The 2019 Conference

Theme 1: Genotype–phenotype correspondence: anthropological perspectives

Guest speaker: J.T. RICHTSMEIER, From genotype to phenotype and back again

In the era of “all-genomics” and paleogenomics, the tools available to characterize and quantify phenotypic variation remain limited, such that our ability to characterize the “phenome” is inferior to that of the genome (Houle et al., 2010). Furthermore, phenotypic variation is the product of complex interactions between the genotype and the environment. A better understanding of the genotype-phenotype correspondence will therefore depend on our ability to optimize the characterization of the phenome and to better account for the capacity of living beings to adapt to their environment. It will also require a greater knowledge of the developmental mechanisms involved in ontogeny. A more detailed description of the genotype-phenotype correspondence will help clarify the developmental and evolutionary bases of morphological variation in hominoids. Through this theme, we invite our colleagues—geneticists, biological anthropologists, and developmental biologists in particular—to present their research. These presentations may focus on either the genotype or the phenotype, while keeping the genotype-phenotype correspondence in view.

Keywords: Variation, quantification, adaptation, developmental mechanisms, ontogeny

Theme 2: From “family” to “clan”. Social and biological links from Prehistory to the present

Guest speaker: R. CHAIX, Social structures and genetic structures in human populations –

“Family” and “clan” are difficult notions to define, as they encompass concepts that vary across space and time, and according to the disciplines addressing these questions. While for modern societies, understanding social and biological links already reveals a plurality of approaches and definitions, on an archaeological level, the difficulty lies in understanding how the “family” is represented and what the groupings or sets that can be identified actually signify. What can the various tools and methodologies of anthropology and archaeology contribute to characterizing a group of individuals who share genetic, social, or more specifically, economic ties? Furthermore, how do kinship systems, governed by rules of alliance, residence, and descent, impact genetic heritage, social and symbolic behaviors, and demography, for example? Finally, how do data from biological anthropology (morphology, non-metric traits, pathology, etc.), funerary archaeology, or (paleo)genetics allow us to infer these systems and their consequences? This theme encompasses various research in archaeology, biological anthropology, and social anthropology of current and past populations from all cultural contexts, and also seeks to establish diachronic bridges regarding both documentation and methodological application.

Keywords: Kinship systems, funerary and symbolic practices, ethnology, osteology, molecular biology, forensic anthropology

Theme 3: Current Research

This theme will bring together recent findings in the discipline, whether they are new discoveries or methodological advances.