Hominid evolution and climate

The climatic constraints on the success or failure of hominid lineages

On March 1^st 2003 the latest in the long running series of collaborations between the Geology Section and the Department of Lifelong Learning took place at Vaughan College, in the shape of a Saturday School symposium which focused on the impact of climate and climate change on the evolution of human lineages. Surely there are few more fascinating and fundamental questions as those which we humans ask ourselves about our past - what factors influenced our evolution? How did our prehistoric ancestors and other hominid species respond to the world in which they found themselves? What happened in the early stages of our evolution to make the human being what it is today? Perhaps we also ask such questions about our neanderthal cousins. Such mysteries seem to be at the core of our humanity and this meeting addressed many of these questions. Five of the leading experts in the field of hominid studies, Professor Chris Stringer, Professor Leslie Aiello, Professor Peter Andrews, Dr Mark Maslin and Dr Douglas Brandon-Jones, were assembled together in Leicester for the symposium, which I was privileged to convene and organise. The logistics at Vaughan College were capably undertaken by Diane May and her team. The meeting proved very popular and attracted a sell out audience of around 90, which was drawn not just from the members of the Section but also from academia, the people of Leicester and many experts and interested students from other parts of the country.

The five speakers and the Chairman during a break from proceedings, with the Jewry Wall as backdrop

The expert speakers, who were drawn from several UK institutions, did not disappoint the audience (despite a pathological fear of the lapel microphone!) and topics discussed ranged from the role of earth movements and mountain building in changing local climate to drive evolution, to the influence of glaciation on human migration, via the reasons for Neanderthal decline and extinction in Europe. Other speakers considered how we can use the composition of the other mammal remains found with hominid fossils to interpret the environment favoured by our distant relatives. The debate went on amongst the delegates during breaks for refreshments and lunch, and the discussion which concluded the day could probably have gone on for much longer.