Advertise on podcast: Evolution (Audio)

Today, permanent body modification (PBM) is very popular. Studies suggest that well over a billion living people have experienced one or more types of PBM. But what is the history of PBM? When did the different types originate? Were they invented recently, or do they have a long history? Did they appear simultaneously or at different times? This presentation examines evidence in non-human animals and extinct hominins, delving into early archaeological and historical records of seven main PBM types: tattooing, scarification, amputation, piercing, genital modification, dental modification, and bone shaping. Strong evidence supports human PBM for at least 15,000 years, with intriguing hints suggesting a history dating back as far as 80,000 years. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39467]

Our ability to adapt our bodies to culture has ancient origins. We suggest a timeline for how the culturalization of the human body evolved, starting around 500-300 thousand years ago. This timeline highlights key moments at 140 thousand years, 70 thousand years, and 45 thousand years, followed by a faster pace linked to the rise of production economies. The underlying idea is a gradual growth in the complexity of technologies shaping the body, along with increased time and effort invested in obtaining and transforming necessary materials. Simultaneously, the development of symbolic codes required the creation of specific cognitive functions and neural circuits, allowing for the decoding of intricate messages conveyed by these cultural practices. These practices likely became more intricate in terms of techniques, symbolic codes, and the involvement of specialized individuals over time to ensure their continuation and potential further development. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39466]

Permanent body modification is a unique and variable practice among humans, not observed in other mammals. Despite being costly and risky, it is regularly performed. Scientific understanding of this phenomenon is nascent, prompting a symposium aiming to assess current research status and prioritize questions for the next decade. The event brings together academics and industry practitioners, exploring historical and contemporary practices like tattooing, piercing, finger amputation, and cranial modification. The symposium aims to investigate the 'when' and 'where' of permanent body modification and understand the motivations behind it, considering personal justifications and scientific hypotheses. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39475]

This talk presents a new account of the development of professional tattooing in Britain and America since the late 19th century. Research based exclusively in primary sources reveals that the story of what kickstarted the creation of commercial tattooing, and what sustained it, ultimately becomes intelligible as a small and interconnected network of transnational artists and – crucially – clients. These newly clarified networks problematise both the date and form of the customary notion of a “Tattoo Renaissance” in the 1970s and 80s. Moreover, this research presents a more diverse account of the transmission of design, technology and influence throughout Euro-American tattooing than had previously been understood both within the industry, and beyond. Research is drawn from Dr Lodder’s next book on the history of the modern Euro-American tattoo industry, due to be published in late 2024 with Yale University Press. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39473]

This talk explores the 1000-year practice of "footbinding" in ethnically Han Chinese families, involving modifying young girls' feet by wrapping the toes under the sole, often resulting in broken toes. Two main hypotheses—Labor Market and Evolutionary Social Sciences—are considered for explaining the origins, maintenance, and cessation of footbinding. This talk presents evidence from autopsy results, medical examinations, anthropological records, interviews, and historical texts. It argues that evolutionary social and psychological principles related to hypergyny, mate guarding, parental competition, mate competition, and paternal uncertainty offer better explanations for the origins and maintenance of footbinding than labor market factors. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39472]

Comparative Anthropogeny (CompAnth) is the study of distinctly human traits and characteristics in the context of comparisons with our closest living relatives, the “great apes.” This symposium, the third of CARTA's CompAnth series, will present a collection of distinctive human traits, ranging from molecular, cellular, and anatomical biology to behavioral, societal, and cultural features. Given the large number of human traits for which no counterparts have yet been described in nature, the limitations of the comparative method will also be addressed and alternative approaches to the singularity that is the human phenomenon will be discussed. The goal is a better understanding of human origins and a full appreciation of our species’ planet altering effects. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39281]

Comparative Anthropogeny (CompAnth) is the study of distinctly human traits and characteristics in the context of comparisons with our closest living relatives, the “great apes.” This symposium, the third of CARTA's CompAnth series, will present a collection of distinctive human traits, ranging from molecular, cellular, and anatomical biology to behavioral, societal, and cultural features. Given the large number of human traits for which no counterparts have yet been described in nature, the limitations of the comparative method will also be addressed and alternative approaches to the singularity that is the human phenomenon will be discussed. The goal is a better understanding of human origins and a full appreciation of our species’ planet altering effects. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39280]

Human language is a strong contender for the title of most often named species-specific feature in the literature. But why is that? In this talk, Eva Wittenberg explores what we could mean by "human language", and how different conceptions of language inevitably lead to different answers about whether it is species-specific. While syntax is a central feature, it is only one of several, and the uniqueness of human language is that it arose from a combination of, perhaps, ordinary ingredients. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39277]

Human ovulation lacks visible signs, unlike chimpanzees and bonobos with conspicuous genital swellings during fertility. This led to the concept of "concealed ovulation," seen as a human adaptation. Proposed reasons include encouraging paternal investment, confusing paternity to deter infanticide, enabling secret mating and female choice, and reducing female rivalry. Many non-human primates also have unsignaled ovulation. While self-reported human mating doesn't match ovulation, debates persist on subtle reproductive cycle influences. Some cultures use menstrual taboos to disclose fertility status. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39275]

Life history theory suggests that inter-birth intervals (IBIs) depend on a trade-off between maternal investment in current and future offspring, influenced by the mother's energy and somatic maintenance. Normally, IBI aligns with maternal and infant body size, larger relative infant size leading to slower breeding. In contrast, humans have relatively shorter IBIs due to cooperative breeding, support from the social group. Some other species with cooperative behaviors also exhibit shorter IBIs, possibly aided by factors like meat-eating enabling early weaning around 2.5 million years ago in the Homo lineage. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39276]

High-altitude adaptation stands out as one of the most notable examples of evolution within our species. Despite similar challenges of decreased oxygen availability, human groups on different continents have followed unique evolutionary trajectories. I will discuss how genomic, molecular, and physiological discoveries reveal key insights into human-specific evolutionary changes, examine comparative findings and limitations, and consider alternative approaches for understanding distinct facets of this extraordinary human phenomenon. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39274]

The human genome contains segments of DNA with non-human origins. This introgressed genetic material is remnants of mating events between early modern humans and their archaic contemporaries (e.g., Neanderthals and Denisovans). In this talk, Andrew Schork will review the evidence for such genetic material, its consequences on phenotypic diversity in modern humans, and discuss if this process - archaic introgression - is typical among other great ape species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39273]