Unveiling the Shadows: Illuminating Late Pleistocene Human-Carnivore Interactions in the Cantabrian Region of Northern Spain
Caves served as important habitats for humans and carnivores during the Late Pleistocene (130,000-11,000 BCE). The archaeological and animal remains in these caves provide a unique window into the past. While most studies focus on humans, Pere Gelabert's SHADOWS project aims to change this perspective by focusing on the carnivores that played a significant role in the accumulation and modification of bones in these caves. The aim is to broaden the understanding of how these carnivores coexisted with humans, competed for resources and and ultimately faced extinction. The Iberian Peninsula is being studied as it served as one of the most important refuges for humans and fauna during the last Ice Age.
The project will employ cutting-edge methods such as high spatiotemporal precision sampling for sediment DNA and paleoproteomics. The analysis will be complemented by traditional zooarchaeological techniques such as bone analysis. Gelabert and his team also hope to identify remaining populations of these carnivores and map their interactions with contemporary human populations. Ultimately, the research will significantly expand our understanding of the biological processes that lead to extinction and provide important insights for the conservation of critically endangered species today.
About Pere Gelabert
Pere Gelabert is a biologist who earned his PhD in Biomedicine from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, in 2018. Since 2019, he has been conducting research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Vienna. He has established himself as an author of several publications in the field of paleogenomics. In 2023, Dr Gelabert received an FWF Stand-Alone Project to investigate the complex relationship between social status and health in ancient populations, with a particular focus on the microbiome during the early medieval period. His research sheds light on how microbiomes and environmental samples can reveal insights into the health of past societies and their interactions with the environment. Additionally, Dr Gelabert is dedicated to studying the living conditions of Paleolithic groups, utilising cutting-edge technologies such as sedaDNA analysis and zooarchaeology to gain a deeper understanding of prehistoric lifestyles.
Learn more:
