Climate Change and Human Evolution

Catalog description

Earth’s climate has always been in a state of flux. Since human ancestors emerged on the landscape approximately 7 million years ago, the planet has faced drastic swings between moist and dry periods, as well as glacial freezes and thaws. It is clear that at least some of our ancestors were able to adapt and survive these climate shifts. Was the changing environment also responsible for shaping the evolutionary innovations that have come to define our species? This course will explore the relationship between climate, environment, and human evolution.