Evolution of the human pygmy phenotype

Nathaniel Dominy, Dartmouth College

Monday, October 10, 2016

5:15 pm - 6:15 pm

AA-G008

About the seminar

The human pygmy phenotype is defined by small stature, when the average height of adult men in a population is < 155 cm (61 inches). The phenotype has evolved independently at least three times globally, and always among rainforest-inhabiting foraging peoples. It is one of the most striking cases of convergent evolution in modern humans, and yet the selective pressures that favor pygmy size are uncertain. This talk will explore how and why pygmy size evolves, and present new data from three populations to test the hypothesis that pygmy size confers biomechanical advantages when hunting and gathering in tropical rainforests.

About the speaker

Nathaniel Dominy is a Professor of Anthropology and Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College. His field research is focused on the foraging ecology and feeding mechanics of humans and nonhuman primates, with a particular emphasis on populations in Africa and Southeast Asia. He completed his BA at Johns Hopkins University (1998), his PhD at the University of Hong Kong (2001), and his NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Chicago (2002-2004). He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the National Geographic Society, the Leakey Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. He is also an elected fellow of the Explorer's Club, the Linnean Society, the Royal Geographic Society, and the Royal Anthropological Institute.

For more information contact: 

David Sloan Wilson, EvoS Director

Susan Ryan, Program Coordinator

evos @ binghamton.edu