TAU researchers: Humans were apex predators for two million years.
Whether you are a tofu loving vegan, a vegetarian (however you choose to define it – eggs, no eggs; fish, no fish), a flexitarian, a devout paleo dieter or a strict Atkins dieter, researchers at TAU were able to reconstruct the nutrition of Stone Age humans and can tell you quite a bit about your ancestors… You may want to sit down for this one: Your ancestors specialized in hunting large animals and were, in fact, hyper carnivores (and not just for two short seconds, more like for about two million years).
Contrary to the widespread hypothesis that humans owe their evolution and survival to their dietary flexibility, allowing them to combine the hunting of animals with vegetable foods, the picture emerging here is of humans evolving mostly as predators of large animals. The multidisciplinary reconstruction conducted by TAU researchers for almost a decade proposes a complete change of paradigm in the understanding of human evolution.
In their paper, which was published in the Yearbook of the American Physical Anthropology Association, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai of TAU’s Jacob M. Alkov Department of Archaeology, together with Raphael Sirtoli of Portugal, show that humans were an apex predator for about two million years. It was only the extinction of larger animals (megafauna) in various parts of the world, and the decline of animal food sources toward the end of the stone age, that led humans to gradually increase the vegetable element in their nutrition, until finally they had no choice but to domesticate both plants and animals – and became farmers.
“Our study addresses a very great current controversy – both scientific and non-scientific,” says Prof. Barkai. “For many people today, the Paleolithic diet is a critical issue, not only with regard to the past, but also concerning the present and future. It is hard to convince a devout vegetarian that his/her ancestors were not vegetarians, and people tend to confuse personal beliefs with scientific reality. Our study is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. We propose a picture that is unprecedented in its inclusiveness and breadth, which clearly shows that humans were initially apex predators, who specialized in hunting large animals. As Darwin discovered, the adaptation of species to obtaining and digesting their food is the main source of evolutionary changes, and thus the claim that humans were apex predators throughout most of their development may provide a broad basis for fundamental insights on the biological and cultural evolution of humans.”
Our Body Remembers – A Multidisciplinary Affair
“So far, attempts to reconstruct the diet of stone-age humans were mostly based on comparisons to 20th century hunter-gatherer societies,” explains Dr. Ben-Dor. “This comparison is futile, however, because two million years ago hunter-gatherer societies could hunt and consume elephants and other large animals – while today’s hunter gatherers do not have access to such bounty. The entire ecosystem has changed, and conditions cannot be compared. We decided to use other methods to reconstruct the diet of stone-age humans: to examine the memory preserved in our own bodies, our metabolism, genetics and physical build. Human behavior changes rapidly, but evolution is slow. The body remembers.”
In a process unprecedented in its extent, Dr. Ben-Dor and his colleagues collected about 25 lines of evidence from about 400 scientific papers from different scientific disciplines, dealing with the focal question: Were stone-age humans specialized carnivores or were they generalist omnivores? Most evidence was found in research on current biology, namely genetics, metabolism, physiology and morphology.
“One prominent example is the acidity of the human stomach,” says Dr. Ben-Dor. “The acidity in our stomach is high when compared to omnivores and even to other predators. Producing and maintaining strong acidity require large amounts of energy, and its existence is evidence for consuming animal products. Strong acidity provides protection from harmful bacteria found in meat, and prehistoric humans, hunting large animals whose meat sufficed for days or even weeks, often consumed old meat containing large quantities of bacteria, and thus needed to maintain a high level of acidity. Another indication of being predators is the structure of the fat cells in our bodies. In the bodies of omnivores, fat is stored in a relatively small number of large fat cells, while in predators, including humans, it’s the other way around: we have a much larger number of smaller fat cells. Significant evidence for the evolution of humans as predators has also been found in our genome. For example, geneticists have concluded that “areas of the human genome were closed off to enable a fat-rich diet, while in chimpanzees, areas of the genome were opened to enable a sugar-rich diet.”
Evidence from human biology was supplemented by archaeological evidence. For instance, research on stable isotopes in the bones of prehistoric humans, as well as hunting practices unique to humans, show that humans specialized in hunting large and medium-sized animals with high fat content. Comparing humans to large social predators of today, all of whom hunt large animals and obtain more than 70% of their energy from animal sources, reinforced the conclusion that humans specialized in hunting large animals and were in fact hypercarnivores.
Not an Afternoon Hobby
“Hunting large animals is not an afternoon hobby,” says Dr. Ben-Dor. “It requires a great deal of knowledge, and lions and hyenas attain these abilities after long years of learning. Clearly, the remains of large animals found in countless archaeological sites are the result of humans’ high expertise as hunters of large animals. Many researchers who study the extinction of the large animals agree that hunting by humans played a major role in this extinction – and there is no better proof of humans’ specialization in hunting large animals. Most probably, like in current-day predators, hunting itself was a focal human activity throughout most of human evolution. Other archaeological evidence – like the fact that specialized tools for obtaining and processing vegetable foods only appeared in the later stages of human evolution – also supports the centrality of large animals in the human diet, throughout most of human history.”
The multidisciplinary reconstruction conducted by TAU researchers for almost a decade proposes a complete change of paradigm in the understanding of human evolution. Contrary to the widespread hypothesis that humans owe their evolution and survival to their dietary flexibility, which allowed them to combine the hunting of animals with vegetable foods, the picture emerging here is of humans evolving mostly as predators of large animals.
“Archaeological evidence does not overlook the fact that stone-age humans also consumed plants,” adds Dr. Ben-Dor. “But according to the findings of this study plants only became a major component of the human diet toward the end of the era.”
Evidence of genetic changes and the appearance of unique stone tools for processing plants led the researchers to conclude that, starting about 85,000 years ago in Africa, and about 40,000 years ago in Europe and Asia, a gradual rise occurred in the consumption of plant foods as well as dietary diversity – in accordance with varying ecological conditions. This rise was accompanied by an increase in the local uniqueness of the stone tool culture, which is similar to the diversity of material cultures in 20th-century hunter-gatherer societies. In contrast, during the two million years when, according to the researchers, humans were apex predators, long periods of similarity and continuity were observed in stone tools, regardless of local ecological conditions.
Your FOMO may be compromising your physical and mental health.
Do you often find yourself checking your social media nonstop, so you won’t feel out of the loop? You may want to become more mindful of this habit – a new study from Tel Aviv University’s Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine shows that the excessive use of smartphones and social media can lead to sleep issues; drowsiness and fatigue during the day; teeth-grinding and pain in the mouth muscles and jaws.
The study was conducted as part of Dr. Yitzhak Hochhauser’s dissertation and was led by Dr. Alona Amudi-Perlman, Dr. Pessia Friedman-Rubin, Prof. Ilana Eli, and Prof. Ephraim Winocur. It will be published in the journal Quintessence International.
About 600 participants, including a group of secular people (smartphone users) and a group of ultra-Orthodox people (most of whom use a “kosher” phone without an Internet connection), were asked to address a number of aspects that typify overuse of the phone, including feelings of stress and tension throughout the day, a tendency to wake up at night, a need to be available to the cell phone, teeth-grinding and jaw pain.
More Screen Time = More Sufferings
The findings of the study show that 54% of secular smartphone users have a moderate to high incidence of night wakings, compared with only 20% among the ultra-Orthodox. In addition, half of the secular respondents (50%) feel a moderate to high level of stress due to the cell phone, compared to only 22% among the ultra-Orthodox. The disparities between the groups are also reflected in the question of how available they feel they need to be to their mobile devices – 45% of the secular respondents answered that they had a moderate to high need to be available to their phones, compared to only 20% in the ultra-Orthodox group.
These gaps are even more marked when examining damage to the chewing muscles and jaw joints: 45% of the secular group reported teeth-grinding (24% during the day and 21% at night) and 29% of them claimed that they suffered pain in their jaw muscles, in comparison to only about 14% of the ultra-Orthodox who described these symptoms (13.5% reported teeth-grinding and 14% pain in the jaw muscles).
Dr. Friedman-Rubin and Prof. Eli explain that “In today’s day and age people live with a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) and so they want to stay constantly updated and know ‘what’s new’ every moment. This need naturally creates a growing dependence on cell phones, which leads to feelings of stress and anxiety – ‘someone might write something on social media and I’ll miss it and not be in the loop.’”
Dr. Friedman-Rubin explains, “The current study has demonstrated a link between the excessive use of smartphones that enable surfing on social apps and a significant increase in night wakings (which lead to fatigue during the day), facial and jaw pain, tightness in the jaw during the day and teeth-grinding at night – physical symptoms that are often the result of stress and anxiety and which may even lead to physical injury such as dental erosion and joint damage. We are of course in favor of technological progress, but as with everything in life, the excessive use of smartphones can lead to negative symptoms, and it is important that the public be aware of the consequences it has on the body and mind.”
400 students received their second COVID-vaccine on campus this month.
While an impressive number of Israelis (close to 5.2 million) have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, there are individuals that do not belong to any of the Israeli health providers who have found themselves ineligible for Covid-19 vaccine.
Maureen Adiri Meyer, Director of TAU International had overheard some of her students voicing concerns about being unable to get vaccinated and decided to take action. In cooperation with Magen David Adom (Israel’s National Emergency Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Services Organization), TAU International organized two Covid-19 vaccination days three weeks apart, open for all TAU students including for the university’s international students and students from the Palestinian Authority.
The vaccination conveniently took place in an auditorium right here on TAU campus. The turnout was great on both days; over 400 students were very grateful for the opportunity to get vaccinated.
Gradual Return to Campus
Maureen shares that “vaccines were made available to all those of our students who wanted to be vaccinated, including to students from the Palestinian Authority. After a full year of Corona, we miss all of our students, and look forward to a return to campus life in accordance with the ‘Green Pass’ directives.”
TAU International have students from all over the world, including India, Colombia, Brazil, China, the USA, England, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Many of the international students expressed joy and gratitude for the opportunity to get vaccinated.
Paola Gutiérrez from Columbia, is one of TAU’s international students. She arrived in Israel five months ago and is studying for her master degree in biochemistry. She tells us that her stay in Israel has been great so far, but she is happy that things are opening up again after the lockdown.
In the video below, Paola had just received her 2nd jab of the Covid-19 vaccine. She tells us she’s the first among her friends (back in Columbia) to get fully vaccinated.
Featured image:
Mission Accomplished! Happy and vaccinated students at TAU campus
Promotes production of important antibodies in breast milk.
We may have some good news: Covid-19 vaccination of nursing mothers might actually work to protect not only them, but their babies as well. This was found in a new study conducted jointly by Tel Aviv University and the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, in order to find out whether Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was effective in producing antibodies in breast milk, and also to determine the qualities of these antibodies (whether they have the potential to neutralize the virus).
The study was conducted during the months January and February 2021, shortly after the vaccines arrived in Israel, and included 10 breastfeeding mothers. The volunteers received two shots of the vaccine, 21 days apart, and the levels of antibodies in both their blood and breast milk were tested at four points in time, following vaccination.
Blood and breast milk, it was found, are well synchronized with regard to the rise of the levels of the specific antibodies generated by the vaccine. In both blood and breastmilk, the significant increase occurs 14 days after the first shot, and continues 7 days after the second shot. The antibodies that develop in breastmilk hold the potential to neutralize the virus, and thus prevent the disease, by blocking the virus from binding with receptors on host cells.
The leading research team at Tel Aviv University included Dr. Yariv Wine and the PhD student Aya Kigel from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at the Faculty of Life Sciences. The team at the Lis Maternity and Women’s Hospital at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center was led by Dr. Michal Rosenberg-Friedman and Prof. Ariel Many.
The paper is currently undergoing peer review and can be read here >>
Two and a half hours was the time it took for a sizeable number of people – as many as 907 – to enroll in TAU’s “Arabic for Beginners” course, from the moment its registration opened. Hundreds more asked to be added to the waiting list.
Huge Demand
“Arabic for Beginners” has been offered by the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies for many years. Each year, several dozen students interested in the Arabic language and Islamic culture have enrolled. An online version of the course has now been developed and TAU’s President, Prof. Ariel Porat, made the decision to open the course, free of charge for every employee and student at the University. The decision reflects a conviction that every citizen in Israel should have a basic command of the Arabic language, and recognizing the special status of the Arabic language on campus.
Of the enrollees, 60% are students, 20% members of the university’s administrative staff and 20% are from the academic faculty. The demand for the course is university wide, with enrollees belonging to all faculties and fields, inluding: chemistry, medicine, theater, computer science, literature, biology, and more.
Due to the high demand, TAU’s management and the Humanities Faculty Management made the decision to expand the project and open up additional groups.
The course comprises the Arabic alphabet, a vocabulary of about 200 words, declensions, and expressions in spoken Arabic, and an introductory lecture on the foundations of Islam and religious holidays.
Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies and the initiator of the course, comments that, “There is an across-the-board agreement in Israeli society that Arabic studies should be promoted. The huge demand is a pleasant surprise indicating a welcomed and in-depth change in the attitude to the language.”
TAU students welcome to join week of activities and getting to know our friends at UD.
Israel and the UAE have been inching toward normalization in recent years. The historic, US-brokered peace deal that was reached between the countries in September 2020 leads the way for our countries to establish normal relations, including academic exchange. TAU quickly recognized this as a window of opportunity and we are excited to share that the very first “University of Dubai and Tel Aviv University Collaboration Week” is about to take place, and welcome all TAU students to join the event.
By Students & For Students
When Ido Montaniez, Head of Culture, Sports and Foreign Affairs at the TAU Student Union heard that fellow student, Oleg Ben-Avi, was in Dubai, he swiftly coordinated for Oleg to meet with the President of Dubai University’s student union, their student council advisor, as well as the head of Dubai University’s gaming club. Oleg became the first student from TAU to meet with students from the University of Dubai.
Since that momentous meeting, a new and exciting relationship has evolved between students from both universities. Ido kept in touch with his contacts at UD, and already during their first meeting the idea was brought up: to organize a full week of virtual activities for students of the University of Dubai and TAU to celebrate the newfound connection between our universities, building on the relationship formed and to exchange knowledge.
Subsequently, on the TAU side, Ido and Orit Coty, Marketing Director of TAU International, have been preparing the first initiative ever to be organized between TAU and an academic institution in Dubai, by students and for students.
UD President Eesa Mohammed Bastaki, Ph.D is expected to make a statement at the event, as will our own TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat.
The event has also opened for engagement between researchers from both universities, as some of the sessions will be co-presented by scholars from both sides. Prof. Hayit Greenspan from TAU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering will be presenting in a session on Artificial Intelligence and its Applications: Space and Medical Fields and Prof. Danny Ben-Shahar from the Coller school of Management will be giving an overview of the Israeli economy.
What’s Planned?
The sessions have been curated to offer something to students of all fields:
March 21, – An Overview of the UAE and Israel Economies (14:00-15:00) – Dr. Genewew Bekele from the University of Dubai and Prof. Danny Ben-Shahar from Tel Aviv University give an overview of our countries’ economies. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 21 – Israelis Meet Emirates (19:00) – A stimulating cultural exchange activity including a joint panel discussing the Emirati and Israeli character; fun facts about UAE and Israel; “a day in the life” with videos, and an open discussion. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 22 – Artificial Intelligence and its Applications: Space and Medical Fields (16:00-17:00) – Dr. Alavikunhu Panthakkan from the University of Dubai and Prof. Hayit Greenspan from Tel Aviv University will lead this super interesting IT-Engineering session. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 24 – Environmental Day (19:00) – Fair trade and fashion, the animal industry and tree planting benefits and more will be discussed during this session. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 25 – FIFA Competition (19:00) – What better way to end our collaboration week than a FIFA match on PlayStation, Tel Aviv against Dubai? Click here to learn more and register.
What’s Next?
According to Ido, this will be the first time that UD cooperates with an Israeli institution, and they are now looking into sending a delegation to visit TAU campus this summer. Who knows, perhaps we will soon be able to welcome our first UAE exchange students here on TAU campus as well? The ‘University of Dubai and Tel Aviv University Collaboration Week’ is beyond doubt a brilliant way to embark on what we hope will be the beginning of a productive and lasting relationship between our universities.
Israel and the UAE have been inching toward normalization in recent years. The historic, US-brokered peace deal that was reached between the countries in September 2020 leads the way for our countries to establish normal relations, including academic exchange. TAU quickly recognized this as a window of opportunity and we are excited to share that the very first “University of Dubai and Tel Aviv University Collaboration Week” is about to take place, and welcome all TAU students to join the event.
By Students & For Students
When Ido Montaniez, Head of Culture, Sports and Foreign Affairs at the TAU Student Union heard that fellow student, Oleg Ben-Avi, was in Dubai, he swiftly coordinated for Oleg to meet with the President of Dubai University’s student union, their student council advisor, as well as the head of Dubai University’s gaming club. Oleg became the first student from TAU to meet with students from the University of Dubai.
Since that momentous meeting, a new and exciting relationship has evolved between students from both universities. Ido kept in touch with his contacts at UD, and already during their first meeting the idea was brought up: to organize a full week of virtual activities for students of the University of Dubai and TAU to celebrate the newfound connection between our universities, building on the relationship formed and to exchange knowledge.
Subsequently, on the TAU side, Ido and Orit Coty, Marketing Director of TAU International, have been preparing the first initiative ever to be organized between TAU and an academic institution in Dubai, by students and for students.
UD President Eesa Mohammed Bastaki, Ph.D is expected to make a statement at the event, as will our own TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat.
The event has also opened for engagement between researchers from both universities, as some of the sessions will be co-presented by scholars from both sides. Prof. Hayit Greenspan from TAU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering will be presenting in a session on Artificial Intelligence and its Applications: Space and Medical Fields and Prof. Danny Ben-Shahar from the Coller school of Management will be giving an overview of the Israeli economy.
What’s Planned?
The sessions have been curated to offer something to students of all fields:
March 21, – An Overview of the UAE and Israel Economies (14:00-15:00) – Dr. Genewew Bekele from the University of Dubai and Prof. Danny Ben-Shahar from Tel Aviv University give an overview of our countries’ economies. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 21 – Israelis Meet Emirates (19:00) – A stimulating cultural exchange activity including a joint panel discussing the Emirati and Israeli character; fun facts about UAE and Israel; “a day in the life” with videos, and an open discussion. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 22 – Artificial Intelligence and its Applications: Space and Medical Fields (16:00-17:00) – Dr. Alavikunhu Panthakkan from the University of Dubai and Prof. Hayit Greenspan from Tel Aviv University will lead this super interesting IT-Engineering session. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 24 – Environmental Day (19:00) – Fair trade and fashion, the animal industry and tree planting benefits and more will be discussed during this session. More details here and register on Zoom here.
March 25 – FIFA Competition (19:00) – What better way to end our collaboration week than a FIFA match on PlayStation, Tel Aviv against Dubai? Click here to learn more and register.
What’s Next?
According to Ido, this will be the first time that UD cooperates with an Israeli institution, and they are now looking into sending a delegation to visit TAU campus this summer. Who knows, perhaps we will soon be able to welcome our first UAE exchange students here on TAU campus as well? The ‘University of Dubai and Tel Aviv University Collaboration Week’ is beyond doubt a brilliant way to embark on what we hope will be the beginning of a productive and lasting relationship between our universities.
The prestigious Academic Influence ranking has placed Prof. Zvi Galil as 7th among the world’s most influential computer scientists for the decade of 2010-2020.
Prof. Galil is an alumnus, former faculty member and department chair, and seventh president of Tel Aviv University.
Academic Influence is an American AI-based platform that ranks academic institutions and lecturers according to their impact. Prof. Galil was ranked in the top 10 in his field, in part due to his contribution to making the knowledge of computer science accessible to wide audiences, and specifically for the online MSc in Computer Science that he pioneered in 2014 at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). The launch of the online program significantly reduced the cost of obtaining an advanced degree and made it available to populations unserved by institutions of higher learning. The program was widely acclaimed, and former US President Barack Obama commended it enthusiastically.
Prof. Galil is an acclaimed computer scientist who has published more than 200 papers in leading journals, and one of the most highly cited researchers in his field. Among his leaderships roles he is the former dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Computing and former Morris and Alma A. Schapiro Dean of Engineering at Columbia University.
Prof. Zvi Galil: “It was a great privilege to initiate and lead an online master’s program in computer science which offers high academic quality at low cost, thereby enabling large numbers of students – 16,000 to date – to realize their aspirations and improve their lives.”
Innovative technology of BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery may save boy suffering from rare neurological syndrome.
In December 2019, the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery at Tel Aviv University was presented with a challenge which demanded flexibility and thinking outside the box.
Prof. Ehud Gazit, Founder and Academic Director of the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery at Tel Aviv University, received an email from Scott Reich, a very worried father. Scott’s son Eli, only eight months old at the time, had just been diagnosed with the ultra-rare FOXG1 syndrome, a neurological disorder that severely impacts brain development. With only about 700 known cases worldwide, predominantly children with severe disabilities, this devastating condition attracts little research and has no cure.
Determined to save his son, Scott searched all over the world for experts who could develop a treatment for the rare syndrome. The advice and recommendations of leading scientists and health professionals led him to the BLAVATNIK CENTER at TAU in Israel, which specializes in the field of drug repurposing: repurposing FDA-approved medications and other safe substances to help people with rare diseases, all too often overlooked by the big pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Eddy Pichinuk, Head of the HTS and Biological Assays Unit at BLAVATNIK CENTER, whose team was already conducting research for several other families affected by rare diseases, willingly accepted the new challenge.
Dr Pichinuk and his team quickly obtained a sample of Eli’s cells, which had been deposited in a biobank for rare disease biosamples, and established a personalized drug-screening platform to test these cells against known, safe, FDA-approved molecules that could be repurposed. Essentially, they were looking for any drug (originally developed for some other purpose) that would increase the amount of FOXG1 protein in Eli’s brain, making up for the damaging deficiency caused by the mutation. The researchers were well aware that this might be Eli’s only hope for a more normal life: once a safe and effective drug is identified, it can be repurposed to offer Eli and others like him compassionate treatment.
“Our screening platform is based on a luminescent protein, expressed in fireflies, that replaces the faulty protein in Eli’s cells,” explains Eddy. “We are screening a library of about 7,000 FDA-approved substances, initially developed to treat a range of diseases, such as cancer, psychiatric disorders, or various inflammatory syndromes. By testing each drug’s interaction with the marked protein in Eli’s cells, we have so far discovered several potentially helpful drug candidates. As we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we continue to search for additional drugs.”
In the next stage, the researchers will use advanced methods of genetic engineering to transform skin samples from Eli and his parents into stem cells and then into neurons. Ultimately, they will test the effect of the chosen drugs on Eli’s neurons. Determined and optimistic, they aim to restore more normalized brain development.
Thinking Outside the Box
Dr. Avi Raveh, the BLAVATNIK CENTER’s Chief Scientific Officer, explains that the Center offers a unique research approach, applying personalized medicine methodology to rare diseases. “We respond to requests from families all over the world, often at the last moment before they lose hope. Unlike large research institutions, we resemble a small and dynamic startup, eliminating or speeding up any bureaucracy and getting right down to the crux of the challenge. In Eli Reich’s case, with the time window for brain development closing fast, this flexibility is crucial. I truly hope that we can help him.”
“Coming to Israel and working with the BLAVATNIK CENTER has been a good experience so far,” says Scott. Thanks to the Israeli spirit of collaboration, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have also been recruited to join the mission of saving Eli. He remains hopeful: “When we heard the devastating diagnosis, I said to my wife Ilissa: ‘We have to go to Israel. In Israel, we’ll find the know-how, experience and out-of-the-box thinking that we need.’ Reaching out through the American Jewish community and our Israeli friends, we got in touch with the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, and immediately felt at home. The team is very creative, they work fast and are sincerely dedicated to finding a treatment for FOXG1 syndrome – they’re not just looking to publish a paper in a scientific journal. For us, this genuine commitment is extremely important. The BLAVATNIK CENTER team is doing everything they can so that Eli and others with FOXG1 Syndrome may live and hopefully enjoy more productive lives.”
For more information about FOXG1 and Eli Reich, please visit BELIEVE IN A CURE
Featured image: The Reich Familiy
TAU study suggests the extinction of large animals led to increased volume of the human brain.
In recent years, more and more evidence has been accumulated to the effect that humans were a major factor in the extinction of large animals, and consequently had to adapt to hunting smaller animals, first in Africa and later in all other parts of the world.
When humans first emerged in Africa 2.6 million years ago, the average size of land mammals was close to 500kg. Just before the beginning of agriculture, this figure had decreased by over 90% – down to a few dozen kilos.
In their new study, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai from the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University offer an original and unifying explanation for the physiological, behavioral and cultural evolution of the human species, from its first appearance about two million years ago, to the agricultural revolution, around 10,000 BCE. Dr. Ben-Dor and Prof. Barkai suggest that humans developed as hunters of large animals, eventually causing the extinction of the latter.
Hunting Smarter, Not Harder
Comparing the size of animals found in archaeological cultures, representing different species of humans in east Africa, southern Europe and Israel, the researchers found that in all cases there was a significant decline in the prevalence of animals weighing over 200kg, coupled with an increase in the volume of the human brain. According to the researchers, the decrease in the size of wild animals and the need to hunt small, swift animals forced humans to display cunning and boldness – an evolutionary process that demanded increased volume of the human brain – which actually grew from 650cc to 1,500cc – and later led to the development of language enabling the exchange of information about where prey could be found.
“We correlate the increase in human brain volume with the need to become smarter hunters,” explains Dr. Ben-Dor. For example, the need to hunt dozens of gazelles instead of one elephant generated prolonged evolutionary pressure on the brain functions of humans, who were now using up much more energy in both movement and thought processes. Hunting small animals, that are constantly threatened by predators and therefore very quick to take flight, requires a physiology adapted to the chase as well as more sophisticated hunting tools. Cognitive activity also rises as fast tracking requires fast decision-making, based on phenomenal acquaintance with the animals’ behavior – information that needs to be stored in a larger memory.” The theory claims that all means served one end: body energy conservation.
Getting Comfortable
“The evolutionary adaptation of humans was very successful,” says Dr. Ben-Dor. “As the size of animals continued to decrease, the invention of the bow and arrow and domestication of dogs enabled more efficient hunting of medium-sized and small animals – until these populations also dwindled. Toward the end of the Stone Age, as animals became even smaller, humans had to put more energy into hunting than they were able to get back. Indeed, this is when the Agricultural Revolution occurred, involving the domestication of both animals and plants. As humans moved into permanent settlements and became farmers, their brain size decreased to its current volume of 1300-1400cc. This happened because, with domesticated plants and animals that don’t take flight, there was no more need for the allocation of outstanding cognitive abilities to the task of hunting.”
Prof. Barkai adds: “It must be understood that our perspective is not deterministic. Humans brought this trouble upon themselves. By focusing on hunting the largest animals, they caused extinctions. Wherever humans appeared – whether homo erectus or homo sapiens, we see, sooner or later, mass extinction of large animals. Dependence on large animals had its price. Humans undercut their own livelihood. But while other species, like our cousins the Neanderthals, became extinct when their large prey disappeared, homo sapiens decided to start over again, this time relying on agriculture.”
To date, no unifying explanation has been proposed for this major phenomenon in human prehistory. The novel theory was published in Quaternary Journal.
A triple alumna and long-time benefactor of TAU, she will be first woman in role.
Last Wednesday, Tel Aviv University’s Search Committee unanimously recommended the appointment of Dafna Meitar-Nechmad as the next Chair of the TAU Board of Governors.
After serving for three years as Co-Chair of the TAU Global Campaign, Meitar-Nechmad will replace Prof. Jacob A. Frenkel, who will be completing two four-year terms as Chair of the Board of Governors at the next Board of Governors meeting. Her appointment is subject to the Board of Governors’ ratification.
This new appointment follows a series of eleven women appointed to leading positions at TAU over the past year, including VP for International Academic Relations, and the Deans of the Faculties of Exact Sciences, Humanities and Innovative Learning.
Meitar-Nechmad is an alumna of TAU and former partner in the Meitar Law Offices. No longer a practicing lawyer, she is a social investor with extensive philanthropic experience. Among her many public roles, she serves on the Boards of JFN – Jewish Funders Network and the Metropolitan Opera of New York, and heads the Zvi and Ofra Meitar Family Fund, which supports a wide range of cultural and educational organizations and projects both in Israel and overseas, with TAU as its major beneficiary. Meitar-Nechmad and her family founded the Zvi Meitar Center for Advanced Legal Studies at TAU’s Buchmann Faculty of Law. In addition, Meitar-Nechmad is a founding member of the Institute for Law and Philanthropy, also at TAU’s Faculty of Law, which researches and promotes philanthropy in Israel, aiming to advance justice and equality in Israeli society and serves on its Management Committees. She is also a member of Committed to Give, an initiative for promoting philanthropy in Israel.
The Search Committee was headed by Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, former President of Tel Aviv University. In its recommendation, the committee members noted that they had been greatly impressed by Meitar-Nechmad’s leadership capabilities, her record as a leader of TAU’s Global Campaign, her extensive experience in the world of philanthropy and fundraising, and her commitment and dedication to the advancement of Tel Aviv University.
TAU’s Board of Governors holds supervisory and control functions and is mandated to help the University raise funds for further development.
Dafna Meitar-Nechmad thanked the Search Committee for recommending her appointment and said: “As a woman, a social investor and an alumna of TAU, it will be a great honor and privilege for me to head its Board of Governors. The past decade has seen substantial development at TAU, in research, education and contribution to the community, and I am certain that together we can keep up this momentum, expand the sources of funding, and open TAU’s gates to new target populations from both Israel and abroad.”
TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat congratulated Dafna Meitar-Nechmad and said: “I am very happy that the Search Committee recommended Dafna Meitar-Nechmad for such an important role at our University. Dafna has a great deal of experience in social and philanthropic activities and I have no doubt that with her support we will be able to continue the advancement of TAU’s excellence in many areas. Having seen Dafna’s activities successfully benefit TAU, and recognizing her social commitment and inspiring personality, I look forward to working together for the further consolidation of TAU’s academic, social and economic standing and its contribution to society.”
Victoria
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The multidisciplinary reconstruction conducted by TAU researchers for almost a decade proposes a complete change of paradigm in the understanding of human evolution. Contrary to the widespread hypothesis that humans owe their evolution and survival to their dietary flexibility, which allowed them to combine the hunting of animals with vegetable foods, the picture emerging here is of humans evolving mostly as predators of large animals.
“Archaeological evidence does not overlook the fact that stone-age humans also consumed plants,” adds Dr. Ben-Dor. “But according to the findings of this study plants only became a major component of the human diet toward the end of the era.”
Evidence of genetic changes and the appearance of unique stone tools for processing plants led the researchers to conclude that, starting about 85,000 years ago in Africa, and about 40,000 years ago in Europe and Asia, a gradual rise occurred in the consumption of plant foods as well as dietary diversity – in accordance with varying ecological conditions. This rise was accompanied by an increase in the local uniqueness of the stone tool culture, which is similar to the diversity of material cultures in 20th-century hunter-gatherer societies. In contrast, during the two million years when, according to the researchers, humans were apex predators, long periods of similarity and continuity were observed in stone tools, regardless of local ecological conditions.
