DNA SIG Meeting (Register)

The DNA Special Interest Group Meeting is a hybrid meeting for members with an interest in using DNA for genealogy. Members should purchase a ticket to attend either in-person or via Zoom. After registering to attend via Zoom you will receive an email with a link to the external Zoom website to complete the registration.

The topic for this meeting is:

"Neanderthals - who were they?"

Join Dr Sofia Samper Carro, a Senior Lecturer in Archeology at ANU.

The first Neanderthal fossils were discovered in 1856, becoming the first extinct human relative to become known to science. Since their discovery, they have carried an iconic significance in human evolution. For much of the 20^th century, Neanderthals were depicted as primitive, unintelligent and brutish, compared to the more evolved and able anatomically modern humans (AMH). This incapacity was put forward as one of the causes for their extinction, as direct competition with the more sophisticated and capable AMH would have lead to their disappearance from the archaeological record 40,000 years ago. Nevertheless, this traditional perception began to markedly change from the end of the 20^th century onwards.

Recent research has clarified many aspects of Neanderthal anatomy, genetics, development and behaviour. The more we learn about Neanderthals the more we realise how regional and chronological differences are key to understand the full complexity of Neanderthal lifeways. We now have evidence of their sophisticated stone technology, their ability to exploit a wide range of food resources, as well as their resilience and survival during times of harsh environmental conditions.

In this talk, Dr. Sofia Samper Carro will provide an overview of the past and present on Neanderthal lifeways’ research, while bringing examples from her own research project in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula.

For more information about the activities of the DNA SIG, including details of future events click here