Extending Paleoanthropology with the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis and Human Origins: Archaeological Perspectives" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Discerning the patterns and processes of human origins has been mostly centered on a gene-eye’s view of fitness landscapes. This interpretive structure is partiality undermined by modern biological thought that emphasizes a more holistic approach to evolution. We suggest that the broader framework of the Extended Evolutionary synthesis allows for a better interpretation of paleoanthropological data. Some scholars have suggested that Niche construction blurs the boundaries between ultimate and proximate drivers of evolution. However, while thinking in terms of proximate and ultimate causation is useful, the two cannot always be separated while discerning relevant processes in ecosystems. In this paper, we emphasize the role of niche construction and suggest its value can be strengthened by firm footing in semiotic theory and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. We argue that the niche (and the concept of Umwelt) is a useful way to understand the organism—environment interface and apply this theoretical framework to two specific examples: 1) hominin evolution and 2) the processes of modern human origin. Using new results from aDNA, fossils, and archaeology we show that models which incorporate the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis are better fits for the current data that emphasizes hybridization and the expansion of the human niche.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis and Human Origins: Archaeological Perspectives

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23700