The Evolution of Human Uniqueness
Dr. Gary Schwartz is a paleoanthropologist whose research focuses on the origin and evolution of modern human uniqueness, especially the functional and evolutionary-developmental (“evo-devo”) biology of our teeth and our evolved growth biology, or “life history”. I combine lab research on fossil and modern specimens of both humans and non-human primates, with fieldwork aimed at recovering fossil hominin specimens new to science. My work utilizes the latest advanced visualization technologies and integrates approaches from across diverse disciplines, including mechanical engineering, developmental biology, macroecology, and histology to explore the mechanisms underlying how and when humans evolved our unique suite of dental and life history attributes.