The human species underwent a watershed change in the biochemical composition of its cell surfaces, via a genetic event estimated to have occurred ~2-3 mya, which is also the apparent period of the emergence of the genus Homo. In this talk, UC San Diego’s Pascal Gagneux explains how this radical makeover of cell surfaces in early Homo would have brought about a mismatch between females lacking a certain cell surface sialic acid and males still expressing it, essentially providing a mechanism for...
Sep 19, 2016•15 min
Jeff Severinghaus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego addresses Abrupt Climate Transitions and Humans. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 29691]
Sep 19, 2016•18 min
Jessica Sommerville (Univ of Washington) reviews evidence to suggest that, within the first year of life, infants develop an understanding of transient mental states (such as goals and desires), enduring personal dispositions (such as preferences), and socio-moral norms (such as fairness norms), that is driven by their own actions on the world, as well as their interactions with other people. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26082]
Sep 08, 2016•19 min
Johannes Krause (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) and his research team analyzed more than 200 ancient human genomes spanning the last 10,000 years of Western Eurasian pre-history. They found direct evidence for two major genetic turnover events at the beginning and at the end of the Neolithic time period in Europe, which they attribute to two major migrations. This explains why all modern European populations are a genetic mixture of steppe pastoralist, early farmers and i...
Sep 05, 2016•21 min
Tony Capra (Vanderbilt Univ) and his team analyzed the contribution of common Neandertal variants to over 1000 electronic health record (EHR)-derived phenotypes in ~28,000 adults of European ancestry. Their results establish that archaic admixture influences disease risk in modern humans, provide hypotheses about the effects of hundreds of Neandertal haplotypes, and demonstrate the utility of HER data in evolutionary analyses. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthrop...
Aug 29, 2016•22 min
In this talk, María Avila-Arcos (National Autonomous University of Mexico) presents a review of the current state of knowledge of the genetic history of the Americas as revealed by ancient and modern DNA studies. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30983]
Aug 01, 2016•20 min
Conclusion, Audience Questions and Closing Remarks for the CARTA symposium: Ancient DNA and Human Evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30984]
Jul 29, 2016•36 min
Brenna Henn (Stony Brook Univ) explores patterns of genetic diversity across Africa and models for modern human origins in this talk. She discusses whether genetic data is concordant with archaeological data and suggests directions for future research. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30979]
Jul 29, 2016•20 min
UC Santa Cruz’s Ed Green delivers the opening remarks for the CARTA symposium: Ancient DNA and Human Evolution Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30974]
Jul 29, 2016•6 min
Pascal Gagneaux welcomes guests to the CARTA symposium: Ancient DNA and Human Evolution Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30973]
Jul 29, 2016•7 min
In this talk Kay Prüfer (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) explains that the analysis of high coverage genome sequences from two archaic human individuals (a Neandertal and a Denisovan) has revealed that they are more closely related to one another than they are to modern humans. The analysis also shows that gene flow was not uncommon among human groups in the Pleistocene. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30978]
Jul 28, 2016•15 min
This symposium brings together researchers at the forefront of ancient DNA research and population genetics to discuss current developments and share insights about human migration and adaptation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30972]
Jul 27, 2016•59 min
This symposium brings together researchers at the forefront of ancient DNA research and population genetics to discuss current developments and share insights about human migration and adaptation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30971]
Jul 20, 2016•53 min
This symposium brings together researchers at the forefront of ancient DNA research and population genetics to discuss current developments and share insights about human migration and adaptation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30970]
Jul 13, 2016•56 min
Rachel Mayberry of UC San Diego and her team have discovered that linguistic stimulation during early life is necessary for the human language capacity to develop fully. The longer the child matures without language, the more atypical linguistic functioning and brain language processing become in adulthood. Thus, the universal human ability to learn language and the ability of the traditional regions of the brain to process language crucially depend upon the timing of linguistic experience in ea...
Jul 04, 2016•22 min
Charles Kennel of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego provides introductory background for this symposium which presents varied perspectives from earth scientists, ecologists, and paleoanthropologists on how climate may have shaped human evolution, as well as the prospects for the future of world climate, ecosystems, and our species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 29687]
Jun 30, 2016•4 min
Robert Franciscus (Univ of Iowa) explains that anatomically modern humans are recognized in the fossil record primarily by retraction and diminution of the facial skeleton compared to pre-modern “archaic” humans. He then describes a promising model for the advent of facial diminution, which suggests that anatomically modern humans represent a ‘self-domesticated’ species where selection for increased social tolerance led to growth and developmental alterations producing craniofacial “feminization...
Jun 27, 2016•20 min
Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego addresses efforts towards mitigation of climate change. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 29696]
Jun 20, 2016•23 min
In this talk, Wenda Trevathan of New Mexico State University focuses on energetic and biomechanical factors that converge at the time of birth to set the stage for an enormously expanded role of child-rearing in human evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28029]
May 31, 2016•18 min
William Ruddiman of the University of Virginia on how humans took control of climate. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 29692]
May 20, 2016•19 min
The evolution of mostly naked skin in the human lineage heralded major changes in the biological and social functions of skin. Nina Jablonski of Pennsylvania State University provides many examples of both in this wonderful presentation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30211]
May 09, 2016•24 min
This symposium explores evidence bearing on the emergence of our genus, focusing on possible antecedents to Homo, changes in diet and body form as Australopithecus evolved toward Homo, ancient species within the genus, and evolutionary processes likely operating 2.5 - 1.5 million years ago. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30634]
Apr 27, 2016•59 min
Philip Rightmire and Ajit Varki wrap up the symposium with a questions and answer session and closing remarks. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30646]
Apr 22, 2016•38 min
In this talk, Herman Pontzer investigates humans’ evolving metabolic strategy and its origins in the fossil record. He discusses the ecological pressures that shaped our genus and the evolutionary origins of obesity and metabolic disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30645]
Apr 22, 2016•19 min
Steven Churchill opens the symposium on Origins of Genus Homo. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30636]
Apr 22, 2016•5 min
Margaret Schoeninger welcomes you to the symposium on Origins of Genus Homo. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30635]
Apr 22, 2016•6 min
This symposium explores evidence bearing on the emergence of our genus, focusing on possible antecedents to Homo, changes in diet and body form as Australopithecus evolved toward Homo, ancient species within the genus, and evolutionary processes likely operating 2.5 - 1.5 million years ago. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30633]
Apr 20, 2016•57 min
This symposium explores evidence bearing on the emergence of our genus, focusing on possible antecedents to Homo, changes in diet and body form as Australopithecus evolved toward Homo, ancient species within the genus, and evolutionary processes likely operating 2.5 - 1.5 million years ago. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 30632]
Apr 13, 2016•58 min
In this presentation UC San Diego’s Rob Knight describes some of the functions of the human skin microbiome, how it and its complex chemical repertoire differ from that of other animals that have been studied, including chimpanzees, dogs, amphibians and reptiles, and what we are starting to learn about how microbiomes evolve into specialized evolutionary niches. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 30216]
Feb 22, 2016•25 min
Steven Leigh (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) explores the nature of the primate microbiome with the goal of understanding the impacts of microbiomes on human evolution. His results point to important contributions of microbial ecosystems to the evolution of human diet. He also sees implications for human brain evolution through energy and micronutrients that are produced by microbial taxa. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Health and Medicine] [S...
Feb 17, 2016•18 min
