AI is now part of my toolkit for science communication, just like cameras, editing software, and drawing tablets. It’s not a replacement for scholarship, and it’s not a magic oracle. It’s a tool I use carefully to share deep history with more people, more clearly. This page explains: Why I use AI at all WhatContinue reading “How I Use AI in My Work: Ethics, Limits, and Practice”
Category Archives: anthropology
Swirls by the Rapids: An Archaeoacoustic Reading of River Soundscapes and Spiral Motifs in the Tagus and Ocreza
Echoes of the Past: The Ocreza Spiral and Its Turbulent River Story
Fire, Flesh, and Faith: How Cooking Created the Human Spirit
The text explores the significance of the hearth in human evolution, linking it to cooking, energy consumption, and social structure. The control of fire allowed early humans to cook food, improving energy yield and enabling larger brains and smaller guts. Archaeological evidence shows that fire usage became commonplace about 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, shaping daily life and social interactions around central hearths. It argues that the hearth served as a proto-altar, merging practical and ritualistic elements, fostering community through shared meals and storytelling, and reinforcing a sense of sacred space. Ultimately, the hearth transformed not just sustenance but the very essence of humanity.
Exploring Human Expression: The Origins of Art and Symbolism
The origins of art showcase human creativity’s deep evolutionary roots, extending beyond Homo sapiens to include Neanderthals and earlier hominins. Discoveries reveal symbolic expression dates back over 500,000 years, suggesting complex cognitive abilities and the importance of art for communication, spirituality, and social cohesion in ancient societies. Creativity connects us to our ancestors.
How Human Evolution Shapes Our Future
Why Study Human Origins? A Journey Into Our Past Where do we come from, and how did we become who we are today? These are big questions that many of us wonder about. Whether we look for answers through faith, science, or both, our curiosity to understand our beginnings brings us together. Studying human evolutionContinue reading “How Human Evolution Shapes Our Future”
Parenting Across the Ages: What Early Hominins Can Teach Us About Raising Children Today
Imagine what it might have been like to be a parent 1.8 million years ago. There were no cribs, no baby monitors, and no parenting books. Yet, the task of caring for and raising children was just as important then as it is today. While we often think of things like stone tools, fire, andContinue reading “Parenting Across the Ages: What Early Hominins Can Teach Us About Raising Children Today”
Exploring the Untapped Potential of West African Paleoanthropology
When we think about the origins of humankind, our minds often travel to the iconic sites of East and South Africa. Places like the Great Rift Valley, Olduvai Gorge, and Sterkfontein have given us the majority of our understanding of early hominins—those distant ancestors who walked the Earth millions of years ago. But what ifContinue reading “Exploring the Untapped Potential of West African Paleoanthropology”
Snake Detection Theory: Did Snakes Play a Role in Primate Evolution?
Just like primates, snakes are one of the most unique vertebrates on the planet. They have evolved to adapt for various environmental conditions, occupying various niches across ecosystems, across the entire world. Ophidiophobia, the psychological fear of snakes, is one of the most common fears that humans seem to innately develop, often without ever encounteringContinue reading “Snake Detection Theory: Did Snakes Play a Role in Primate Evolution?”
Are We The Only Ones to Bury Our Dead? What if we aren’t?
In the realm of human existence, death is an inescapable truth, leaving us to contemplate the fate of our physical forms. Burial, a prevalent practice among humans, serves as a means of honoring the deceased and facilitating the grieving process. However, the question arises: Are we the sole species that engages in the burial ofContinue reading “Are We The Only Ones to Bury Our Dead? What if we aren’t?”
Hominin Homes
Did other species of humans, in addition to Homo sapiens, have shelters or some other form of artificial structure to make life more comfortable? If so, what can this tell us about different human species’ adaptability and suitability to cold climates? One possible way to recognize campsites is through the presence of fire. A newContinue reading “Hominin Homes”
World of Paleoanthropology 