SciCafe: Why Human Evolution is Unremarkable

Name: SciCafe: Why Human Evolution is Unremarkable
Start: 2025-03-05T19:00:00-05:00
Location: American Museum of Natural History

Schedule

Wed, 05 Mar, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

American Museum of Natural History | Manhattan, NY

SciCafe is 21+ and free with RSVP.
For more information, visit: https://amnh.link/4jrkezv
From an evolutionary perspective, modern human bodies are surprisingly unremarkable compared to other species.
But what does that really mean?
In this SciCafe, Habiba Chirchir, assistant professor of anthropology at The Ohio State University, will explore the evolution of the “gracile,” or “slender-boned”, skeletons that characterize modern humans.
Drawing on her research on the relationship between skeletal structure and behavior, Chirchir examines evidence from the human fossil record, contemporary populations, and intriguing comparisons among closely related species, such as wolves versus domesticated dogs, arguing that humans have “domesticated” ourselves––and revealing the profound ways our biology and behavior have evolved.