SciCafe: Why Humans Are Unremarkable
March 5 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: American Museum of Natural History
New York, NY
Tickets: Free | Ages 21+
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, Leakey Foundation grantee and 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.
Note: SciCafe is 21+ and free with RSVP. This event is an in-person lecture in New York. Sign up for our events newsletter for an update when the recording is available.
About the speaker
Dr. Habiba Chirchir is a biological anthropologist and anatomist at The Ohio University. She’s a Leakey Foundation grantee and Baldwin Fellow whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between skeletal anatomy and behavior. She studies the evolution of modern human skeletal anatomy and how we evolved anatomical features that distinguish us from our ancestors. She also looks at the features we have in common with other mammals with whom we share certain behavioral traits.
Resources to learn more
Quick picks:
Gracilization of the modern human skeleton
Dr. Chirchir’s Skeletal Anatomy Lab
Big bite:
Lunch Break Science: Behavior and Morphology
How Humans Domesticated Themselves
Deep dives:
Gracialization of the Modern Human Skeleton
Recent Origin of Low Trabecular Bone Density in Modern Humans
Sponsors
This lecture is in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History and is generously sponsored by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Camilla and George Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.