Red meat helped make us human but now could be making us sick. A new paper in The Quarterly Review of Biology featuring several CARTA members explores this surprising evolutionary story. Read more: today.ucsd.edu/area-story/r...

The June CARTA newsletter just dropped! Check out what we've been up to, get caught up on the latest human origins research, and much more! mailchi.mp/anthropogeny...

Here's a "brain teaser" for you! What did humans gain–and sacrifice–as our brains evolved? Dr. Alex Pollen, Associate Professor of Neurology at UCSF, explains this and more in his talk "The Costs of Big Brains" from the CARTA symposium "The Idea Organ." www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h--...

TODAY is Triton Giving Day at UC San Diego! Show your support for CARTA and help fuel our quest to understand the human story! tritongivingday.ucsd.edu/campaigns/ce...

Ever wonder why our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, sleep in nests high above the ground and we don’t? Author Robert Moor set out to answer that very question. To learn more, visit: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Big news from the CARTA community! Hande Sever, a PhD candidate in Visual Arts, and CARTA Graduate Specialization in Anthropogeny student, has been awarded a UC President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship for 2026–2027. Join us in congratulating Hande on this incredible achievement!

We are proud to highlight Raihan Alam, a CARTA Graduate Specialization in Anthropogeny student, for his recent publications! Read his papers and learn more about Raihan in the links below. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... carta.anthropogeny.org/users/raihan...

Couldn’t catch Andrés Moreno-Estrada’s talk, “Population genetics of Latin America and Oceania?” 🧬💡 Don’t worry! It’s available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=re4e...

Did you miss Maanasa Raghavan’s talk, “Genetic history of humans and animals in South Asia?” 🧬💡 No problem! It is available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZHH...

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of “The Idea Organ,” on Friday, Feb 27, 2026! 🧠💭There were over 500 online viewers watching “The Idea Organ,” from around the world! If you missed all or part of the symposium, don't worry! All talks will air on UCSD-TV in the coming months.

TODAY! CARTA presents The Idea Organ: a free virtual symposium! 🧠💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org events/idea-organ See you soon! #carta #ideaorgan #cartaucsd #humanbrain

THIS FRIDAY! CARTA presents The Idea Organ: a free virtual symposium!🧠💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org/events/idea-... Hope to see you there! #carta #ideaorgan #cartaucsd #humanbrain

Couldn’t make it to Ainash Childebayeva’s talk, “Central Asian population genetics and natural selection?” 💡🧬 Don’t worry, it is available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=akoy...

THIS FRIDAY! CARTA presents The Idea Organ: a free virtual symposium!🧠💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org/events/idea-... Hope to see you there! #carta #ideaorgan #cartaucsd #humanbrain

Big news: two CARTA videos are among UCTV’s Top 10 most-watched programs of 2025! Thank you for watching, sharing, and engaging with CARTA’s conversations on what it means to be human. To read the full article, visit: myuctv.tv/uncategorize...

The Idea Organ is almost here! Join CARTA for this free virtual symposium exploring the human brain. 🧠💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org/events/idea-... #carta #ideaorgan #cartaucsd #humanbrain

Did you miss Johannes Krause’s talk, “The genetic history of Europe: From the first settlement of Europe to the medieval migration period”? 💡🧬 No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyz_...

Couldn’t make it to Choongwon Jeong’s talk, “Human Population History in North and East Asia”? 💡🧬 You can watch it now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e57I...

Couldn't catch Christina Warinner’s talk, “Human microbiome evolution”? Don’t worry! It’s now available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF_w...

Did you miss David Gokhman’s talk, “Evolutionary switches: How regulatory variants shaped human evolution?” No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSwB... 🧬💡

CARTA presents “The Idea Organ,” a free symposium exploring how the human brain gave rise to ideas, language, culture, and innovation 🧠 💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org/events/idea-...

CARTA member and Palaeoanthropologist Chris Stringer guides us through the Denisovan story, revealing what’s known and what mysteries remain. www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3zq...

Save the date for The Idea Organ, a free virtual CARTA symposium exploring how the human brain gave rise to ideas, language, culture, and innovation!🧠💭 Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00AM – 2:30PM Pacific Time Registration & Webcast: carta.anthropogeny.org/events/idea-... Register now!

Couldn’t catch Diyendo Massilani’s talk, “Archaic human genomes”? 🧬💡 Don’t worry! It’s now available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=piOS...

Did you miss Janet Kelso’s talk, “Archaic introgression reveals human dispersals?” 🧬💡No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=izOa...

This year, ten UCSD graduate students set off on CARTA’s 2025 Anthropogeny Field Course across Ethiopia and Tanzania! To follow their journey and support this life-changing experience, visit: carta.travelmap.net/2025-field-c... Support: carta.anthropogeny.org/support

The CARTA 2026 calendar is now available! All images feature highlights from our 2025 Field Course. 🗓️🌍 You can download it for free, or receive a printed copy with a $100+ donation to help support and sustain the future of CARTA! Get your calendar here: carta.anthropogeny.org/calendar

It’s live! 👏 Decoding Our Story is a three-part series on how genetics is rewriting the human story🏺 Recorded at the @salkinstitute.bsky.social's CARTA symposium on ancient DNA, these episodes take you behind the scenes of one of the most exciting frontiers in modern science. Enjoy!

It was great to visit the @salkinstitute.bsky.social for this amazing CARTA symposium on aDNA. Thanks @anthropogeny.org for the invitation! (and for the position at USC for one day 😜) www.youtube.com/live/HM9EhCE...

Last Friday, we gathered for Ancient DNA: New Revelations! 🧬💡 Thank you to everyone who joined us! Your curiosity and questions made the event a true success. In case you missed it, recordings of all talks will be available soon. Stay tuned! #carta #cartaucsd #ancientdna #anthropogeny #ucsd

TODAY: Ancient DNA: New Revelations, a free, public CARTA symposium. 🧬💡 See you there! TODAY! Friday, November 7, 2025 1:00-5:30 PM (Pacific) In-person at the Salk Institute & Live Webcast For more details and registration, visit: carta.anthropogeny.org

THIS FRIDAY: Ancient DNA: New Revelations, a free, public CARTA symposium. 🧬 💡 We hope to see you there! Friday, November 7, 2025 1:00-5:30 PM (Pacific) In-person at the Salk Institute & Live Webcast For more details and registration, visit: carta.anthropogeny.org

Mark your calendar for Ancient DNA: New Revelations, a free, public CARTA symposium! 🧬💡 Friday, November 7, 2025 1:00-5:30 PM (Pacific) In-person at the Salk Institute & Live Webcast For more details and registration, visit: carta.anthropogeny.org #carta #cartaucsd #ancientdna

CARTA mourns the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, whose life’s work transformed our understanding of chimpanzees and humanity. Her legacy of science, compassion, and hope will live on. 🌍🐒💚 Read more: carta.anthropogeny.org/news/goodall

Thinking about Jane Goodall, and grateful to have spent time at Gombe as a @anthropogeny.org graduate student in 2019.

Don't miss Ancient DNA: New Revelations, a free, public CARTA symposium! 🧬💡 Friday, November 7, 2025 1:00–5:30 PM (Pacific) In-person at the Salk Institute & Live Webcast For more details and registration, visit: carta.anthropogeny.org #carta #cartaucsd #ancientdna

Join us for Ancient DNA: New Revelations, a free CARTA public symposium! 🧬💡 Friday, November 7, 2025 1:00–5:30 PM (Pacific) In-person at the Salk Institute & Live Webcast For more details and registration, visit: carta.anthropogeny.org #carta #cartaucsd #ancientdna

Couldn't catch Caleb Finch’s talk, “Three smokes in the evolution of the human exposome?” 👣🧠 Don’t worry! It’s now available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYKh...

Did you miss Justin and Erica Sonnenburg’s talk, “The industrialized gut microbiome?” 👣🧠 Don’t worry! It is now available to watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS14...

Couldn't catch Barry Bogin’s talk, “Biocultural reproduction: The human style of hyper-cooperation?” 👣🧠 Don’t worry! It’s now available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZj...

Did you miss Martin Häusler’s talk, “Osteoarthritis, back problems, difficult birth – scars of our evolution?” 👣🧠 No problem! It is now available to watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cENW...

Couldn't catch Genevieve Housman’s talk, “Primate skeletal gene regulation: Considering osteoarthritis susceptibility across evolutionary scales?” 👣🧠 Don’t worry! It’s now available to watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXLp...

Did you miss Günter Wagner’s talk, “Does the placenta drive the evolution of cancer malignancy?” 👣🧠 No problem! It is now available to watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MseH...

Did you miss Deena Emera’s talk, “Is there a point to periods? The evolutionary history of menstruation and implications for women's health?” 👣🧠 No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5_T...

This is a fantastic interview with @chrisbstringer.bsky.social. Wide ranging, interesting, and I learned some stuff. Imagine if the LCA of humans and Neanderthals dated to a million years ago! That may just be the case.

Did you miss Andrea Graham’s talk “The Evolution of Powerful Yet Perilous Immune Systems?” 👣🧠 No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdTT...

Missed Steve Frank’s talk Cancer is Normal Development Spun Out of Control? 👣🧠 No problem! It is now available to watch at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwI-...

What Is a Human? The New Science of the Genus Homo 🏺🧪 with Dr Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social Tracing the origins of our genus and the emergence of Homo sapiens as the last surviving human species www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTXC...

This paper updates things a bit: Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years Journal of Quaternary Science onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Human Evolution: still a huge amount to come (from 2017)