Project description DEENESFRITPL Dental anthropological study of prehistoric humans in Portugal Dental anthropology studies teeth to compare ancient and modern humans or population groups to find similarities and differences in the structure of teeth in relation to evolutionary trends. Advances in non-invasive imaging technology provide high-resolution data on internal dental morphology (enamel thickness, tissue proportions, enamel dentine junction shape) for analysis of dental morphological variation and evolution. The EU-funded VAPP project will focus on prehistoric human population dynamics and microevolution in Portugal. Late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene Portugal survived complex environmental, climatic and demographic changes, making it an ideal regional case study to address human evolution. The project will establish an open-source virtual dental anthropology data set for the region, enabling deep analysis of dental microevolution corresponding to diets and socioeconomic changes and population dynamics during transitional periods in Portuguese prehistory. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The VAPP Project will examine prehistoric human population dynamics and microevolution in Portugal through the analysis of dental morphological variation. Variation in external dental morphology (e.g. size, shape, and discrete characteristics) provides reliable data on biological affinity and relatedness within and between human populations, as well as signatures of selection on dental functional morphology related to different diets and masticatory regimes. Advances in non-invasive, virtual imaging technology provide complimentary, high-resolution data on internal dental morphology (e.g. enamel thickness, tissue proportions, enamel dentin junction shape) that address key aspects of dental morphological variation and evolution. Nevertheless, few studies have focused on how internal dental morphology varies among human populations during the Holocene, and only one Homo sapiens dentition from Portugal has been virtually analyzed to date. The prehistory of Late Pleistocene to Mid-Holocene Portugal is characterized by complex environmental, climatic, and demographic changes that significantly altered socioeconomic organization, thus making it an ideal regional case study to address human biocultural evolution through an integrated approach to internal and external dental morphology. The VAPP Project will include Upper Paleolithic humans, the last foraging populations (Mesolithic), early food-producing peoples (Neolithic), and groups associated with the emergence of social complexity and the intensification of food processing (Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age). The sampling strategy provides a nuanced perspective on dental microevolution corresponding to changing diets, socioeconomic strategies, and spatiotemporal population dynamics (e.g. migration, integration, and replacement) across crucial transitional periods in Portuguese prehistory. Notably, the VAPP Project will establish the first, open-source, virtual dental anthropology dataset for the region. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological morphologyfunctional morphologysocial sciencessociologyanthropologymedical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA Net EU contribution € 147 815,04 Address Paco das escolas 3004-531 Coimbra Portugal See on map Region Continente Centro (PT) Região de Coimbra Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
