November 2022

Brian Villmoare’s new book The Evolution of Everything: Patterns and Causes of Big History (ISBN: 9781108495653) is now available from Cambridge University Press.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Everything-Patterns-Causes-History/dp/1108797326/

Big History seeks to retell the human story in light of scientific advances by such methods as radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis. This book provides a deep, causal view of the forces that have shaped the universe, the earth, and humanity. Starting with the Big Bang and the formation of the earth, it traces the evolutionary history of the world, focusing on humanity's origins. It also explores the many natural forces shaping humanity, especially the evolution of the brain and behaviour. Moving through time, the causes of such important transformations as agriculture, complex societies, the industrial revolution, the enlightenment, and modernity are placed in the context of underlying changes in demography, learning, and social organization. Humans are biological creatures, operating with instincts evolved millions of years ago, but in the context of a rapidly changing world, and as we try to adapt to new circumstances, we must regularly reckon with our deep past.

Reviews:

''Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution". In a brilliant tour-de-force, Brian Villmoare encourages us to shorten Dobzhansky's famous quote by deleting the words 'in biology'.'

- Volker Sommer, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, University College London

“This sweeping, erudite book will show you how nothing about the past -biological, anthropological, historical, or anything else- makes sense except in the light of evolutionary science. Its breathtaking 5-billion-year perspective will help you think about why almost everything to do with humanity is the way it is.”

- Daniel E. Lieberman, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

See my page at shephard.com and my list of “books for former English majors who like science”:

https://shepherd.com/best-books/former-english-majors-who-like-science

August 2022

Has there been a decrease in brain size among modern humans?

Brian Villlmoare was recently featured in Discover Magazine addressing research that suggests human brain size has decreased over the last 3,000 years.

From the article: “People have this idea that we’re devolving, getting dumber,” says Brian Villmoare, a biological anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and co-author of the recent study. Part of this perception, he argues, comes from papers like the 2021 article. “When I looked at the study, I could see some problems in the math,” says Villmoare.

For Brian’s original article that casts doubt on the idea that brains have been shrinking over recent evolutionary history, check out this link.

APRIL 2021

Alesha successfully defended the project proposal for her PhD work, titled “: Evolutionary forces on the hominin upper face: Homo vs Paranthropus”

We look forward to the results of her work in the coming years!

NOVEMBER 2020

Bri successfully defended her master’s thesis, “Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Assessment of KNM-ER 5431".

She will remain with the UNLV Paleontology Lab as she moves forward with her PhD studies.

January 2020

As part of Dr. Brian Villmoare’s recent Global Initiatives Wenner-Gren grant, Bri Heisler and Alesha Pettit spent time in the National Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia delivering 3-D scanning and printing equipment for installation there.

The two trained the museum faculty and staff in the new technologies so they may copy and print fossil, lithic, and cultural materials for both research and educational purposes.

November 2019

Alesha Pettit and Bri Heisler each presented at the South Western Association of Biological Anthropologists (SWABA) meeting in Arizona.

Alesha presented two posters, titled “Pedagogical Approaches to Merging Anatomy and Physiology with Anthropology” and “Covariance among the Zygomatic Bone, the Frontal Bone, and the Zygomaticotemporal Space”.

Bri presented the results of field work at Koobi Fora, titled “Paleoecology of Area 203 Tulu Bor Deposits”.

June / July 2019

Bri Heisler spent the summer at Koobi Fora studying the paleoecological context of KNM-ER 5431 in area 203.

April 2019

Alesha Pettit, pictured on the right, co-authored a poster titled, “Using virtual anatomy to foster clinical competencies in the first year of medical school” and presented at the Western Group on Educational Affairs (WGEA) conference in Reno, NV.

March 2019

Brian Villmoare and Alesha Pettit each presented a poster at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Villmoare presented his research titled, “An evolutionary model for the origins of temporal discounting in humans and non-human animals.”

Ms. Pettit, shown here, presented her research titled, “Covariance among zygomatic bone shape, eye orbit shape, and the zygomaticotemporal space.”