The Evolution of Human Nutrition

Tracing the evolution of the human diet from our earliest ancestors can lead to a better understanding of human adaptation in the past.  It may also offer clues to the origin of many health problems that we currently face, such as obesity and chronic disease.   The CARTA public symposium on "The Evolution of Human Nutrition" brought together scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds to explore the diets of our ancestors.  What did early humans eat? Were the nutritional requirements and dietary needs of contemporary humans established in our prehistoric past?  At this symposium, a lively discussion took place about the changing diets of our ancestors - from australopith diets to current hunter-gatherer diets - and what role these dietary transitions played in the evolution of humans.

Event Sessions

Media for each talk can be played by clicking on icons in the "Media" column, or by clicking on the individual talk titles below and then the attachment file at the bottom of the page.

Date	Media	Session Title	Speakers
Fri 12/7		Welcome and Opening Remarks	Margaret Schoeninger, University of California, San Diego Ajit Varki, UC San Diego School of Medicine
Fri 12/7		Background and Overview	Leslie Aiello, The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (retired)
Fri 12/7		Diets and Microbes in Primates	Steven Leigh, University of Colorado, Boulder
Fri 12/7		Current Hunter-Gatherer Diets	Alyssa Crittenden, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Fri 12/7		Australopith Diets	Peter Ungar, University of Arkansas
Fri 12/7		Fire, Starch, Meat, and Honey	Richard Wrangham, Harvard University
Fri 12/7		Neanderthal Diets	Alison Brooks, George Washington University Margaret Schoeninger, University of California, San Diego
Fri 12/7		Archaic Human Diets	Mary Stiner, University of Arizona
Fri 12/7		Agriculture's Impact on Human Evolution	Clark Larsen, Ohio State University
Fri 12/7		Impact of Globalization on Children's Nutrition	Barry Bogin, Loughborough University
Fri 12/7		Question and Answer Session and Closing Remarks	Leslie Aiello, The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (retired) Pascal Gagneux, University of California, San Diego Margaret Schoeninger, University of California, San Diego