Maxwell Ancestors series returns with lecture on evolution of human metabolism
February 8, 2023
After a two-year hiatus, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology’s annual Ancestors lecture will return with a talk by The University of New Mexico assistant professor and evolutionary anthropologist Ian Wallace. The lecture will be Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hibben Center for Archaeological Research, Room 105, in the Maxwell.
Wallace will speak about Human Metabolism and the Evolution of Hunting and Gathering.
Human bodies burn an extraordinary amount of energy — calories — for a primate of our size. In this talk, Wallace will discuss the many reasons why human bodies are so energetically costly, including our enormous brains, high fertility rates, and long developmental periods and life spans. He will also describe recent research indicating that the evolution of the hunter-gatherer way of life among our ancient hominin ancestors was critical to humans’ ability to pay for our energetically expensive bodies.
Read more at UNM Newsroom.
