Evolution

Since humans split from their primate ancestors, their brains evolved with a larger mass relative to body weight, more cortical neurons, and distinct connectivity patterns. Human neurons mature more slowly, a trait known as neoteny, likely influencing these differences. Gene regulation, not new genes, may underlie species differences, particularly in the primate lineage. The role of these regulatory mechanisms in human neuron development remains poorly understood. This lecture explores the molecular factors affecting prolonged human neuron maturation and its implications for human development and neurodevelopmental diseases. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39270]

We know Homo sapiens started in Africa, but we're uncertain about how they spread. Limited fossils and data have hindered our understanding. I'll discuss popular theories about our origins and how recent genetic data from Khoe-San people in southern Africa sheds light on this. Our research suggests a complex history, with population structures dating back to about 120,000-135,000 years ago. Early populations had connections, or gene flow, for hundreds of thousands of years. These "weakly structured stem" models explain genetic diversity that was once thought to come from other hominin species. Unlike previous ideas of interbreeding with archaic humans, our models predict that fossils from these populations should be genetically and physically similar. This variability in theories stems from not considering different possibilities, highlighting the importance of exploring various models to gain more accurate insights into our deep history. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39269]

The human penchant for storytelling is universal, early-developing, and profoundly culture-shaping. Stories (folk tales, narratives and myths) influence the costs of social transactions and organize societies at every scale of human interaction. Story as a mode of communication is also unprecedented in the animal kingdom: although we are compelled to tell stories about other animals, they are not likewise compelled to tell stories about us (or anything else, for that matter). Even our ability to manage urgent human problems such as global health and climate change are affected by the stories and myths humans choose to tell. This symposium explores several stories about how the evolution of story-telling shaped, and continues to shape, the human epoch. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39006]

Animals and tricksters are highly prominent beings in the mythology of the San Bushmen of southern Africa, as well as of hunter-gatherers in other regions of the world. Their actions and interactions provide the plot lines for most of the stories people tell about myth time. Why are these two beings so preeminent in San mythology and storytelling? Is there a connection between the two beings? Mathias Guenther discusses these two questions and the answer reveals a deep – and deep-rooted –mystical connection also between animals and humans. The hunting-gathering people that provide the cultural context for my talk are the San Bushmen of southern Africa, amongst whom I have done ethnographic field work. I will also consider hunter-gatherers from other parts of the world, both from present or recent times and from prehistory. These considerations may shed some light on certain aspects of prehistoric cave paintings. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39004]

Political, financial and environmental crises coupled to the rise of social media have, in recent years, created a perfect storm of mis- and disinformation that leverage long standing reservoirs of belief within and across communities. These stories on social media mirror face-to-face storytelling and other storytelling environments in that they allow for the negotiation of cultural ideology (norms, beliefs, values), yet they also change the scope, speed and amplification of that storytelling. Importantly, storytelling has real world effects, and often motivates people to take action. We present a graphical model of the underlying narrative frameworks, estimated from the data itself, and show how various network based methods can form the basis for understanding the narrative coherence—and their possible outcomes—even when the discussions on social media are incomplete and noisy, as conversations in real life often are. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39003]

In the foundational texts of Western civilisation (the Bible, Iliad), plagues are symbols of divine retribution, signifying Godly displeasure with human misdeeds. But in Thucydides’ classic account of the mysterious plague that swept Athens in 430 BC, Camus’s La Peste, and Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven, literary accounts of plagues and pandemics are also morality tales and metaphors for the dissolution of the social bonds necessary for the functioning of modern societies. In this talk, I bring the history of plague writing into dialogue with the history of trust, to examine what plague texts tell us about our foundational myths and our obsession with calamities and crises. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39002]

As the global response to climate change drives a profound reevaluation of our interaction with fire, there's a timely opportunity to delve into the roots of our connection with combustion. Archaeologist Michael Chazan uncovers early traces of human fire usage at Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa and Evron Quarry in Israel. Chazan contends that it's more apt to consider the emergence of a dynamic bond between humans and fire rather than pinpointing a singular origin. This symbiotic relationship is defined by how fire intertwines technology and society, the tangible and intangible, adaptation and the sacred. Join us in exploring this intricate interplay, shedding light on the fusion of humanity and the elemental force that has shaped civilizations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39001]

Humans have been telling stories about animals as long as humans have been telling stories. One story humans tell about animals is the one about how, with enough care and patience humans might one day listen to the stories animals themselves have to tell. Some folks see this story as nonfiction, a truth about animals manifest in the dance of bees, the grunts of monkeys, the antics of their dogs and cats, or the signs produced by trained gorillas. In this talk, I attempt examine these conflicting views. Despite the fact that animals do not sit around fires telling stories, are their minds organized in story-like formats? Do their mental representations of the events of the past, present and future constitute general narratives? Do they construct and reflect on their own personal narratives? And finally, and perhaps more paradoxically, are our scientific answers to these questions a better reflection of the internal world of animals or the humans who study them? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39000]

The hunting hypothesis proposes that the dietary shift to meat procurement was the catalyst favoring a suite of transformative human biological and behavioral adaptations. Evolutionary changes in the human diet are associated with the emergence of food sharing, the division of labor and pooled energy budgets. To balance this discussion, I revisit several misconceptions linked to the hunting hypothesis. Revising myths about the centrality of hunting to more closely reflect the archaeological and ethnographic records has important implications for updating the entrenched emphasis on male behaviors. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 38999]

The human penchant for storytelling is universal, early-developing, and profoundly culture-shaping. Stories (folk tales, narratives and myths) influence the costs of social transactions and organize societies at every scale of human interaction. Story as a mode of communication is also unprecedented in the animal kingdom: although we are compelled to tell stories about other animals, they are not likewise compelled to tell stories about us (or anything else, for that matter). Even our ability to manage urgent human problems such as global health and climate change are affected by the stories and myths humans choose to tell. This symposium explores several stories about how the evolution of story-telling shaped, and continues to shape, the human epoch. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39005]