MSc in Human Evolution

You will develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of the hominin fossil record, focusing particularly on the interpretation of anatomical material and current methods. The module will begin with an overview of the hominin fossil record and subsequent weeks will focus on different anatomical regions. In practical sessions you will use casts and CTs of the major fossil specimens as well as comparative material. Taught through: lectures, student-led seminars and practicals.

You will develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of mineralised skeletal and dental tissues. Weekly topics include tooth development and function, including enamel, dentine, cementum, periodontal ligament; cartilage and bone development, growth and remodelling, structure and function; the mechanical properties of mineralised tissues; the interface of tendons and ligaments with bone. Practical sessions will include comparative anatomy and hard tissue histology. Taught through: lectures, student-led seminars and practicals.

You will develop an advanced understanding of primate ecology and evolution, gaining a broad overview of primate evolution, from the origins of the Order around 65 million years ago to the present day. There will be a more in-depth focus on the recent catarrhine primate radiations, including Miocene apes and Old World monkeys. You will study principles of primate ecology and behaviour, including diet, habitat exploitation, activity pattern, socioecology, life history, community structure and predation. Taught through: lectures and student-led seminars

You will undertake an in-depth project in a topic related to human evolution. You will be encouraged to choose a topic from the research areas of members of tutorial staff (currently including mammalian hard tissue biology, development and ontogeny, geometric morphometrics, functional morphology, imaging techniques, primate biogeography, morphology-behaviour-ecology interfaces, palaeoenvironments, nutritional and reproductive adaptations). You will be given team-based supervision, with a dissertation advisory panel to help and guide you. You will be encouraged to write your findings up for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

You will develop an advanced knowledge of the human musculoskeletal system and its functioning, with a focus on imaging and simulation. Weekly topics include: musculoskeletal imaging modalities, landmarks, warping, asymmetry and reflection, reconstructing images of fossil remains, simulating musculoskeletal function, and bringing morphometrics and functional simulation together. Taught through: lectures, student-led seminars, intensive practical week.

You will develop an advanced understanding of geometric morphometrics and associated methods, including having the opportunity to try software and problem solving. Topics include: Motivation and Data; Measurement; Basic geometric morphometric (GMM; Introduction to matrix algebra; Working with landmark data; Examining patterns of variation; Associations between form and other variables; Geographic variation; Phylogenetic comparative approaches; Multivariate statistics; Nonparametric approaches. Taught through: intensive one-week lecture, seminar and practical series.

You consider the fascinating question of what it means to be ‘human’, asking if there are critical characteristics of humans which mark us as different from other species, and how, when and where they might be identified in the archaeological record. Three main areas of Early Prehistory/Origins of Humanity are addressed: Primate societies, Early hominins in East Africa, Neanderthals and modern humans in Europe. An aim is to provide a broad understanding of the key phases in the evolution of 'humanity' and a critical awareness of how the evidence is interpreted. Taught through: lectures and student-led seminars.

You will gain an advanced understanding of functional and musculoskeletal anatomy. Weekly topics include: limb anatomy, the evolution and development of limbs; Anatomy and form-function relationships of standing up, walking and running; modularity, growth and function of the skull, explaining skull form and variability in form; masticatory system evolution, development and function, comparative functional morphology; Anatomy of chewing, the chewing cycle and dental functional anatomy. Taught through: lectures, practical dissections, student-led seminars

This module is principally targeted at osteoarchaeologists, with a focus on the analysis of skeletal materials, but will more broadly appeal to anyone who is likely to encounter biomolecular data sets in the course of their research or professional career. Topics include how biomolecules are preserved, extracted and analysed from ancient skeletal tissues in order to complement and enhance information gained from macro and microscopic techniques, as well as applications to archaeology. Taught through: lectures and student-led seminars