Marvin Hicke

Adaptations to Agriculture in The Neolithic

Started Aug. 2, 2023

Abstract or project description

In human evolutionary history, few periods stand as pivotal and transformative as the Neolithic Revolution. This period, also called the Agricultural Revolution, marks the stage when populations around the world independently transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities. As early as 10,000 BCE, some of the first groups began practicing agriculture. The Agricultural Revolution marked a change in humans’ hunter-gatherer diets to ones that depended on domesticated plants and animals. The change to an agricultural diet and an environment with new selective pressures set the ground for adaptations to these dietary changes, including adaptations to consumption of dairy and carbohydrates. This review investigates several key genetic changes that occurred during the change from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural lifestyle.