Journal Articles

Cao, D., Liu, X., Gu, W., Zhu, H., Zhang, R., Zhou, Z., Wei, Q., Zou, J., Qiu, Y., Chen, J., Ding, L., Pomeroy, E., & Yuan, H. (2025).
Dental caries as indicators of agricultural practices in the foothills of Neolithic China. Archaeological Research in Asia, 43, 100645.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2025.100645

Wang, X., Cao, D., Gu, W., Wei, Q., Chen, X.-L., Zhang, R., Ding, L., Tang, Z., Teng, X., Wang, T., Zou, J., Qiu, Y., Fu, Q., & Yuan, H. (2025).
Multi-isotope analysis reveals human millet-based diets and limited mobility in the Central Plains of China ca. 5000 years ago. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 35, e3407.
https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3407

Cao, D., Crema, E. R., & Pomeroy, E. (2024).
Estimating intralimb proportions for commingled remains. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3326

Yi, B., Yuan, H., Wang, T., Cao, D., Yang, Y., & Hu, Y. (2024).
Life history of a high-status noblewoman from the late Shu state during the Eastern Zhou period (770–221 BC): Childhood stress and adult stability. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 34(1).

Tao, L., Yuan, H., Zhu, K., Liu, X., Guo, J., Min, R., He, H., Cao, D., Yang, X., Zhou, Z., Wang, R., Zhao, D., Ma, H., Chen, J., Zhao, J., Li, Y., He, Y., Suo, D., Zhang, R., Li, S., Li, L., Yang, F., Li, H., Zhang, L., Jin, L., & Wang, C.-C. (2023).
Ancient genomes reveal millet farming–related demic diffusion from the Yellow River into southwest China. Current Biology, 33(22), 4995–5002.e7.

Lu, H., Li, Z., Ciren, C., Cao, D., Gao, X., & Li, L. (2022).
Sding Chung: An early multi-burial cave site on the Tibetan Plateau. Antiquity, 96(387), 745–753.

Yuan, H., Gu, W., Wei, Q., Wu, Q., Ding, L., & Cao, D. (2022).
Analysis of dental caries in the Yangshao population at the Qingtai site, Zhengzhou. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 41(2), 226–237. (in Chinese)

Cao, D., & Yuan, H. (2021).
Preliminary analysis of commingled human remains. Yellow River, Yellow Earth, Yellow Race, (06), 41–44. (in Chinese)

Newsletter

Cao, D. (2017, November 17).
Seeing humans through bones: A multidimensional perspective on ancient human life — Summary of the Second Annual Meeting of the Osteoarchaeology Committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society. China Cultural Relics News, (006). (in Chinese)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 

2025
Cao, D., Crema, E. R., Lü, H., Yuan, H., & Pomeroy, E.
Tracking Spatial and Temporal Variation in Body Form Across Ancient Chinese Populations
Annual Conference of Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (UK), Cambridge, United Kingdom. (Podium)

2025
Cao, D., Crema, E. R., Lü, H., Yuan, H., & Pomeroy, E.
Bayesian models reveal spatiotemporal patterns of body size variation in Holocene Chinese populations.
Annual Meeting of the Human Osteoarchaeology Committee, Chinese Archaeological Society, Yili, Xinjiang, China. (Podium)

2025
Cao, D., Crema, E. R., & Pomeroy, E.
Tracking long-term and geographic variation in body size among Chinese populations: Combined insights from contemporary and archaeological evidence.
94th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, Baltimore, USA. (Podium)

2024
Cao, D., Pomeroy, E., Lu, H., Yuan, H., Feng, Y., & Shuai, L.
An analysis of commingled human remains from two Bronze to Iron Age sites in West Tibet.
30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Rome, Italy. (Podium)

2024
Cao, D., Liu, X., & Yuan, H.
Dental caries as indicators of agricultural practices in the foothills of Neolithic China.
24th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, Leiden, Netherlands. (Poster)

2023
Cao, D., Crema, E. R., & Pomeroy, E.
Estimating intra-limb proportions for commingled remains.
23rd Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, London, UK. (Poster)

2023
Cao, D., Lu, H., Yang, F., Li, S., Wangdui, X., Yuan, H., & Pomeroy, E.
Bioarchaeological insights into health and cultural practices on the ancient Tibetan Plateau in Central Asia.
29th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Belfast, UK. (Poster)

2019
Cao, D., & Yuan, H.
Life-course study of Zhao Xin, an official of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
Third Annual Meeting of the Human Osteoarchaeology Committee, Chinese Archaeological Society, Qingdao, China. (Poster)

2018
Cao, D.
Dental caries in the Late Neolithic Gaoshan population in southwest China.
Osteoarchaeology Session, Second Chinese Archaeological Congress, Chengdu, China. (Podium)

FIELDWORK EXPERIENCES

Excavations

2021  Sdingchung Cave Site, Zhongba, Xizang (Tibet), China

2016  Haimenkou Site, Jianchuan, Dali, Yunnan, China

Surveys

2025  Shuanghe Cave, Suiyang, Zunyi, Guizhou, China

2020  Shidaqiu Site, Maerkang, Aba, Sichuan, China

2019  Xincun Site, Wuding, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China

2019  Ladian Site, Yuanmou, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China

2019  Jiangxifen Site, Wuding, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China

2018  Zhijiaozhongxin Site, Fenyang, Shanxi, China

2018  Qingtai Site, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

 Speaker, “What I Found from Buried Ancient Teeth”
TEDxKids@Chengdu, Chengdu, China (2021)