Archaeologist Amanda Henry linked to Naturalis as Professor by Special Appointment on the Evolution of the Human Diet
Starting September 2024, Amanda Henry has started a new role as Professor by Special Appointment on the Evolution of the Human Diet at the Naturalis Diversity Center in Leiden. She will use this position to draw closer ties between the Faculty of Archaeology and the Naturalis, and explore means for public engagement with topics on human evolution.
Dietary habits
Amanda Henry has been studying the role of diet in human evolution for years now. ‘My research interests focus on the dietary habits of early humans and Neanderthals. More generally, I am interested in everything pre-agriculture. To explore early human diets I employ archaeological and ethonographic data as well. Diversity in present day diets may tell us about the evolution of our ancestors.’ For the next five years she will work at Naturalis for one day a week, in the Tropical Botany research group.
New connections
Linked to the Naturalis Diversity Center as a Professor by Special Appointment, while maintaining her current position at the Faculty of Archaeology, Henry is uniquely equipped to lay new connections between the two institutions. ‘I would like to develop opportunities for our students to work in the top-notch laboratories of the museum as well. By collaborating, we can explore research questions that we haven't had the opportunity to delve into before.’ For example the question how plants may have structured the earlier migrations of humans out of Africa. ‘Spreading into Eurasia must have come with a change of diet.’
Plants are key
At the Naturalis Diversity Center, Henry plans to bring more emphasis to the role of plants in human evolution. 'One of my low hanging fruits is sharing my reference collection of starch grains with the rest of the research community. Now it is just sitting on my hard drive. For this I want to use the expertise at Naturalis. My ambition is to develop an international society for archaeological starch research.’ This society, when reaching critical mass, would address the critical points in starch research, like contamination, and the development of standardised protocols. This will improve resesarchers’ ability to identify ancient use of plants.