EvoS Seminar Series

• Details
  • Monday, January 27
  • In person

Speaker:   Andrey Vyshedskiy, Remote via Zoom

Affiliation:   Boston University, Metropolitan College, Department of Biology

Faculty Profile: https://www.bu.edu/prsocial/profile/andrey-vyshedskiy/

Topic:   Three levels of language comprehension in modern individuals –

Implications for language evolution

• Details
  • Monday, Feb 3, 3:30 pm
  • Remote via Zoom
  • Topic: Three levels of language comprehension in modern individuals – implications for language evolution
    Speaker: Andrey Vyshedskiy, Boston University, Department of Biology
  • Abstract: The prevailing belief is that language comprehension development follows a linear trajectory, with children acquiring grammatical rules one at a time. Over 20 years ago, I investigated the neurobiology of language and predicted the existence of three distinct language comprehension/symbolic mechanisms. Our recent research has now confirmed this prediction. We analyzed language comprehension abilities of over 31,000 autistic individuals aged 4 to 22 years. The analysis identified three levels of language comprehension, corresponding to the three language mechanisms I had previously proposed.
    The most-advanced syntactic-language-comprehension-phenotype is manifested by all typical individuals aged 4-years-and-beyond. The other two phenotypes may represent stages of language comprehension evolution: the most-basic command-language-comprehension-phenotype is limited to comprehension of simple commands, and the intermediate modifier-language-comprehension-phenotype adds comprehension of color, size, and number modifiers, but no comprehension of complex syntax.
    In this seminar we will take a look into implications of this discovery for paleoanthropology. The three language mechanisms were likely acquired in a sequential manner throughout human evolution. The human lineage diverged from that of chimpanzees around 6 million years ago, possibly acquiring the most-basic command mechanism soon after. The modifier mechanism began to develop gradually around 3 million years ago as suggested by first stone tool manufacturing. Lastly, archaeological findings indicate that the syntactic mechanism emerged 70,000 years ago, sparking what is often referred to as the cognitive revolution.

  • Biosketch: Dr. Andrey Vyshedskiy is a neuroscientist from Boston University. He has authored over 100 landmark review articles and original research publications in some of the premier journals of the world including the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature. His research focuses on children development, the neurological basis of imagination, and evolution of human language. He has founded multiple successful companies and directed the development of several FDA approved medical devices. Based on his research, ImagiRation has designed a novel therapy for children, that has been demonstrated to significantly improve their language abilities.

  • Accompanying reading:

    For reading material: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-024-00284-0

    For TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrey_vyshedskiy_the_neuroscience_of_imagination

Topic:   Paleoenvironmental Drivers of Human Evolution

• Details

  In person and via Zoom; 

  Title: Paleoenvironmental Drivers of Hominin Evolution

  Abstract:

  Dating back to Darwin's and Raymond Dart's ideas that hominins evolved in savannas, asking how environmental change drove hominin evolution is a cornerstone of anthropological debate. My research uses a combination of vertebrate paleontology, stable isotope geochemistry, and quantitative analysis to determine how climate and ecosystem dynamics shaped hominin evolution over the past five million years. I explore this through three case studies from Kenyan fossil sites, each representing a key moment in our evolutionary history. First, I explore large herbivore migration and other seasonal behaviors across the Middle Stone Age to Later Stone Age transition. Next, I evaluate the sympatry of Homo and Paranthropus across habitats in the Early Pleistocene. Finally, I introduce new interdisciplinary work challenging the conventional "Savanna Hypothesis" for hominin origins. These case studies lay the framework for a new paradigm in which we understand that hominins are just one component of African ecosystems, and much is to be gained through deeper knowledge of the rest of the mammal community we evolved alongside.

  Biosketch:

  Dr. Kaedan O'Brien is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Oneonta, specializing in Biological Anthropology. He competed a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Utah. His research uses the  large mammal fossil record and stable isotopes to address one central question: What were the paleoenvironmental drivers of human evolution in Africa? This research addresses (1) late Cenozoic mammal community structure, (2) the impact of scale on paleoenvironmental reconstruction, (3) isotopic evidence for prehistoric seasonality and migration, and (4) megafaunal extinction. Currently, he is involved in projects in the Turkana and Baringo Basins of Kenya and the Western Cape of South Africa.

  Accompanying Reading

  TBA

• Details

  In-person and via Zoom;

  Title: Exploring the hidden history of admixture in ancient hominin genomes

  Abstract
  Ancient DNA analysis has transformed the field of palaeoanthropology over the past two
  decades, culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, followed by the
  sequencing of numerous other ancient human and archaic hominin genomes. This presentation
  traces the history of these breakthroughs, beginning with the first mitochondrial DNA
  sequences in the 1990s and progressing to high-resolution nuclear genomes enabled by next-
  generation sequencing technologies. The sequencing of the Neanderthal and Denisovan
  genomes has uncovered significant admixture (introgression) events with anatomically
  modern humans. These admixture events have reshaped our understanding about hominin
  evolution through time. Introgression between archaic hominins and modern humans
  conferred several adaptive advantages, including enhanced immunity, cold and high-altitude
  adaptation, and gene regulatory changes related to lipid metabolism. Looking ahead,
  advancements in functional genomics, sedimentary DNA analysis, and epigenetics are
  expected to provide even deeper insights into human evolution and the intricate legacy of
  interactions with other hominins. This exploration underscores the transformative power of
  ancient DNA in unraveling evolutionary processes and bridging molecular biology,
  archaeology, and anthropology.

  Biosketch
  Dr. Matthew Emery received his PhD from McMaster University in Canada. He is interested
  in a wide range of biomolecular applications in forensic, anthropological, and the
  (bio)archaeological sciences. To date, Emery’s research has focused on applying ancient DNA
  and next-generation sequencing methods to highly degraded archaeological and forensic
  human bones and teeth. Currently, Emery’s research is focused on integrating ancient DNA
  extraction methods with those employed in modern forensic DNA laboratories. His analysis
  seeks to better understand the nature of DNA degradation of forensic human remains when
  subjected to high-intensity thermal changes from the surrounding environment, such as fire.
  His previous Master’s research focused on deciphering the geographic origins of American
  and British soldiers who died during the War of 1812, using isotope and multi-criteria
  evaluation-GIS analysis. His PhD research employed a suite of molecular techniques, such
  isotope and ancient DNA analysis, to reconstruct the biogeographic origins of pre-Roman and
  Roman period individuals recovered from southern Italy.

  Accompanying Reading

  TBA

• Details

  Speaker: Dr. Mercedes Conde-Valverde

  Title: The Altruistic Primate

  Abstract

  Altruism is one of the most extraordinary characteristics of human beings, making the study of its evolutionary history essential for understanding humanity. The origin of altruism is directly linked to the care of vulnerable individuals, an aspect that can be traced in the fossil record. The human fossils that provide the greatest insight into this issue have been discovered at two sites in Spain: Atapuerca (Burgos) and Cova Negra (Valencia).

  Biosketch

  Mercedes Conde-Valverde earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Master’s degree in Biological Anthropology and PhD in Human Evolution from the University of Alcalá with an Extraordinary Doctorate Award. She is a member of the Atapuerca team since 2011. She is currently the director of the Chair of Evolutionary Otoacoustics and Paleoanthropology at HM Hospitales and the University of Alcalá and Assistant Professor of the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Alcalá and Research Associate at Binghamton University. She is the author of more than a dozen research articles in some of the most prominent scientific journals including Science Advances, Nature Ecology and Evolution, eLife and Journal of Human Evolution.

  Faculty Profile:

  https://www.uah.es/en/estudios/profesor/Maria-de-las-Mercedes-Conde-Valverde/

Speaker:   Dr. Mariah Donahue

In-Person and via Zoom

Affiliation:   Binghamton University - Department of Biology

Faculty Profile: https://www.binghamton.edu/biology/people/profile.html?id=mdonohue4

Topic:   Lemur-Gut Microbiome Co-Evolution on Deep and Shallow Evolutionary

Timescales 

• Details

  In person and via Zoom;

  Title: Co-divergence of lemur hosts and and gut microbiomes across multiple evolutionary scales

  
  Abstract: How, when, and why do Primates evolve species-specific gut microbiomes? To explore this question, my research leverages the unparalleled diversity of Madagascar's lemurs to examine patterns of host-microbiome co-divergence across deep and shallow evolutionary timescales. In multi-species phylogenetic comparisons, I have found a strong correlation between host genetic distance and microbiome similarity - a pattern called phylosymbiosis. As host species diversified, so too did gut microbiota, leading to strong phylogenetic signal of the gut microbiome. However, I also found that microbes associated with host dietary adaptation had not co-diversified, and instead had likely been conserved across millennia. To better understand microbiome dynamics early in the host speciation process, my next study took a landscape metagenomic approach in a purported hybrid species of brown lemur (Eulemur rufifrons x E. cinereiceps) endemic to southeastern Madagascar. I found that hybrid gut microbiomes were not distinguishable from parentals, and variation primarily arose due to geography. This shows that dispersal limitation likely plays a dominant role in holobiont (host + microbiome) divergence when host reproductive barriers are incomplete. By scaling from phylogenetic to population-level analyses, these studies illuminate the heterogeneous effects of host habitat, diet, and evolution in shaping the gut microbiome along the speciation continuum. While geography and site-specific effects drive microbiome divergence in early stages of host evolutionary divergence, these effects are eventually overwhelmed by those of phylogenetic distance as species boundaries solidify. However, host diet constrains microbiome variation through deep evolutionary time. Finally, this research highlights the importance of conserving habitat corridors to maintain holobiont genetic diversity, and shows how host-microbiome co-divergence may have facilitated local adaptation in some of our closest living relatives.

  
  Biosketch: Mariah Donohue received her bachelor's degree in Anthropology at Stony Brook University (SBU). She remained at SBU to pursue her master's degree in Ecology and Evolution as a student of Dr. Patricia Wright. She went on to earn a PhD in Biology at the University of Kentucky with Dr. David Weisrock. Now, she is a PRODiG+ Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University, where she continues to study lemur-microbiome co-evolution. 

• Details

  In person and via Zoom;

  Title: The evolution of yawning
   
  Abstract: Yawning occurs in a stereotyped pattern across vertebrate classes, suggesting that this complex reflex has been evolutionarily conserved following its emergence in jawed fish. Despite the omnipresence of this behavior, research on the evolution of yawning has been limited. This talk will discuss recent studies on the proximate (causal) and ultimate (functional) mechanisms of both the primitive (spontaneous) and derived (contagious) forms of this response, as well as how the act of yawning alters the cognition and behavior of observers.
   
  Biosketch: Andrew is a Teaching Professor of Behavioral Biology at Johns Hopkins University. In recognition of his research in the evolutionary behavioral sciences, he was named a fellow of the Psychonomic Society and received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Andrew is a proud alum of Binghamton University, where he completed a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and was among one of the first cohorts to receive a graduate certificate in Evolutionary Studies (EvoS). He currently lives in Maryland with his wife and three children.

  Website:  https://sites.google.com/view/andrewgallup

• Details

  In person and via Zoom;

  Monday, March 31

  
  Title: DNA meets History: Guam and Puerto Rico. Multi-Marker Human DNA Analyses of America's Two Largest Territories, and How it Informs About Settlement, History, and Identity

  Abstract

  The United States' two largest territories, Puerto Rico and Guam, have distinct settlement histories, yet similar colonial histories. Today, these islands also have a uniquely shared political status, and quite complex cultural identities. Through genealogical interviews, and a multi-maker genetic analysis of hundreds of research volunteers as well as Genographic Project participants, we aim to decipher the similarities and differences between these two DNAs: Disenfranchised Nations of America. The maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA shows a strong connection to the prehistoric settlement of the islands, and millennia of genetic continuity. The Y chromosome DNA, in contrast, is a story of the brutal side of male-biased colonization at Spain's hand, as well as the Spanish and American led movement of thousands of men during colonization for both economic and societal control. Lastly, autosomal DNA, the bi-parentally-inherited majority of our genetic information shows hints of more intricate historical events, some of which heavily-influenced the islands' culture, language and ultimately their identities.

  Biosketch

  Dr. Miguel Vilar is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on better understanding early human settlement patterns on islands, human migration, and the impact of colonial history on modern human diversity. 

  Vilar earned his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Haverford College and Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia University. After a sting as a writer for Popular Science, Science World, and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, he earned his M.S. in Biomedical Anthropology, M.A. in Anthropology, and PhD in Anthropology from Binghamton University, in 2006, 2007 and 2010, respectively. After earning his doctorate, Vilar worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, leading field projects across Latin America for National Geographic’s Genographic Project, a multi-year study that aimed to map human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. In 2013 he became Genographic Science Manager, and in 2016 became Lead Scientist. 

  Dr. Vilar was the twenty-ninth speaker for the University of Guam's President's Lecture series in 2016, and the 2017 winner of the Governor's Humanities Award for Research and Publication from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council. In 2019 he won the Michael A. Little Early Career Award from the Human Biology Association for his work on human biological and genetic diversity. 

  Today, his fieldwork takes him to Micronesia, Melanesia, South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean. Whereas in the laboratory he studies the modern genetic diversity of human populations from Micronesia, Melanesia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. He also researches the genetics of domestic animals (pigs, chickens, dogs and horses) and the cultural and biological implications of animal domestication on human evolution, population history, and migration. 

  Vilar is also a science writer publishing in anthropology and genetics academic journals, as well as science magazines and online media. He is also a genetics and anthropology consultant for National Geographic Society and for GenebyGene, Ltd.

• Details

  Matthew K. Fujita, Professor, Department of Biology
  Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center
  University of Texas at Arlington
  http://www.fujitalab.com

  Title: Evidence of Mutation Accumulation in Parthenogenetic Lizards

  
  Abstract: Squamate (lizards and snakes) are unique among vertebrates in exhibiting parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction that does not require males. These lineages arise from hybridization between divergent sexual species, many of which are still extant. By comparing parthenogenetic and sexual lineages, these systems provide exceptional opportunities to study the evolutionary consequences of asexuality. For example, one hypothesis is that asexual populations lack the ability to purge mutations, which eventually accumulate by a process called Muller’s Ratchet. My lab studies the genomic consequences of parthenogenesis in lizards, and I will present a few vignettes that demonstrate the accumulation of deleterious mutations in both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. In addition to the evolution of parthenogenesis, my lab is starting to investigate organismal differences between parthenogens and sexuals, including their sensory systems. I will briefly talk about a project that is investigating how epidermal gland excretions - which are often used in communication - differ between reproductive modes in whiptail lizards.

  
  Biosketch: I was born, raised and educated in the Bay Area in California. I attended UC Davis as an undergraduate, initially as a pre-med student until I started research in Dr. Brad Shaffer’s evolutionary genetics lab, which took my lifelong love of reptiles and amphibians and made it into a career. I earned my PhD from Uc Berkeley, working with Dr. Craig Moritz and Dr. Jim McGuire. From there I was an NSF postdoctoral researcher at Harvard with Dr. Scott Edwards, which included a year abroad at Oxford University. I arrived at The University of Texas at Arlington in 2012 and have been there ever since, where my lab studies the evolutionary genomics of reptiles and amphibians.