Title Participants Abstract "Human Evolution, Life History Theory, and the End of Biological Reproduction" "Cadell Last" "Throughout primate history there have been three major life history transitions towards increasingly delayed sexual maturation and biological reproduction, as well as towards extended life expectancy. Monkeys reproduce later and live longer than do prosimians, apes reproduce later and live longer than do monkeys, and humans reproduce later and live longer than do apes. These life history transitions are connected to increased encephalization. During the last life history transition from apes to humans, increased encephalization co-evolved with increased dependence on cultural knowledge for energy acquisition. This led to a dramatic pressure for more energy investment in growth over current biological re- production. Since the industrial revolution socioeconomic development has led to even more energy being devoted to growth over current biological reproduction. I propose that this is the beginning of an ongoing fourth major primate life history transition towards completely delayed biological reproduction and an extension of the evolved human life expec- tancy. I argue that the only fundamental difference between this primate life history transition and previous life history transitions is that this transition is being driven solely by cultural evolution, which may suggest some deeper evolutionary transition away from biological evolution is already in the process of occurring." "Human evolution and variation in puberty onset" "Charles Susanne, M. Vercauteren, Roland Hauspie" "Human evolution and variation in puberty onset" "Diving response : an argument for the aquatic ape theory in human evolution" "Sarah de Jager, Janne Bouten, Jasmien Dumortier, Gil Bourgois, Jan Boone" "The Paradox of Isochrony in the Evolution of Human Rhythm" "Andrea Ravignani, Guy Madison" "Isochrony is crucial to the rhythm of human music. Some neural, behavioral and anatomical traits underlying rhythm perception and production are shared with a broad range of species. These may either have a common evolutionary origin, or have evolved into similar traits under different evolutionary pressures. Other traits underlying rhythm are rare across species, only found in humans and few other animals. Isochrony, or stable periodicity, is common to most human music, but isochronous behaviors are also found in many species. It appears paradoxical that humans are particularly good at producing and perceiving isochronous patterns, although this ability does not conceivably confer any evolutionary advantage to modern humans. This article will attempt to solve this conundrum. To this end, we define the concept of isochrony from the present functional perspective of physiology, cognitive neuroscience, signal processing, and interactive behavior, and review available evidence on isochrony in the signals of humans and other animals. We then attempt to resolve the paradox of isochrony by expanding an evolutionary hypothesis about the function that isochronous behavior may have had in early hominids. Finally, we propose avenues for empirical research to examine this hypothesis and to understand the evolutionary origin of isochrony in general." "The evolution of human intelligence" "Liane Gabora, Anne Russon" "Many species engage in acts that could be called creative (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004). However, human creativity is unique in that it has completely transformed the planet we live on. We build skyscrapers, play breathtaking cello sonatas, send ourselves into space, and even decode our own DNA. Given that the anatomy of the human brain is not so different from that of the great apes, what enables us to be so creative? Recent collaborations at the frontier of anthropology, archaeology, psychology, and cognitive science are culminating in speculative but increasingly sophisticated efforts to piece together the answer to this question. Examining the skeletons of our ancestors gives cues as to anatomical constraints that hindered or made possible various kinds of creative expression. Relics of the past have much to tell us about the thoughts, beliefs, and creative abilities of the people who invented and used them. How the spectacular creativity of humans came about is the first topic addressed in this chapter. Studies at the intersection of creativity and evolution are not limited to investigations into the biological evolution of a highly creative species. Creative ideas themselves might be said to evolve through culture. Human creativity is distinctive because of the adaptive and open-ended manner in which change accumulates. Inventions build on previous ones in ways that enhance their utility or aesthetic appeal, or make them applicable in different situations. There is no a priori limit to how a creative idea might unfold over time. A cartoon character can inspire the name and logo for a hockey team (the Mighty Ducks), which might in turn inspire toys, cereal shapes, cigarette lighter designs, or for that matter work its way into an academic book chapter. It is this proclivity to take an idea and make it our own, or 'put our own spin on it', that makes creative ideas appear to evolve. The next section of this chapter investigates in what sense creative ideas evolve through culture. Finally, we address the question of why creativity evolved. What forces supported the evolution of creativity? Does being creative help us live longer, or attract mates? Perhaps creative projects can sometimes interfere with survival and reproductive fitness; are there non-biological factors that compel us to create? This is a third topic addressed in this chapter." "What Pinnipeds Have to Say about Human Speech, Music, and the Evolution of Rhythm" "W. Tecumseh Fitch, Frederike D. Hanke, Tamara Heinrich, Bettina Hurgitsch, Sonja A. Kotz, Constance Scharff, Angela S. Stoeger, Bart De Boer" "Research on the evolution of human speech and music benefits from hypotheses and data generated in a number of disciplines. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the high relevance of pinniped research for the study of speech, musical rhythm, and their origins, bridging and complementing current research on primates and birds. We briefly discuss speech, vocal learning, and rhythm from an evolutionary and comparative perspective. We review the current state of the art on pinniped communication and behavior relevant to the evolution of human speech and music, showing interesting parallels to hypotheses on rhythmic behavior in early hominids. We suggest future research directions in terms of species to test and empirical data needed." "A Cultural Evolution Framework for Human Creativity" "Liane Gabora" "Evolution of human papilloma virus prevalence in a highly vaccinated region in Belgium: a retrospective cohort study in Flemish women (2010-2019)" "Evelyne Huyghe, Steven ABRAMS, John-Paul Bogers, Veronique Verhoeven, Ina Benoy" "ObjectiveIn order to lower the incidence of cervical cancer, vaccines against high-risk types of the human papilloma virus (hrHPV) were approved and brought on the market in 2007, with a partial reimbursement for Belgian citizens younger than 18 years old. Since 2010, a school-based vaccination program ensures a high vaccination coverage in young women. In this study, the impact of the Belgian vaccination program on the prevalence of HPV 16/18 is studied, together with the evolution of the prevalence of other hrHPV types and precancerous lesions. MethodsResults of HPV typing and cytology in papanicolaou-smears from women aged 20-23 years taken between 2010 and 2019 were used. An older, nonvaccinated group of women of 40-45 years old served as a control group. ResultsA significant decrease in prevalence of HPV types 16 and 18 was found in the 20-23-years-old women, whereas no decrease was found in the age group 40-45. Alongside this decrease, a significant decrease in prevalence of subtypes 6, 11 and 31 was observed, whereas type 31 is not included in the administered vaccines. Remarkably, there was no decrease in prevalence of cytological abnormalities in the study group during this study. There was even an increase in prevalence of high-risk types 53, 58 and 67. ConclusionThese findings emphasise the need to maintain the screening programs, even in areas with high vaccination coverage." "Sequence evolution and escape from specific immune pressure of an HIV-1 Rev epitope with extensive sequence similarity to human nucleolar protein 6." "Anna L De Goede, Brenda De Keersmaecker, Ab D. Osterhaus, Christian Demanet, Rob A. Gruters" "Antigen-specific immunity is crucially important for containing viral replication in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected hosts. Several epitopes have been predicted for the early expressed HIV-1 proteins Tat and Rev, but few have been studied in detail. We characterized the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B44-restricted Rev epitope EELLKTVRL (EL9) in an HIV-1-infected subject treated with antiretroviral therapy. Interestingly, a high sequence similarity was found between the EL9 epitope and the human nucleolar protein 6 (NOL6). However, this similarity does not seem to impede immunogenicity as CD8(+) T-cells, previously stimulated with EL9-pulsed dendritic cells, were able to specifically recognize the HIV-1 Rev epitope without cross-recognizing the human self-antigen NOL6. After the subject interrupted antiretroviral therapy and virus rebounded, mutations within the EL9 epitope were identified. Although the emerging mutations resulted in decreased or abolished T-cell recognition, they did not impair Rev protein function. Mutations leading to escape from T-cell recognition persisted for up to 124 weeks following treatment interruption. This study shows that the HLA-B44-restricted Rev CD8(+) T-cell epitope EL9 is immunogenic notwithstanding its close resemblance to a human peptide. The epitope mutates as a consequence of dynamic interaction between T-cells and HIV-1. Clinical status, CD4(+) T-cell count and viral load remained stable despite escape from T-cell recognition." "Evolution of aneuploidy up to Day 4 of human preimplantation development" "Afroditi Mertzanidou, Ha Nguyen Thi" "Study question: What is the incidence of aneuploidy and mosaicism in all cells of top-quality Day-4 embryos analysed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH)? Summary answer: Our data show extensive abnormalities in Day-4 embryos. What is known already: Numerous studies on human embryos at Day 3 and Day 5 of development show that they frequently contain aneuploid cells and are mosaic, although Day-5 embryos contain proportionally more normal cells than at Day 3. In contrast, only limited data exist on Day 4 of preimplantation development, despite the fact that it is the suggested stage for the initiation of the process of self-correction. Study design, size, duration: Thirteen embryos were analysed: four fresh good-quality preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) embryos and nine good-quality surplus embryos cryopreserved on Day 3 and donated for research. On Day 4, following removal of the zona pellucida, all blastomeres were disaggregated and collected. Participants/materials, setting, methods: The genomic DNA of 283 single blastomeres from disaggregated embryos was amplified. Array CGH was carried out using 24SureTM Cytochip microarrays. After scanning of the microarray slides, the images were analysed using BlueFuse Software (BlueGnome). Combined with selective microsatellite analysis, hypothetical reconstructions of embryo chromosome complements were made following each of the first four cleavage divisions. Main results and the role of chance: No chromosome imbalance was detected for one PGD embryo, the other three were mosaic containing between 16 and 75% abnormal cells. All nine frozen - thawed embryos were abnormal. Six were mosaic with between 30 and 100% abnormal cells; three had abnormalities of meiotic origin, two of which displayed mitotic abnormalities. Evidence was also found of mitotic unbalanced structural chromosome rearrangements. The higher rate of abnormality of frozen - thawed embryos is based on a small number of embryos and cannot be tested statistically. The aneuploidy can mostly be explained by anaphase lag and non-disjunction. In some cases, we hypothesize endoreduplication followed by a cellular division with multipolar spindles to explain the results. Limitations, reasons for caution: Array CGH technology determines relative quanti?cation of chromosomal domains but does not allow for the visualization of chromosomal rearrangements, assessment of ploidy or detection of uniparental isodisomy. Conclusions drawn on segmental abnormalities should be treated with caution. The division trees presented are hypothetical models projecting back in time that try to explain observations in single blastomeres of Day 4 embryos. The limited number of embryos analysed does not allow drawing ?rm conclusions, but nevertheless provides valuable data on the origin of aneuploidy in human embryos. Wider implications of the findings: Our data show extensive abnormalities in Day-4 embryos. We found no evidence of self-correction at this stage of development, suggesting that this process may start at a later stage of development. Study funding/competing interest (s): This research was supported by the Instituut voor de aanmoediging van innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie in Vlaanderen (IWT-Vlaanderen). C.S. is a postdoctoral fellow at the Flemish Fund for Scienti?c Research [Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) Vlaanderen]. There are no competing interests."