The macroevolution of our ancient lineage: what we know (or think we know) about early hominin diversity, Ackermann & Smith, 2007

Ackermann and Smith highlight issues within paleoanthropology related to hominin diversity, such as the lack of information related to interspecific and intraspecific variation of the hominins. They comment frequently about the problematic use of the word 'mosaic' to describe morphological traits.
Specific important questions brought up in the article:

What constitutes the primitive condition?

• Is thick or thin enamel primitive? Does it matter/is this a meaningful question given the information we have? 
• Reduced canines = similar argument

Why have questions of variation been avoided despite hominins being so speciose?

• Small sample size
• Mosaic, resulting in adaptive radiations

Early hominin environment

• broad differences in environment don't provide a lot of information toward the adaptive underpinnings of hominin diversity
• ex: Papio hamadryas  lives in many diverse habitats (only a single species)
• Paranthropus = best info for analyzing adaptive change
• Large teeth suggest diet change, what type of change? People intitially though hard-objects, but isotopes reveal grass? Was it fallback foods that promoted evolutionary change and the need to access a WIDER range of resources (due to seasonality) that promoted phenotypic change? 

Mosaic morphology

• Primates, specifically new world primate share an overall pattern of trait integration and covariation
• vast bulk of cranial diversification is related to size
• Hominins seems to be having very different adaptation patterns, so what is going on? not related to size but shape

Most probably explanation for diversification is that they were occupying distinct niches driven by resource exploitation

Wild surmises on savage thoughs, Schrire, 1984

Schrire, C. (1984)
Schrire seeks to understand the way hunter-gatherers have been incorporated into archaeological and historical perspectives. She emphasizes the small-minded perspectives used when analyzing hunter-gatherer societies (except for Buch's multidisciplinary exploration of the Caribou Eskimoes, which weds archaeology, history, and linguistics with meteorological info) Often researchers treat hunter-gatherers as if they haven't had a history of their own. In the future, she suggests a broader perspective to be implemented which frees hunter-gatherers from being frozen in time.

Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A review of food deserts literature, Walker et al., 2010

Walker, R.E., Keane, C.R., Burke, J.G. (2010). Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A review of food deserts literature. Healthy & Place, 16, 876-884.

This article reviews 31 papers that reference 'food deserts.' It's been a helpful source in identifying literature pertinent to my own study. Papers of interest are Cummins & Macintyre, 2002; Hendrickson et al., 2006; Zenk et al., 2006; The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Section 7527 of the bill; Glanz et al., 2007; Chung & Myers, 1999; Freedman, 1991)