On Line Symposia: The Evolution of Human Diet

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Much of the evolutionary success of our species can be attributed to our ability to procure, process and consume a wide variety of foods. However, recent changes in our diet may lie at the root of many of the health problems that confront our health care systems. If we are to understand and successfully cope with the world population pressures and potential food shortages looming on the horizon, we need every bit of information we can gather on diet and its influence on our lives. Over the past twenty years, vast amounts of data have been gathered on what we eat, how we eat and why we eat what we eat, not to mention similar studies of our ancestors and the living great apes. This project brings together researchers who use many different approaches to address issues concerning the origins and evolution of human diet. These researchers will meet and present papers during a symposium at the International Congress on Anthropological and Ethnographic Sciences. An internet listserv and web site will be set up to foster communications among these researchers and other members of the scientific community. The result will be a multidisciplinary approach to shed new light on issues concerning the origins and evolution of human diet, and health-related implications of the discordance between what we eat today and what our heritage has `designed` us to eat.