A 300,000-Year History of Human Evolution - Robin May

00:00 // Introduction: The Blink of an Eye in Evolution
02:00 // The Foundations of Human Evolution
05:30 // Evolution and Reproduction: The Key Drivers
10:45 // The Role of Offspring in Evolutionary Success
14:20 // Infectious Diseases and Their Impact on Human Evolution
18:50 // The Evolution of Homo Sapiens and Early Migration
24:15 // Interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans
30:00 // How Ancient DNA Shaped Modern Humans
35:45 // Neanderthal DNA: The Good, the Bad, and the Useful
40:30 // The Evolutionary Advantage of Immune System Genes
46:15 // Agriculture and Its Profound Impact on Human Evolution
52:30 // The Rise of Cities and New Evolutionary Pressures
57:45 // Lactose Tolerance: A Modern Evolutionary Trait

The species we recognise as our own - anatomically modern humans - has existed for only 300,000 years, a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms. And yet during that time our species has been shaped by strong evolutionary forces, often unwittingly as an indirect result of human activities.

In this lecture, we’ll find out how disease outbreaks, the rise of civilisation and even the invention of agriculture have left their traces in our DNA.

This lecture was recorded by Robin May on 7th February 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Robin is Gresham Professor of Physic.

He is also Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/human-evolution

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege