#1038 Briana Pobiner: The Evolution of the Human Diet

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Dec 27, 2024

Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian, dives into the fascinating evolution of the human diet. She reveals how we study extinct species’ diets through archaeology and chemical analysis. Exploring primate models like chimpanzees, she sheds light on our ancient dietary patterns. Pobiner discusses the critical role of meat in human evolution, linking it to brain development. She also addresses the complexities of ancient diets and disturbing topics like cannibalism, making a compelling case for understanding our shared cultural history.

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INSIGHT

Studying Extinct Species Diets

There are diverse ways to study the diets of extinct species, including analyzing leftover tools and food debris.
Chemical analysis of bones and teeth, and studying teeth and jaw morphology, offer insights into dietary adaptations.

INSIGHT

Primate Models for Human Diet

Primates, especially chimpanzees and bonobos, serve as valuable animal models for studying human diet evolution.
Their close evolutionary relationship and similar environments provide insights, though they primarily eat plants.

INSIGHT

Human and Chimpanzee Diets

Humans are and always have been omnivores.
Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, offer insights into our dietary past through their flexible, primarily plant-based diets and tool use.

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Dr. Briana Pobiner is a paleoanthropologist and educator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Her research centers on the evolution of human diet (with a focus on meat-eating), but has included topics as diverse as human cannibalism and chimpanzee carnivory. She has done fieldwork in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Indonesia and has been supported in her research by the Fulbright-Hays program, the Leakey Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, Rutgers University, the Society for American Archaeology, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

In this episode, we talk about the evolution of the human diet. We first explore the ways we study the diets of extinct species, and animal models like chimpanzees. We delve into the diet of H. erectus, and the evolution of meat-eating in hominins. We discuss how bone marks are interpreted. We talk about how our diet might have changed after H. erectus. We discuss whether there really is a “paleo diet”. We touch briefly on the topic of human cannibalism. Finally, we talk about the challenges of teaching human evolution.

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