Objective The evolutionary success of humans can be attributed to our ability to adapt to ever-changing environments. This reproductive and adaptive success is demonstrated by the 7 billion living humans, occupying nearly every corner of the globe. However, the expansion of humans is an evolutionarily recent development; fossil, genetic and archaeological evidence indicates that humans and our hominin ancestors frequently failed to adapt to climatic fluctuations, leading to demographic contractions and regional extinctions. Remarkably little is known about the history of these evolutionary successes and failures across vast regions of the world, including in the Arabian Desert - a critical biogeographical landbridge for hominins and other animals. Although poorly known, the Arabian Desert preserves spectacular Pleistocene and Holocene records, with considerable potential for elucidating evolutionary patterns and processes on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The PALAEODESERTS project sets forth a series of testable hypotheses to address the relations between humid and arid climatic periods and population expansions, contractions and extinctions. To address the hypotheses a bold interdisciplinary approach is taken, combining information from palaeoenvironmental studies, palaeontology, geography, geochronology, animal and human genetics, archaeology, rock art studies and linguistics. Examination of hominin and animal population histories provides a comparative framework to assess when, why and how novel cultural behaviours provided survival benefits to hominins. The PALAEODESERTS project will have a profound effect on our understanding of Arabia’s place in the story of human evolution and, more broadly, on the relationship between environmental change, population history, and cultural innovations. This project is uniquely placed to understand our past and contextualise the present at a time when climate change is of considerable public and academic interest and concern. Fields of science natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencespalaeontology Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-AG-ID1 - ERC Advanced Grant Interdisciplinary Panel Call for proposal ERC-2011-ADG_20110406 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Coordinator MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Address Hofgartenstrasse 8 80539 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Beate Kerpen (Ms.) Principal investigator Michael D Petraglia (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 319 684,87 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany EU contribution € 319 684,87 Address Hofgartenstrasse 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Beate Kerpen (Ms.) Principal investigator Michael D Petraglia (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD Participation ended United Kingdom EU contribution € 1 924 665,13 Address Wellington square university offices OX1 2JD Oxford See on map Region South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Gill Wells (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window
