British Science Festival

Event details

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF HUMAN EVOLUTION BEYOND AFRICA

£ 5.00

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Organisation:	Anthropology and Archaeology Section
Collaborative organisations:	The University of Liverpool
Date of Event:	Start Date: 15/09/2010 End Date: 15/09/2010
Time of Event:	Start time: 14:00 - End time: 16:00
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Event Summary:	Early humans originated in the tropics but spread far beyond Africa much earlier than was thought, probably in waves. The last of these, starting about 100,000 years ago, populated the world with modern humans. Why did this evolution happen so fast, and what led to such wide dispersal? Examine exciting evidence from archaeology, genetics and fossils far and wide in the search for answers.
Audience level:	4. All adults
Event Category:	What makes us human?
Keyword:	weekly pass
Booking information:	Included in weekly pass
Venue:	G11, Aston University

Event Agenda

15/09/2010 14:00 - 14:00	Welcome and Introduction Professor John Gowlett - The University of Liverpool	Welcome / Introduction

15/09/2010 14:05 - 14:00	Big brains and the big ideas of 500,000 years ago Professor Clive Gamble - Royal Holloway, University of London	Talk
	There are two questions which now drive research into our earliest origins; Why are our brains so big, and why did we become a global species so recently in our evolutionary history? I will set out to answer both questions, using early archaeolgoical evidence and the powerful explanatory theme of 'the social brain'.

15/09/2010 14:30 - 15:00	The evolution and spread of humans: a view from eastern Africa Dr Laura Basell - University of Southampton	Talk

15/09/2010 15:00 - 15:15	Genetic and archaeological perspectives on human movement along the Indian Ocean Rim Dr Mike Petraglia - University of Oxford	Talk
	Geneticists and archaeologists have argued that modern humans colonised southern Asia at around 60,000 years ago and the Levant around 45,000 years ago. However, new archaeological information from Arabia and India suggests this Out of Africa migration was much earlier, perhaps extending back to 100,000 years ago (or before), coincident with favorable environments along the Indian Ocean rim.

15/09/2010 15:30 - 16:00	Becoming Neanderthals: a view from the Northern edge Dr Beccy Scott - The British Museum	Talk
	Neanderthals have always had a bad press in popular culture,and most scientists have been no kinder to them. Concentrating on what made them “different” to modern humans led to the impression that the only interesting thing Neanderthals ever did was die out! This talk shows the ways in which European Neanderthals were following their own, complicated developmental trajectories.

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