when compared to the others.\u201d<\/p>\n
This paleoanthropological approach to Stanley\u2019s research stems from his interest in the creation of the universe, which drove his decision to major in anthropology at UCF.<\/p>\n
\u201cI originally wanted to study religion, because I\u2019ve always been fascinated by the variety of ideas that people have for explaining the creation of the universe,\u201d he said. \u201cI was particularly interested in the origins of humans. After taking a few religion classes, I realized it was too subjective of a field to come up with any conclusive answers for that sort of question. That\u2019s when I started to look at the question through anthropology, particularly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through a human origins course required for his anthropology degree, Stanley was introduced to Starbuck, who taught the course.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one I knew I wanted Dr. Starbuck to be my thesis chair,\u201d Stanley said. \u201cI knew he would be the perfect fit for this sort of research topic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from Starbuck, Stanley is excited about the anthropology classes required within UCF\u2019s curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been genuinely interested in most of the anthropology classes I\u2019ve taken so far, and going to campus to research or make it to a class never seems like a chore,\u201d Stanley said.<\/p>\n
There have also been opportunities and help offered through UCF that have aided Stanley in pursuing his research goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most significant help I have gotten so far was a $5000 donation from an anonymous donor who took interest in my academic career and, out of the goodness of their heart, decided to send support my way,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know who it was, but if they end up reading this, I want to sincerely thank them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stanley graduates this spring with his bachelor\u2019s degree, and hopes to attend graduate school to focus on biological anthropology and receive his masters and a doctorate. Afterwards, he hopes to continue his research and obtain a job at a university as a professor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UCF undergraduate student Austin Stanley is majoring in anthropology and tackling the question of human origins at the same time. More specifically, he\u2019s studying the vocal capabilities of homo heidelbergensis, a more direct human ancestor than Neanderthals, to get a broader sense on when spoken language of humans began. This can be determined through looking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":22532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,38,13,28,29,30],"tags":[5176,5180,5177,1828,5179,5178,3473],"class_list":["post-22531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","category-undergraduate-student-news","tag-austin-stanley","tag-edward-gonzalez-tennant","tag-human-origins","tag-john-starbuck","tag-paleoanthropology","tag-photogrammetry","tag-ucf-anthropology"],"yoast_head":"\n
Using Vocal Cords to Unlock Human Origins - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/using-vocal-cords-unlock-human-origins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using Vocal Cords to Unlock Human Origins - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UCF undergraduate student Austin Stanley is majoring in anthropology and tackling the question of human origins at the same time. More specifically, he\u2019s studying the vocal capabilities of homo heidelbergensis, a more direct human ancestor than Neanderthals, to get a broader sense on when spoken language of humans began. 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<\/p>\n