Caley Orr
@caleyorr.bsky.social
Associate Professor | CU School of Medicine & CU Denver Anthropology | Paleoanthropology, Primate Morphology, Teaching Anatomy, Noisy Rock & Roll, Felis catus | Research: ucdenver.academia.edu/CaleyOrr
"Ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data support a dual-origin model for cat dispersal, indicating an initial spread from Anatolia to Europe by Neolithic farmers ~6400 years ago, followed by a second wave from Egypt ~2000 years ago." 🧪 #cats
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... [paywall]
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 12:22 AM
"Ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data support a dual-origin model for cat dispersal, indicating an initial spread from Anatolia to Europe by Neolithic farmers ~6400 years ago, followed by a second wave from Egypt ~2000 years ago." 🧪 #cats
I'm always thankful for the Drive-By Truckers.
The Thanksgiving Filter
YouTube video by Drive-By Truckers - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I'm always thankful for the Drive-By Truckers.
The 3.4 million-year-old Burtele foot from Ethiopia had a grasping big toe & more flexible midfoot than seen in contemporaneous Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy's species). This suggested a mystery lineage parallel to A. afarensis. Now we might know who that foot belonged to. #paleoanthropology 🧪🏺
New finds shed light on diet and locomotion in Australopithecus deyiremeda - Nature
3.4-million-year-old hominin fossils discovered in Ethiopia provide insight into the diet and locomotion of Australopithecus deyiremeda.
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The 3.4 million-year-old Burtele foot from Ethiopia had a grasping big toe & more flexible midfoot than seen in contemporaneous Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy's species). This suggested a mystery lineage parallel to A. afarensis. Now we might know who that foot belonged to. #paleoanthropology 🧪🏺
Lovely video on cool primates, but it's a common misconception that apes have especially flexible wrists. All living apes have more pronation and supination of the forearm (radioulnar joints), but African apes in particular have an overall low range of motion at the wrist joints. #primates 🧪
Africa’s great apes are our closest living relatives. In this video, explore the remarkable world of bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas: their intelligence, social relationships, behaviors, communication, and the challenges they face in the wild. youtu.be/E8aj5ZqX4Rg
Africa's Apes
YouTube video by New England Primate Conservancy
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Lovely video on cool primates, but it's a common misconception that apes have especially flexible wrists. All living apes have more pronation and supination of the forearm (radioulnar joints), but African apes in particular have an overall low range of motion at the wrist joints. #primates 🧪
Good summary of ongoing field work and early hominin fossil discoveries in the Afar region of Ethiopia with some nice historical context. #paleoanthropology 🧪🏺
Our bushy family tree: Insights from Afar with Christopher Campisano, PhD
YouTube video by ASU Institute of Human Origins
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Good summary of ongoing field work and early hominin fossil discoveries in the Afar region of Ethiopia with some nice historical context. #paleoanthropology 🧪🏺
Crossed that final river. RIP Jimmy. Thanks for the tunes.
Many Rivers To Cross
YouTube video by Jimmy Cliff - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Crossed that final river. RIP Jimmy. Thanks for the tunes.
Reposted by Caley Orr
Archaeologists discover that Neanderthals ate the women and children first. 🧪🏺
Neanderthals cannibalized 'outsider' women and children 45,000 years ago at cave in Belgium
Fragmented Neanderthal bones discovered in a cave in Belgium show that one group cannibalized the women and children of another group.
www.livescience.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Archaeologists discover that Neanderthals ate the women and children first. 🧪🏺
Can't resist a mashup of my music and comparative anatomy interests. Fun fact: though written by Jagger and Richards "Wild Horses" was first released by The Flying Burrito Brothers (1970) before showing up on The RS's Sticky Fingers (1971). #rocknroll #music #anatomy 🧪
youtu.be/MchWI3sLUQo?...
youtu.be/MchWI3sLUQo?...
Could “wild horses” drag you away? Quantifying muscular architecture in the forelimbs of extant, non‐domestic equids (Perissodactyla: Equidae)
Equid evolution is characterized by a high diversity of extinct species and morphologies, whereas extant equids share a superficially similar, monodactyl morphology. This inferred musculoskeletal sim...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Can't resist a mashup of my music and comparative anatomy interests. Fun fact: though written by Jagger and Richards "Wild Horses" was first released by The Flying Burrito Brothers (1970) before showing up on The RS's Sticky Fingers (1971). #rocknroll #music #anatomy 🧪
youtu.be/MchWI3sLUQo?...
youtu.be/MchWI3sLUQo?...
Reposted by Caley Orr
🦴 New study reveals how teen growth and puberty shape the femur from inside out.
Analyzing medieval femora, researchers found sex-specific “medullary contractions” during adolescence—especially in females & varying by region
Muñoz-Guarinos et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Analyzing medieval femora, researchers found sex-specific “medullary contractions” during adolescence—especially in females & varying by region
Muñoz-Guarinos et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 AM
🦴 New study reveals how teen growth and puberty shape the femur from inside out.
Analyzing medieval femora, researchers found sex-specific “medullary contractions” during adolescence—especially in females & varying by region
Muñoz-Guarinos et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Analyzing medieval femora, researchers found sex-specific “medullary contractions” during adolescence—especially in females & varying by region
Muñoz-Guarinos et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
"female fertility and infant survivorship increased after males in the Ngogo chimpanzee community killed members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory." 🧪
Female fertility and infant survivorship increase following lethal intergroup aggression and territorial expansion in wild chimpanzees | PNAS
Lethal coalitionary intergroup aggression is a conspicuous aspect of wild chimpanzee
behavior. Evidence indicates that such violence can lead to te...
www.pnas.org
November 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
"female fertility and infant survivorship increased after males in the Ngogo chimpanzee community killed members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory." 🧪
New video for a great song off an old record. It's "official" but I wonder if it's Westerberg sanctioned.
The Replacements - I Will Dare (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by RHINO
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 5:58 PM
New video for a great song off an old record. It's "official" but I wonder if it's Westerberg sanctioned.
Reposted by Caley Orr
Interested in the evolution of human language? Check out our new paper in @science.org where we synthesize latest findings and outline a multifaceted, bio-cultural approach for studying how language evolved. Super proud of this work, and hoping it leads to exciting new research! tinyurl.com/ykacvanp
November 21, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Interested in the evolution of human language? Check out our new paper in @science.org where we synthesize latest findings and outline a multifaceted, bio-cultural approach for studying how language evolved. Super proud of this work, and hoping it leads to exciting new research! tinyurl.com/ykacvanp
The Department of Anatomy at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), Old Westbury campus, invites applications for a three-year Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow position.
(NOTE: the job-ad link is slow to load for some reason) #anatomy #anated 🧪
(NOTE: the job-ad link is slow to load for some reason) #anatomy #anated 🧪
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Reposted by Caley Orr
Yunxian does not disprove Out of Africa youtu.be/jA1I66ghcSw
Yunxian does not disprove a Recent African Origin for Homo sapiens
YouTube video by Chris Stringer
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Yunxian does not disprove Out of Africa youtu.be/jA1I66ghcSw
"Overall, the locomotor adaptive strategy of chimpanzees appears to emphasize versatility and maneuverability rather than energy-efficient locomotion" 🧪
Chimpanzee hind limb muscle electromyographic activity patterns during locomotion
Functional interpretation of fossils documenting our early locomotor evolution relies on biomechanical analyses of modern humans and comparative sampl…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:15 AM
"Overall, the locomotor adaptive strategy of chimpanzees appears to emphasize versatility and maneuverability rather than energy-efficient locomotion" 🧪
Reposted by Caley Orr
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
I honestly think we would all be a lot more productive if papers were bullet points with plots.
November 14, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Reposted by Caley Orr
Analyses of fossils and ancient genomics reveal how early human populations bred less wolf-like companions, and might have traded them around the world.
🏺🐕
🏺🐕
How ancient humans bred and traded the first domestic dogs
Analyses of fossils and ancient genomics reveal how early human populations bred less wolf-like companions, and might have traded them around the world.
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Analyses of fossils and ancient genomics reveal how early human populations bred less wolf-like companions, and might have traded them around the world.
🏺🐕
🏺🐕
Reposted by Caley Orr
Latest paper: Boxgrove is a key European site dating to 480,000 years ago. At GTP17, hominins knapped handaxes and then butchered an adult female horse. A fragment of the horse's scapula appeared to have evidence of impact from a wooden spear.....
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Latest paper: Boxgrove is a key European site dating to 480,000 years ago. At GTP17, hominins knapped handaxes and then butchered an adult female horse. A fragment of the horse's scapula appeared to have evidence of impact from a wooden spear.....
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Caley Orr
✨NEW INTERVIEW!✨
RETURN OF THE TOOLMAKER - Hands of Paranthropus ~ with DR CARRIE MONGLE
@carriemongle.bsky.social
@trentonholliday.bsky.social
#evolutionsoup #evolution #paleoanthropology #science #fossils
👇🏿👇🏽
youtu.be/kcGgfUbbkwE
RETURN OF THE TOOLMAKER - Hands of Paranthropus ~ with DR CARRIE MONGLE
@carriemongle.bsky.social
@trentonholliday.bsky.social
#evolutionsoup #evolution #paleoanthropology #science #fossils
👇🏿👇🏽
youtu.be/kcGgfUbbkwE
November 5, 2025 at 11:03 PM
✨NEW INTERVIEW!✨
RETURN OF THE TOOLMAKER - Hands of Paranthropus ~ with DR CARRIE MONGLE
@carriemongle.bsky.social
@trentonholliday.bsky.social
#evolutionsoup #evolution #paleoanthropology #science #fossils
👇🏿👇🏽
youtu.be/kcGgfUbbkwE
RETURN OF THE TOOLMAKER - Hands of Paranthropus ~ with DR CARRIE MONGLE
@carriemongle.bsky.social
@trentonholliday.bsky.social
#evolutionsoup #evolution #paleoanthropology #science #fossils
👇🏿👇🏽
youtu.be/kcGgfUbbkwE
Reposted by Caley Orr
Evolutionary psychologists have long believed that men prefer physical traits in women which are cues to high potential fertility. A new review concludes: “current evidence base is too weak to support the claim that women’s feminine morphological traits are associated with reproductive potential”
A systematic review of the association between women’s morphological traits and fertility | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
A systematic review of the association between women’s morphological traits and fertility
www.cambridge.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Evolutionary psychologists have long believed that men prefer physical traits in women which are cues to high potential fertility. A new review concludes: “current evidence base is too weak to support the claim that women’s feminine morphological traits are associated with reproductive potential”
Reposted by Caley Orr
"“Normal” testosterone levels are largely based on studies from high-income populations that do not account for diverse ecological conditions known to influence physiology. This study highlights complex relationships that exist among age, adiposity & testosterone patterns in subsistence populations"
Salivary Testosterone, Age, and Adiposity Associations Among Shuar Males in Amazonian Ecuador Challenge Assumptions of “Normal” Testosterone Patterns
Objectives
Adult male testosterone concentrations in high income countries often decrease with age and adiposity, a pattern typically viewed as “normal.” However, testosterone is expected to be adap.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:16 AM
"“Normal” testosterone levels are largely based on studies from high-income populations that do not account for diverse ecological conditions known to influence physiology. This study highlights complex relationships that exist among age, adiposity & testosterone patterns in subsistence populations"
Reposted by Caley Orr
Did lead exposure influence human evolution? We explore the idea w/ Alysson Muotri on the @science.org podcast.
www.science.org/content/podc...
www.science.org/content/podc...
November 3, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Did lead exposure influence human evolution? We explore the idea w/ Alysson Muotri on the @science.org podcast.
www.science.org/content/podc...
www.science.org/content/podc...