Journal of Human Evolution
Volume 174, January 2023, 103296
Moving beyond the adaptationist paradigm for human evolution, and why it matters
Lauren Schroeder a b, Rebecca Rogers Ackermann b c
a Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
b Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
c Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
Received 25 April 2022, Accepted 12 November 2022, Available online 15 December 2022, Version of Record 15 December 2022.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103296
Abstract
The Journal of Human Evolution (JHE) was founded 50 years ago when much of the foundation for how we think about human evolution was in place or being put in place, providing the main framework for how we consider our origins today. Here, we will explore historical developments, including early JHE outputs, as they relate to our understanding of the relationship between phenotypic variation and evolutionary process, and use that as a springboard for considering our current understanding of these links as applied to human evolution. We will focus specifically on how the study of variation itself has shifted us away from taxonomic and adaptationist perspectives toward a richer understanding of the processes shaping human evolutionary history, using literature searches and specific test cases to highlight this. We argue that natural selection, gene exchange, genetic drift, and mutation should not be considered individually when considering the production of hominin diversity. In this context, we offer suggestions for future research directions and reflect on this more complex understanding of human evolution and its broader relevance to society. Finally, we end by considering authorship demographics and practices in the last 50 years within JHE and how a shift in these demographics has the potential to reshape the science of human evolution going forward.
Keywords
Genetic drift Hybridization Neutral evolution Natural selection Phenotypic variation Evolutionary process
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