#333 Bernard Wood: Paleoanthropology, Human Systematics, And Human Evolution
RECORDED ON April 1st, 2020.
Dr. Bernard Wood is University Professor of Human Origins at the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences at George Washington University. He is a medically trained paleoanthropologist. His research interests are all related in one way or another to a long-standing pre-occupation with hominin systematics. How can we improve our ability to recognize species in the fossil record, and how can we do a better job of reconstructing their phylogenetic relationships? His current research interests are phylogeny reconstruction, hominin systematics, dental evolution, evolvability within the hominin clade, and diet reconstruction. He’s the author of several books, including Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction, and Human Evolution: A Guide to Fossil Evidence.
In this episode, we talk about paleoanthropology, and the field of human systematics. We talk about the hominin clade and the genus Homo, and how we distinguish between different species. We discuss some of the main challenges in reconstructing human evolution. And we also touch on topics such as hominin migrations, the relationship between H. sapiens and the Neanderthals, and the limitations in studying ancient behavior.
Time Links:
What is human systematics?
The genus Homo
How we distinguish between different species
Challenges in reconstructing human evolution
Hominin migrations
The Neanderthals
Studying ancient behavior
Follow Dr. Wood’s work!
Follow Dr. Wood’s work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2LqH8cf
ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2LaVe16