A newly released study from Duke University’s Pontzer Lab, housed in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, looks at the correlations between economic development, daily energy expenditure and the rise in a country’s obesity level. While many experts have offered that rising obesity rates are due to declining physical activity as societies become more industrialized, the findings show that people in wealthier countries expend just as much — or even more — energy daily. In… read more about New Duke Study Finds Obesity Rises with Caloric Intake, Not Couch Time »
Obesity is uncommon among Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, Tsimane forager-farmers in Bolivia, Tuvan herder-farmers in Siberia and other people in less-developed nations. But it’s widespread among those of us in wealthy, highly industrialized nations. Why? A major study published this week in PNAS brings surprising clarity to that question. Using objective data about metabolic rates and energy expenditure among more than 4,000 men and women living in dozens of nations across a broad spectrum of socioeconomic… read more about What Causes Obesity? A Major New Study from Duke Researchers Is Upending Common Wisdom »
Pastoralist animal herders in northern Kenya endure some of the harshest conditions on the planet. But efforts to improve their health may be undermining their most successful survival strategies. read more about Health Lessons From Animal Herders in Kenya »
What can lemurs tell us about inflammation and aging, aka “inflammaging” in humans? That’s the question Elaine Guevara, a biological anthropologist who studies the evolution of life history and aging in primates, set out to understand.In newly published research on age-related inflammation in ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs, Guevara discovered that perhaps we should rethink the inevitability of inflammaging in humans.Although similar in many ways, ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs show differences in life pacing and lifespan,… read more about Study Suggests Lemurs Age Differently Than Humans »
In chimpanzee communities, strong social ties can be a matter of life and death not just for the adults who form them, but for their kids, too.A new federally-funded study of wild eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) from Gombe National Park shows that female chimpanzees who were more socially integrated with other females in the year before giving birth were more likely to raise surviving offspring.The findings, published online on June 18 in iScience, show that these survival… read more about It Takes a Village: Chimpanzee Babies Do Better When Their Moms Have Social Connections »
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025 »
Anna Tornatore is a graduating senior with majors in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for Evolutionary Anthropology. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role.We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2025 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful classes you took during your time at Duke… read more about Notes From the Class of 2025: Celebrating Differences and the Power of Relentless Aspiration »
If there was a contest for biggest female bullies of the animal world, lemurs would be near the top of the list. In these distant primate cousins, it’s the ladies who call the shots, relying on physical aggression to get their way and keep males in line.Not all lemur societies are built about female rule, however. In one branch of the lemur family tree, some species have evolved, within the last million years, to have a more harmonious relationship between the sexes.Now, new findings suggest that this amiable shift in… read more about How Changes in Lemur Brains Made Some Mean Girls Nice »
My guest is Dr. Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University, known for his research on human bioenergetics, particularly energy expenditure and the exercise paradox. We discuss his work comparing highly active hunter-gatherer groups to more sedentary cultures, exploring their total energy expenditure and the surprising similarities.We examine the impact of factors such as age, sex, exercise, and pregnancy on daily energy expenditure. We also break down whether diet or… read more about Herman Pontzer: How We Really Burn Calories & Lose Weight »
DURHAM, N.C. -- As erratic weather upends the seasonal rhythms that crops depend on, farmers in the island nation of Madagascar are feeling the effects but struggle to adapt to the new normal.That’s one of the key takeaways of a recent survey of nearly 500 small-scale farmers in the country’s northern Sava region, which produces about two thirds of the world’s vanilla beans.One farmer said she is noticing streams and rivers drying up, making it harder to work the rice paddy that provides the mainstay of her household’s diet… read more about In the Heart of Vanilla Country, Farmers on the Climate Frontlines Struggle to Adapt »
Duke’s newest evolutionary anthropologist, Charles Musiba, grew up in Tanzania, and it is to that verdant East African country he still returns to try to understand who humans are and how we got here. But the newly arrived full professor isn’t solely focused on our past — he also wants to understand how humans adapt to dramatic changes in climate, to help us prepare for our future.“I grew up on the shores of Lake Victoria,” he said. “As a kid, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, which was actually covered with beautiful… read more about “We Still Don’t Understand Who We Are” »
Emily Sandberg is a graduating senior with majors in Evolutionary Anthropology and Psychology. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role. We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2024 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful classes you took… read more about Class of 2024: Emily Sandberg »
Five Duke faculty have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The NAS elected a total of 120 new members and 24 new international members. The new NAS members from Duke are: John Aldrich, PhD, Pfizer Inc./Edmund T. Pratt Jr. University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science. His scholarship focuses on American politics and elections. David Beratan… read more about Four Trinity Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences »
Dr. Laura Lewis (EvAnth Alum) has her research on bonobos and chimps featured in the NY Times! You can find the article here. read more about EvAnth Alum, Dr. Laura Lewis, featured in NY Times »
