Human Evolution: Retrodictions and Predictions

Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2014

Archaeopress Archaeology, 2021

Conversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explore the breadth and interdisciplinarity of human evolution studies. This volume reports another twenty interviews (referred to as ‘conversations’ as they are informal in style) with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of Palaeolithic archaeology, palaeoanthropology and biological anthropology, earth science and palaeoclimatic change, evolutionary anthropology and primatology, and human disease co-evolution. This project features academics at various different stages in their careers and from all over the world; in this volume alone, researchers are based at institutions in eleven different countries (namely Iran, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, South Africa, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Israel), covering five continents. Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.

Archaeopress Archaeology, 2020

Conversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explore the breadth and interdisciplinarity of human evolution studies. This volume reports twenty interviews (referred to as ‘conversations’ as they are informal in style) with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of quaternary and archaeological science, Palaeolithic archaeology, biological anthropology and palaeoanthropology, primatology and evolutionary anthropology and evolutionary genetics. This project features academics at various different stages in their careers and from all over the world; in this volume alone, researchers are based at institutions in seven different countries (namely the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States of America, Germany, Denmark, India, and China), covering four continents. Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.

90 pages bibliography for a book project about the progress in some core areas of human genetics and sociobiology in the last 10 years.

How Evolution Shapes Our Lives: Essays on Biology and Society, 2016

Can we predict how humans will evolve? 2. Has human evolution stopped? 3. Future nonadaptive evolution 4. Future adaptive evolution 5. Eugenics and genetic engineering How humans will evolve in the future is highly speculative because the process of evolution depends critically on random processes such as mutation, recombination, and genetic drift, and because adaptive evolution is strongly influenced by changing environments. Because the human environment includes culture, which can change quickly, it is difficult to predict future environments and hence future adaptive evolution. Nevertheless, some predictions can be made based on a basic understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. GLOSSARY Eugenics. Programs designed to direct evolutionary changes in the human population by controlled breeding, selective abortions, and sterility operations. Gene Flow. Movement of individuals or gametes from the local population of birth to a different local population followed by successful reproduction. Gene Pool. The set of genetic variants collectively shared by a reproducing population.

1997

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 1993

Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 2000