Nina G. Jablonski

I study the adaptation of primates including humans to their environments, integrating diverse data from anatomy, physiology, evolutionary biology, paleontology, ecology, and climatology. My paleoanthropological research has linked reproductive cycles in primates and environmental seasonality, and has provided an understanding of the pattern of primate extinctions in the past and the sensitivity of many species to environmental disturbance today. My research on the evolution of human skin color has demonstrated a high correlation between skin pigmentation and ultraviolet radiation, improving hypotheses about how evolution by natural selection resulted in the gradient in skin color, a crucial example of the relevance of evolution to contemporary human welfare. I have recently pioneered development of a "genetics and genealogy curriculum," aimed at improving interest in science in children and youth, especially underrepresented minorities, through the study of personal genetic and genealogical information.