Author Archives: Adam Van Arsdale

About Adam Van Arsdale

I am biological anthropologist with a specialization in paleoanthropology. My research focuses on the pattern of evolutionary change in humans over the past two million years, with an emphasis on the early evolution and dispersal of our genus, Homo. My work spans a number of areas including comparative anatomy, genetics and demography.

New year, New Projects, Back to Blogging!

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Adam Van Arsdale

I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but I do welcome opportunities, arbitrary or not, to pause, reflect, and change direction. With the arrival of 2019, I am ready to jump back into the blogging world. This … Continue reading →

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In defense of science

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Adam Van Arsdale

We are deeply concerned by the Trump administration’s move to gag scientists working at various governmental agencies. The US government employs scientists working on medicine, public health, agriculture, energy, space, clean water and air, weather, the climate and many other … Continue reading →

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Size, Science, and Scientific Truth

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Adam Van Arsdale

Jerry Coyne, evolutionary geneticist at the University of Chicago and author of several biological texts as well as texts on evolution and faith, started an argument about the politics of the left and science in a post titled, “The ideological … Continue reading →

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Being an ally

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Adam Van Arsdale

Yesterday I was asked to take part in a roundtable discussion on “How to be a good ally” at this year’s upcoming AAPA meetings, organized and hosted by the Physical Anthropology Women’s Mentoring Network. So I was feeling good about … Continue reading →

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You should go to Denver!

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

For the AAAs!This year’s annual meeting of the American Association of Anthropology will be in beautiful, Denver, Colorado, from November 18-22. As the Biological Anthropology Section program chair, part of my responsibility was to organize the symposia, papers, and presentations … Continue reading →

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Moving Beyond Trees: Metaphors for Evolution

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

…for there is some one entity (or more than one) which always persists and from which all other things are generated. All are not agreed, however, as to the number and character of these principles. Thales, the founder of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Fossils, Genetics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Homo naledi, part 1

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

Paleoanthropology got front-page (above the fold!) coverage last week with the announcement and initial publication of Homo naledi, a new species of Homo, based on the large assemblage of hominin fossils recovered from the Rising Star Cave, South Africa, in … Continue reading →

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Breast milk isn’t magic, it IS an important evolutionary feature in humans

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

I started the day off yesterday by upsetting some colleagues. @APV2600 @Quinnanthrowman why you got to ruin my day Adam? — Katie Hinde (@Mammals_Suck) May 20, 2015 You see, Dr. Katie Hinde (@Mammals_Suck) is a human evolutionary biologist (I like … Continue reading →

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Reason #1 to enroll in 207x

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

The actual start of the course (and the end of classes at Wellesley) kept me from finishing this off. But Anthropology 207x (Introduction to Human Evolution) is off to a fantastic start and you can continue to enroll at any … Continue reading →

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Reason #2 to enroll in 207x

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Adam Van Arsdale

Continuing my series on the top 10 reasons to enroll in Anthropology 207x (Introduction to Human Evolution), which officially begins on May 6th…. Previous entries: #10 Origin stories are captivating. Scientific origin stories can be unifying. #9 It’s open and … Continue reading →

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