#828 Greger Larson: Animal Domestication and Human Evolution
RECORDED ON APRIL 27th 2023.
Dr. Greger Larson is a Professor in the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Director of the Wellcome Trust Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network (PaleoBARN). His research interests include evolutionary genomics, ancient DNA, domestication, human and animal dispersal, and phylogenetics. His work on the domestication of canines and the origin of the domestic dog has provided insights into the prehistoric bond between humans and early dogs.
In this episode, we talk about the study of animal domestication. We start by discussing if we know exactly when it started, and go through sources of evidence like genetics and archaeology. We talk about the impact of animal domestication on human evolution. We discuss issues with how we think about domestication and the supposed intentionality behind it, and how we should think about the early stages of our relationship with other animal species. We talk about the study of the timing of human dispersal through animal domestication. Finally, we discuss the main challenges of studying animal domestication.
Time Links:
Intro
Do we know exactly when animal domestication started?
Sources to study domestication (genetics, archaeology)
The impact of animal domestication on our own evolution
Issues with how we think about domestication and its intentionality
The early stages of our relationship with other animal species
What is domestication, really? What should we call “domestication”?
Studying the timing of human dispersal through animal domestication
The challenges of studying animal domestication
Follow Dr. Larson’s work!
Follow Dr. Larson’s work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/3FVFOtd
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3WFzPiL
Twitter handle: @Greger_Larson