Boughner Lab, Evo-Devo-Anthropology (University of Saskatchewan)
How do different primate body parts develop in the right place, at the right time to make a whole animal? How do these body parts still fit together even as they evolve to look different across species? These "Evo-Devo" questions drive our lab's research. We marshal genetic, cellular, morphological, and high-resolution image data to get at the mechanisms that synchronize pre- and postnatal changes in body parts, with a focus on faces, jaws and teeth. To understand craniodental evo-devo across vertebrates, we collaborate across Canada and internationally with colleagues, studying data collected from primates as well as rodents, fishes, and amphibians. Our team encompasses trainees across various levels of career progression. Our work is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), among shorter-term grants from other agencies and institutes.
MIRA lab focuses on early human migrations and cultural interactions in two different areas of the world: Pleistocene Europe and the Holocene Caribbean. In both instances our research is informed by human evolutionary biology and life history theory, and benefits from an expertise in archaeological practice and hunter-gatherer studies. We conduct research in the Balkans, Portugal, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Jamaica with a large team of co-applicants and collaborators. Combining diverse lines of biological evidence with a strong background in regional archaeologies enables us to offer new perspectives and maximize the potential of the fragmentary and truncated paleontological and archaeological record to inform our understanding of past human behaviour.
The Silcox Lab for the study of Paleoprimatology, paleobiology, and Mammalian Evolution
Our main goal is to understand all aspects of the early evolution of the Order Primates. Research in the Silcox lab focuses on several aspects of this process. A particular area of emphasis is the group of extinct fossil mammals sometimes referred to as plesiadapiforms, which we think represents the first adaptive radiation of primates. Plesiadapiforms are known from North America, Europe and Asia — their temporal distribution stretches from approximately 65 to 40 million years ago. The group comprises an impressive diversity: over 140 species, grouped into 11 distinct families. We study these species from multiple perspectives, including their anatomy, evolutionary relationships, and reconstructed behaviour. A key element of this work is fieldwork to undercover new specimens of plesiadapiforms, and to help to understand the ecological context in which they lived.
S.D.S. is a multidisciplinary assessment of ancient environments and ecosystems, diet, subsistence, and
technological stability and change. We investigate how changing paleoenvironmental conditions
influenced hominid dietary behaviour and stone tool technology development and use, and how these
factors act as key drivers in human evolutionary research. Our project is interested in the
interconnections among water availability, plant cover, food ways, technology, and the strategic
settlement across the African landscape that paved the way to humanity.