Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution

128 Pages·2010·2.22 MB·English

by  Committee on the Earth system Context for Hominin Evolution

Understanding Climate's Influence on Human

Evolution

Committee on the Earth system Context for Hominin

Evolution; National Research Council

ISBN: 0-309-14839-1, 128 pages, 6 x 9, (2010)

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Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
Committee on the Earth System Context
for Hominin Evolution
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute
of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for
their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
The opinions, fndings, and conclusions or recommendations contained in this document
are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect the views of the National Science
Foundation. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their
endorsement by the U.S. government. Supported by the National Science Foundation
under Award No. EAR-0625247.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-14838-2 (Book)
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Cover: Cover design by Francesca Moghari. Front Cover: Five fossil human skulls show
how the shape of the face and braincase of early humans changed over the past 2.5 mil-
lion years (from left to right: Australopithecus africanus, 2.5 million years old; Homo
rudolfensis, 1.9 million years old; Homo erectus, ~1 million years old; Homo heidelber-
gensis, ~350,000 years old; Homo sapiens, ~4,800 years old). The images are courtesy
of the Human Origins Program of the Smithsonian Institution and photo credits include
Chip Clark, Jim DiLoreto, and Don Hurlbert, all of the Smithsonian Institution. The
bottom image is a composite image with an oxygen isotope record from and courtesy of
James Zachos. The cracked mud image is courtesy of Free Nature Pictures. The woodland
image is courtesy of Kaye Reed, National Science Foundation. Back Cover: The drill rig
is courtesy of Jason Agnich, University of Minnesota-Duluth. The wetland, savannah, and
ground examination images are also courtesy of Kaye Reed.
Copyright 2010 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
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Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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www.national-academies.org
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
COMMITTEE ON THE EARTH SYSTEM CONTEXT
FOR HOMININ EVOLUTION
ROBERT M. HAMILTON (Chair) Independent Consultant, Zelienople, Pennsylvania
BERHANE ASFAW, Rift Valley Research Service, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
GAIL M. ASHLEY, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
THURE E. CERLING, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
ANDREW S. COHEN, University of Arizona, Tucson
PETER B. DEMENOCAL, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York
ANDREW P. HILL, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
THOMAS C. JOHNSON, University of Minnesota, Duluth
JOHN E. KUTZBACH, University of Wisconsin, Madison
RICHARD POTTS, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C.
KAYE E. REED, Arizona State University, Tempe (resigned May 2009)
ALAN R. ROGERS, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
ALAN C. WALKER, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
National Research Council Staff
DAVID A. FEARY, Study Director
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Research Associate
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial and Administrative Associate
TONYA E. FONG YEE, Senior Program Assistant
iv
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
CORALE L. BRIERLEY (Chair), Brierley Consultancy, LLC, Highlands Ranch,
Colorado
KEITH C. CLARKE, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID J. COWEN, University of South Carolina, Columbia
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH, University of California, Berkeley
ROGER M. DOWNS, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
WILLIAM L. GRAF, University of South Carolina, Columbia
RUSSELL J. HEMLEY, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C.
MURRAY W. HITZMAN, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
EDWARD KAVAZANJIAN, JR., Arizona State University, Tempe
LOUISE H. KELLOGG, University of California, Davis
ROBERT B. MCMASTER, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
CLAUDIA INÉS MORA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
BRIJ M. MOUDGIL, University of Florida, Gainesville
CLAYTON R. NICHOLS, Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Offce (Retired),
Ocean Park, Washington
JOAQUIN RUIZ, University of Arizona, Tucson
PETER M. SHEARER, University of California, San Diego
REGINAL SPILLER, Allied Energy, Houston, Texas
RUSSELL E. STANDS-OVER-BULL, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Denver,
Colorado
TERRY C. WALLACE, JR., Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
HERMAN B. ZIMMERMAN, National Science Foundation (Retired), Portland, Oregon
National Research Council Staff
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Director
ELIZABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program Offcer
DAVID A. FEARY, Senior Program Offcer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Offcer
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Program Offcer
MARK D. LANGE, Associate Program Offcer
LEA A. SHANLEY, Postdoctoral Fellow
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial and Administrative Associate
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Financial and Research Associate
COURTNEY R. GIBBS, Program Associate
JASON R. ORTEGO, Research Associate
ERIC J. EDKIN, Senior Program Assistant
TONYA E. FONG YEE, Senior Program Assistant
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
Preface
nderstanding the origins of humanity has long been one of our foremost
intellectual pursuits, and one that greatly interests the general public as
Uevidenced by museum attendance and by numerous media productions
and general interest publications. Progress toward an improved understanding
of our heritage is a continuing challenge for the scientifc community, requiring
advances in a range of disciplines that include archaeology, anthropology, geol-
ogy, biology, oceanography, and genetics, and particularly research advances in
areas where two or more of these felds intersect. One of the key questions in this
interdisciplinary quest is how the environment, and specifcally climate, shaped
the evolution of our species and that of our close relatives.
Some of the most critical world issues today also bear on human evolution,
in the sense that how we got here is relevant to where we are going as a species.
For example, global warming, population growth with its attendant demands on
limited resources, pandemic threats of virulent diseases, and availability of weap-
ons that can cause massive damage and render parts of the globe uninhabitable,
all demand more rational policy decisions that take into account the long evo-
lutionary process that brought humanity to world dominance. Perhaps a greater
appreciation of what the people of the world have in common, rather than their
differences, might encourage more cooperation.
Although recent advances in knowledge of human evolution have been sub-
stantial, they really have only laid the groundwork for future achievements. New
methodologies for establishing the ages of specimens and analyzing them with
sophisticated instrumentation, and for acquiring information about past environ-
ments through drilling on land and in lakes and the ocean, set the stage for further
discoveries. Accelerated research not only offers potential for highly signifcant
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
viii PREFACE
advances, there is also an urgency in moving ahead due not only to the global
and regional threats mentioned above, but also to the loss of potential specimen
sites as a result of development and even vandalism.
Although research activity at the intersection of different scientifc disci-
plines is inherently diffcult, such research carries with it great potential for
advances that can transform understanding. Although the usual issues of dif-
fering perspectives and different jargon were encountered during this study, the
challenges of providing recommendations for new approaches that would guide
research activity over the next decade or more provided the incentive to bridge
the divisions. Our deliberations were particularly helped by the open community
workshop hosted by the committee, with its focus on receiving a broad range of
input from many experts whose disciplinary felds impinged upon the broad scope
of the committee’s charge. This input, and the presentations by other experts at
committee meetings, provided a solid base for informing the committee’s delib-
erations and recommendations.
Robert M. Hamilton
Chair
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12825.html
Acknowledgments
his report was greatly enhanced by those who made presentations to the
committee at the public committee meetings and by the participants at the
Topen workshop sponsored by the committee to gain community input—
Leslie Aiello, Ray Bernor, René Bobe, Erik Brown, Frank Brown, Tony de Souza,
Larry Edwards, Sarah Feakins, Mikael Fortelius, Don Grayson, Tim Herbert, Tim
Jull, Rich Kay, Dennis Kent, Chris Kuzawa, Rich Lane, Peter Molnar, Curtis
Marean, Kathleen Nicoll, Dolores Piperno, Todd Preuss, Christina Ravelo, Bill
Ruddiman, Jim Russell, Jeff Schuffert, Eugenie Scott, Steven Stanley, Peter
Ungar, Xiaoming Wang, Ken Weiss, Mark Weiss, Tim White, and John Yellen.
The presentations and discussions at these meetings provided invaluable input
and context for the committee’s deliberations.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their
diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures
approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this inde-
pendent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the
institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that
the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsive-
ness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain
confdential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank
the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
René Bobe, Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens
John G. Fleagle, Department of Anatomical Sciences, State University of
New York, Stony Brook
Terry Harrison, Department of Anthropology, New York University
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.