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A lengthy look at climate and its role in hominin evolution

Climate effects on ecosystems shaped the evolution of our hominin relatives in the human family tree. A modelling study examines these habitat changes and the various ways in which they influenced hominin species.
  1. Michael D. Petraglia

    1. Michael D. Petraglia is at the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia.

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Changes in terrestrial ecosystems are inextricably linked to the evolution of humans and that of our ancestors and relatives in the genus Homo. Writing in Nature, Timmermann et al.1 show how climatic shifts over the past two million years shaped hominin habitats, dispersal patterns and species diversity. The work addresses crucial questions about the evolution of Homo, including the evolution of our own species.

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Nature 604, 430-432 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00975-x

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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