Frequent disturbances enhanced the resilience of past human populations


Riris, Philip, Silva, Fabio, Crema, Enrico, Palmisano, Alessio, Robinson, Erick, Siegel, Peter E, French, Jennifer C ORCID: 0000-0001-5947-6669, Jørgensen, Erlend Kirkeng, Maezumi, Shira Yoshi, Solheim, Steinar et al (show 4 more authors) (2024) Frequent disturbances enhanced the resilience of past human populations. Nature. pp. 1-6.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The record of past human adaptations provides crucial lessons for guiding responses to crises in the future<jats:sup>1–3</jats:sup>. To date, there have been no systematic global comparisons of humans’ ability to absorb and recover from disturbances through time<jats:sup>4,5</jats:sup>. Here we synthesized resilience across a broad sample of prehistoric population time–frequency data, spanning 30,000 years of human history. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of population decline show that frequent disturbances enhance a population’s capacity to resist and recover from later downturns. Land-use patterns are important mediators of the strength of this positive association: farming and herding societies are more vulnerable but also more resilient overall. The results show that important trade-offs exist when adopting new or alternative land-use strategies.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Clinical Research, 2 Aetiology, 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors, 15 Life on Land
Divisions: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 03 May 2024 07:13
Last Modified: 11 May 2024 02:34
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07354-8
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3180764
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