Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

4.0K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
4.0K
Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

64.5K
Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
64.5K
The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

50.0K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
50.0K
Microbial Phylogeny01:28

Microbial Phylogeny

61
Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...
61
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

7.2K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
7.2K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

34.4K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
34.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Persian plateau served as hub for Homo sapiens after the main out of Africa dispersal.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Pan-Africanism vs. single-origin of Homo sapiens: Putting the debate in the light of evolutionary biology.

Evolutionary anthropology·2022
Same author

Genetics and Material Culture Support Repeated Expansions into Paleolithic Eurasia from a Population Hub Out of Africa.

Genome biology and evolution·2022
Same author

Mosaic evolution in hominin phylogeny: meanings, implications, and explanations.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2019
Same author

Mirror neurons in the tree of life: mosaic evolution, plasticity and exaptation of sensorimotor matching responses.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2016
Same author

What made us human? Biological and cultural evolution of Homo sapiens.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2016
Same journal

Two methods of intentional cranial modification from Early Holocene Songhuajiang in Northeast China.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2026
Same journal

The anatomical position of the ribs and thoracic vertebrae of the Roc de Marsal Neandertal infant.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2026
Same journal

The Neanderthal cranium: functional reappraisal of a peculiar morphology.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2026
Same journal

Reexploring drivers of technological variation through the complex landscapes of cultural evolution.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2026
Same journal

How useful is human intelligence for evaluating artificial intelligence?

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2025
Same journal

Faking it for science: generative artificial intelligence at the crossroads of biological and cultural anthropology.

Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS·2025
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K

Multi-level human evolution: ecological patterns in hominin phylogeny.

Andrea Parravicini1, Telmo Pievani2

  • 1University of Padua, Department of Biology, Via U. Bassi n. 58/B 35131 Padua, Italy, andrea.parravicini@unipd.it.

Journal of Anthropological Sciences = Rivista Di Antropologia : JASS
|February 2, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human evolution was significantly shaped by large-scale ecological changes and climate instability. Macro-evolutionary patterns, like speciation and dispersal, reveal how environmental shifts influenced hominin diversity and adaptation.

More Related Videos

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
08:03

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Published on: December 7, 2021

2.9K
Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing
10:18

Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing

Published on: October 16, 2018

12.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K
Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
08:03

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Published on: December 7, 2021

2.9K
Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing
10:18

Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing

Published on: October 16, 2018

12.8K

Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Evolutionary studies traditionally focused on genes, often overlooking macro-evolutionary patterns.
  • Fragmentary evidence and gradualistic approaches historically limited paleoanthropology's scope.
  • Recent findings highlight climate instability and ecological disturbance in hominin evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To integrate macro-evolutionary patterns into understanding human evolution.
  • To adopt a multilevel approach to analyze evolutionary changes from genes to ecosystems.
  • To emphasize the impact of global ecological changes on hominin phylogeny.

Main Methods:

  • Adoption of Niles Eldredge's multilevel approach to evolution.
  • Analysis of macro-evolutionary patterns such as allopatric speciation and adaptive radiation.
  • Integration of genetic variation, ecological pressures, and large-scale biogeographical data.

Main Results:

  • Hominin phylogeny is characterized by significant branching, influenced by ecological factors.
  • Macro-evolutionary patterns like species turnover and adaptive radiation are evident in human evolution.
  • Global climate and Earth surface changes profoundly impacted human evolution, particularly in Africa.

Conclusions:

  • Human evolution is a complex, multilevel process deeply intertwined with ecological dynamics.
  • Macro-evolutionary perspectives are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of human origins.
  • Environmental changes, especially climate instability, were primary drivers of hominin evolution and dispersal.