Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The Quest for Human Origins
Speaker
Professor Pascal Gagneux
Coordinator
Steve Clarey
Humans present a striking paradox; combining an
obvious primate nature with distinct behavioral
traits makes them notable outliers among species.
Our understanding of human origins is limited by
our meager knowledge of the appearance of key
human innovations, including use of language, fire,
projectile weapons, composite tools and death
rituals. However, new fossils, archeological finds,
ancient DNA technology and comparative genomics
are providing new information. Humans result
from a succession of unlikely events. Key factors
likely reflect the ecological niches our species have
constructed which have allowed us to increasingly
take our evolutionary fate into our own hands.
obvious primate nature with distinct behavioral
traits makes them notable outliers among species.
Our understanding of human origins is limited by
our meager knowledge of the appearance of key
human innovations, including use of language, fire,
projectile weapons, composite tools and death
rituals. However, new fossils, archeological finds,
ancient DNA technology and comparative genomics
are providing new information. Humans result
from a succession of unlikely events. Key factors
likely reflect the ecological niches our species have
constructed which have allowed us to increasingly
take our evolutionary fate into our own hands.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Pascal Gagneux is Professor
and Chair of Anthropology and Professor of
Pathology at UC San Diego. He is interested in
the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for
generating and maintaining primate molecular
diversity. He has studied the behavioral ecology
of wild chimpanzees in the Ivory Coast and
population genetics in West African chimpanzees.
He received his Ph.D. from Basel University in
Switzerland.
and Chair of Anthropology and Professor of
Pathology at UC San Diego. He is interested in
the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for
generating and maintaining primate molecular
diversity. He has studied the behavioral ecology
of wild chimpanzees in the Ivory Coast and
population genetics in West African chimpanzees.
He received his Ph.D. from Basel University in
Switzerland.
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