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Kim Nichols
 Kim Nichols
is a biological anthropologist with research interests in primate evolutionary biology. As a functional anatomist, she has performed numerous whole-body dissections on primates (humans, apes, monkeys, & prosimians), compared skeletal differences in captive and wild gorillas and chimpanzees, and documented the frequency of osteoarthritis in captive apes. She has also studied the locomotor behaviors of wild primates in a Costa Rican rainforest and has worked at primate paleontological sites in the United States and in the Sahara Desert in Egypt. Kim employs a "hands-on/minds-on" approach to labs so that students learn that science is fascinating and fun!
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Special Presentations:
Lessons from Dogs: Canine Models for Human Variations
Humanity's best friend, the dog, is the first-known domesticated animal. For centuries, humans have shaped the evolution of the domestic dog, creating breeds with distinct physical and behavioral traits, yet these dogs remain genetically so similar that they belong to one species, Canis lupus (wolf). Humans also express numerous physical variations but genetically are 99.9% similar and belong to a single species. Activities in this presentation use dogs as a model for: 1) classification methods (continuous versus discrete traits); 2) artificial selection as a surrogate for natural selection; and 3) how both dogs and humans exhibit traits (body size and structures) associated with natural selection for thermal temperature adaptations (Bergmann-Allen's Principle). (Grades 5-12)
Barbie & Ken: Culture, Biology and Our Bodies
Every teenager has a concept about the "ideal" adult body. In this lab, students use anthropometric techniques to collect data on "Barbie" and "Ken" doll dimensions, scale the data upward based on average American adult stature, and compare the results to data on real adults aged 20-29 years. In doing so, students confront the discrepancy between cultural expectations and biological reality on our notions of "beauty." Students also learn how to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) and the short-term and long-term risks for both low and high body-weights. This presentation is restricted to high school students, no exceptions. (Grades 9-12)
Bitter & Sweet: Evolution & Adaptation of Human Taste Perception
As omnivores, humans consume a broad array of foods but exhibit individual and population variation in taste perception and preference. In this lab, students explore the biological and cultural components of taste perception through a series of experiments designed to illustrate individual variation, cultural preference, the influence of genetics, and the adaptive significance of our primate heritage. This presentation is easily modified for more emphasis on primate adaptations, Mendelian genetics (PTC, Punnett Squares), the influence of culture on genetics (lactose intolerance, lactase persistence), or basics of nutrition. (Grades 3-12)
Human Evolution & Adaptation: What Makes Us Human?
In this lab, students learn about human evolution using comparative anatomical methods to obtain quantitative and descriptive data on: 1) modern ape and modern human skull and dental comparisons, 2) early fossil human skull and dental comparisons, 3) early fossil human bipedal adaptations, 4) recent fossil human brain enlargement and stone tool technology, 5) Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon culture and anatomy, and 6) geologic dating and a time-line for key events in human evolution. This presentation supplements human evolution lessons, as well as functional anatomy and adaptation lessons. (Grades 5-12)
Kim recently completed her Master's Degree in Biological Anthropology
at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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