Matt Artz

University of North Texas | UNT · Department of Anthropology

As algorithms become increasingly responsible for discovering information, how we choose to design them will have a significant impact on our collective lived experience. One example is how algorithmic bias affects the estimated 50 million people that make up the creator economy. This group of independent creators is financially dependent on recomm...

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests offer tantalizing yet speculative promises to connect us with our distant past and live a healthier life. Consequently, by February 2019, an estimated 26 million people had already taken a DNA test. But as scholars have pointed out, there are a host of bioethical issues concerning validity and utility, geneti...

Direct-to-consumer genomics (DTCG) health testing offers great promise to humanity, however to date adoption has lagged as a result of consumer awareness, understanding, and previous government regulations restricting DTCG companies from providing information on an individual's genetic predispositions. But in 2017 the broader DTCG market which also...

The collection of genetic biodata for the reunification of families must safeguard individuals’ agency, provide meaningful informed consent, and protect privacy.

Between April and the end of June 2018, the Trump administration’s family separation policy was put into effect, granting federal border agents the authority to separate children from their parents accompanying them across the border. Since July, reunification has proven difficult for hundreds, particularly younger children who lack documentation....

The article explores the issue of climate change from a medical anthropology viewpoint, citing examples of the degradation and desertification of land in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.

Digital health involves the application of digital technologies to health products and services in the sectors of mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (HIT), wearables, telehealth, genomics, and personalized medicine. Advocates of digital health argue that it will empower consumers to make better health decisions while enhancing...

Designing and Starting Your Practice is both an introductory and interactive workshop targeted at graduate students, early-career anthropologists, and mid-career anthropologists who are interested in starting their own consultancy/agency. The objectives of this workshop are 1) why should you start a business, 2) types of mindsets that encourage bus...

Big Data analytics have increasingly gained prominence in business because it has provided beneficial insights regarding emerging trends, behaviors and preferences. Relying exclusively on analytics to address the vast majority of business uncertainties, however, is detrimental to our ability to solve problems. Madsbjerg and Rasmussen, in a WSJ arti...

Businesses, according to an IBM global study of 1500 CEOs, are facing a rapid escalation of complexity. Capitalizing on complexity and customer intimacy to create innovative ways of delivering value are business’ significant challenges. The study further revealed that “enterprises today are not equipped to cope effectively with this complexity in t...

Much like Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes had created a niche for himself as a “consulting detective,” there are an increasing number of consulting anthropologists who apply their training, skills, and specialties to helping people define and solve problems today. As anthropologists and podcasters for This Anthro Life, the authors of this paper approach po...

The study aimed to demonstrate the frequency and context of roars, woofs and oodle vocalizations in male Mantled Howler monkeys (Alouatta palliate) on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua; so as to compare and contrast the findings with the previous research which was conducted on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, to elucidate the possible effects that dif...

A rapid electrophoresis system [1000] provides rapid separation of an unknown sample [1] into its component compounds. An unknown sample [1] which is to be identified is placed in an inert electrophoresis gel [1142] in a gel container [1140] in housing [1110]. The housing [1110] has electric plates [1151, 1153] straddling housing [1110]. A pluralit...