Request concerning the project “Embodied climates” (2025/121)

On 25 August 2025, the National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains (Human Remains Committee) received a request from Anne Marie Wort, doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. The applicant is requesting to study the remains of individuals kept in collections at the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as part of the dissertation project “Embodied Climate: A Bioarchaeological and Paleoclimatic Investigation of Dietary Resilience and Physiological Stress in Medieval Scandinavia (900–1350 CE)”. Wort plans to conduct research in 2026, and is in the process of applying for external and internal grants.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is responsible for the project. Collaborator and PhD advisor for the project is professor Birgitte Holt, Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Wort’s request to the Human Remains Committee includes a filled-out submission form, project description and an ethical self-assessment. The request was evaluated by the Human Remains Committee in its meeting on September 15th, 2025.

Project purpose

The request is part of Wort’s doctoral research project in anthropology. The project examines how diet shaped experiences of famine in medieval Scandinavia (900-1350 CE) during the Little Ice Age, focusing on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining bioarchaeology and paleoclimatology, it analyzes dietary adaptations and physiological stress in relation to climate variability across different regional and social contexts. By situating these findings within contemporary debates on climate change, the study offers long-term insights into resilience and resource management in marginal environments.

Material and method

The exact material remains undetermined, as collection inventories are incomplete due to a relocation process. The skeletal material will be collected to meet a set of criteria: 

1. Type: A balanced selection of rural, semi-rural, and urban burial sites, mainly village cemeteries and small-town churchyards linked to farming or fishing communities.
2. Geography: Coastal and inland sites in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
3. Dating: The target chronological range is 900 to 1350 AD, a period covering the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the early Little Ice Age, ending before the Black Death to avoid its effects on health patterns. If needed, the scope may extend to 1600.
4. Preservation: The project targets moderately to well-preserved remains, especially adults, to assess indicators of nutritional stress.

The project will combine osteological, isotopic, and environmental methods to investigate human diet and resilience to climatic variability. Paleopathological analysis of skeletal remains will assess nutritional stress. Stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) will be used, where preservation and permission allow, to study diet and dietary changes over time. These biological data, supplemented by existing studies, will be integrated with paleoclimate proxies to explore links between environmental fluctuations and physiological stress, with resilience indices applied to evaluate community-level adaptation and vulnerability.

Wort indicates that sampling will only be conducted in cases where existing datasets are deemed insufficient to answer the proposed research questions. Potential sampling would focus on rib fragments, restricted to one element per individual, and guided by preservation concerns, availability, and the need for statistically meaningful representation. The number of samples to be taken remains undetermined, as collection inventories are incomplete.

Ethical self-assessment

Wort recognizes that the skeletal individuals must be treated with dignity, respect, and care, and that the project raises ethical considerations in consent, cultural affiliation, and invasive sampling. Wort will ensure that all materials are used in accordance with the guidelines set by the National Research Ethics Committees in Norway as well as individual institutional policies.

Wort reflects on the ethical responsibilities of studying human remains from cultural groups to which the researcher does not belong, stressing the importance of respectful collaboration with Scandinavian institutions and, where relevant, descendant or affiliated communities. Ethical considerations include transparency, communication, and sensitivity to cultural values.

Wort identifies the use of invasive isotopic sampling as a key challenge, which irreversibly alters skeletal material. To address this, Wort commits to minimizing sampling, prioritizing ribs over rarer skeletal elements, and reusing previously sampled remains when possible. The goal is to balance scientific benefits with preservation of collections for future research. While invasive, Wort believes the benefits of her research do outweigh the costs.

The project aims to explore links between diet, stress, and climate instability during the Little Ice Age as a way to contextualize modern challenges with food insecurity and climate variability. To avoid simplistic interpretations, the author will integrate cultural, ecological, and historical contexts.

Data will be managed securely, transparently, and ethically, with clear documentation, long-term preservation, and opportunities for collaboration. Research findings will be communicated both academically and publicly, with sensitivity toward the individuals represented.

The committee’s evaluation

In its ethical evaluation of the application, the committee uses the Guidelines for Ethical Research on Human Remains (National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains, 2022) as its primary reference. Where relevant, the committee may also consider other national and international research ethics guidelines.

The project puts forward interesting research questions and is set within a solid research environment. The project leader’s ethical self-assessment demonstrates awareness and understanding of several key ethical considerations.

The project, as currently presented, remains somewhat generic and lacks full clarification regarding its design and scope. Wort notes that sampling will be considered only if existing datasets do not adequately address the research questions. If Wort intends to rely solely on published material, the proposed study is acceptable. However, if the project seeks to conduct palaeopathological analyses and sampling, certain aspects require further specification and reflection.

Sufficiency of information in existing data: The application does not specify the criteria by which the adequacy of existing data will be evaluated, nor does it provide a systematic framework for determining when additional palaeopathological analyses and/or sampling would be justified. Without such clarification, it is difficult for the committee to assess the necessity, proportionality, and methodological soundness of the potential sampling activities. Greater detail is therefore required to demonstrate what the applicant considers to be sufficient or insufficient information in this context.

Protocol: The committee finds that the request lacks a sufficiently detailed description of the protocol for sampling and subsequent analyses of the material. The project effectively seeks a broad, unrestricted authorization to carry out sampling and analyses. Such authorization cannot be advised.

Export of biological samples: Although the application does not state this specifically, it is assumed that any stable isotopic analyses will be performed by a laboratory outside of Norway. This will require an export permit. It is essential that all necessary export permits are obtained before sampling begins in order to avoid irreversible interventions without certainty of approval for transport. Applications for export permits are handled by the Museum of Cultural History, UiO. English language applications are available at https://www.kulturdirektoratet.no/fag/museum-og-kulturarv/museumsutvikling/import-og-eksport#sknadsskjema-og-veiledning.

Consideration of other cultural groups: It is possible that the material may include Sámi remains. The project has not reflected upon this possibility. Wort may not be familiar with the Scandinavian context and the ethical considerations relating to Sámi or other indigenous and minority groups. The committee therefore advises the applicant to consult relevant guidance, including point 5 of the Guidelines for Ethical Research on Human Remains, point 32 of the Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH), 2021) as well as the NREC’s thematic resources on research involving Indigenous peoples and national minorities: https://www.forskningsetikk.no/ressurser/tema-urfolk-og-nasjonale-minoriteter/

Conclusion

The committee cannot recommend approval of palaeopathological analyses and sampling in this project as currently described. Wort may begin the project on the basis of published material. Wort is welcome to submit a new request with more detailed information and reflections on the points noted above.

Yours sincerely

Sean D. Denham, Chair

Lene Os Johannessen, Secretariat

Copy: Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo and NTNU University museum.