Lummaa Lab
@lummaalab.bsky.social
Professor Virpi Lummaa’s research group at the University of Turku, Finland https://lummaalab.utu.fi/
Research themes:
Human life history
Human Evolutionary Health
Human Diversity
Myanmar Timber Elephant Project
Mammal Behaviour Research
Research themes:
Human life history
Human Evolutionary Health
Human Diversity
Myanmar Timber Elephant Project
Mammal Behaviour Research
We are looking for a Masters student for an exciting project!
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
November 17, 2025 at 11:45 AM
We are looking for a Masters student for an exciting project!
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Gorillas likely experience menopause, according to an analysis of over 30 years of data from wild mountain gorillas in Uganda, which shows that females can live for a decade or more after their last baby. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/kxyz50Xf1ER
October 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Gorillas likely experience menopause, according to an analysis of over 30 years of data from wild mountain gorillas in Uganda, which shows that females can live for a decade or more after their last baby. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/kxyz50Xf1ER
Another ape with post-reproductive lifespan and likely menopause!
@pnas.org @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
(and another gorilla paper from our own
@nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy )
Female gorillas can live >10y after their last birth, representing at least a fourth of their adult lifespan !!
@pnas.org @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
(and another gorilla paper from our own
@nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy )
Female gorillas can live >10y after their last birth, representing at least a fourth of their adult lifespan !!
Wild female gorillas live long after their last baby is born.
Do they go through menopause?
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2510998122
Do they go through menopause?
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2510998122
October 17, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Another ape with post-reproductive lifespan and likely menopause!
@pnas.org @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
(and another gorilla paper from our own
@nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy )
Female gorillas can live >10y after their last birth, representing at least a fourth of their adult lifespan !!
@pnas.org @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
(and another gorilla paper from our own
@nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy )
Female gorillas can live >10y after their last birth, representing at least a fourth of their adult lifespan !!
We have several open MSc thesis projects!
Here is one of those:
Here is one of those:
MSc thesis!
How does distance to kin influences adult survival?
How does distance to kin influences adult survival?
October 9, 2025 at 1:08 PM
We have several open MSc thesis projects!
Here is one of those:
Here is one of those:
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
1. My first ever paper is out! With
@euantheyoung.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
How do older siblings, and their sex and age, affect the survival of younger siblings? Find out by checking below.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
@euantheyoung.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
How do older siblings, and their sex and age, affect the survival of younger siblings? Find out by checking below.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Age- and sex-dependent associations between the number of older siblings and early-life survival in pre-industrial humans | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Siblings are an important part of an individual’s early-life environment and may therefore play an important role in shaping an individual’s survival. The quantification of sibling effects on survival is challenging, however, especially in long-lived ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
September 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM
1. My first ever paper is out! With
@euantheyoung.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
How do older siblings, and their sex and age, affect the survival of younger siblings? Find out by checking below.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
@euantheyoung.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
How do older siblings, and their sex and age, affect the survival of younger siblings? Find out by checking below.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Absolutely thrilled to have my first paper be given a @nature.com research highlight! 🥳
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Will a child survive? Older siblings have a powerful influence
Swiss birth data from 1750 to 1870 reveal that girls who had lots of older brothers close to their own age were less likely to survive than were those who did not.
www.nature.com
September 5, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Absolutely thrilled to have my first paper be given a @nature.com research highlight! 🥳
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Who’s got the power? Studies of male and female primates show it’s not simple
https://theconversation.com/whos-got-the-power-studies-of-male-and-female-primates-show-its-not-simple-263292
https://theconversation.com/whos-got-the-power-studies-of-male-and-female-primates-show-its-not-simple-263292
Who’s got the power? Studies of male and female primates show it’s not simple
Most primate societies do not have clear-cut sex-biases when it comes to power.
theconversation.com
September 16, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Who’s got the power? Studies of male and female primates show it’s not simple
https://theconversation.com/whos-got-the-power-studies-of-male-and-female-primates-show-its-not-simple-263292
https://theconversation.com/whos-got-the-power-studies-of-male-and-female-primates-show-its-not-simple-263292
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Female mountain gorillas can outrank males twice their size...
...and exhibit priority of access to resources over these males
Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225008723
Press release:
https://www.mpg.de/25119311/0730-evan-it-s-not-just-about-size-150495-x
...and exhibit priority of access to resources over these males
Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225008723
Press release:
https://www.mpg.de/25119311/0730-evan-it-s-not-just-about-size-150495-x
August 7, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Female mountain gorillas can outrank males twice their size...
...and exhibit priority of access to resources over these males
Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225008723
Press release:
https://www.mpg.de/25119311/0730-evan-it-s-not-just-about-size-150495-x
...and exhibit priority of access to resources over these males
Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225008723
Press release:
https://www.mpg.de/25119311/0730-evan-it-s-not-just-about-size-150495-x
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
🦍 What drives female gorillas to pick fights?
A long-term study reveals that aggression isn’t just about dominance. Pregnancy, group size, and male presence also shift the dynamics of who targets whom.
buff.ly/Lh1fImW
A long-term study reveals that aggression isn’t just about dominance. Pregnancy, group size, and male presence also shift the dynamics of who targets whom.
buff.ly/Lh1fImW
Risk-taking incentives predict aggression heuristics in female gorillas
Altmetric provides a collated score for online attention across various platforms and media.See more details
elifesciences.org
July 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
🦍 What drives female gorillas to pick fights?
A long-term study reveals that aggression isn’t just about dominance. Pregnancy, group size, and male presence also shift the dynamics of who targets whom.
buff.ly/Lh1fImW
A long-term study reveals that aggression isn’t just about dominance. Pregnancy, group size, and male presence also shift the dynamics of who targets whom.
buff.ly/Lh1fImW
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Individual circumstances & social context influence the aggressive behaviour of female #gorillas towards group members. New study by Nikolaos Smit & Martha Robbins now out in @elife.bsky.social. @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social @utu.fi More: tinyurl.com/3baw5dr7 & elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Gorillas’ personal circumstances shape their aggression towards groupmates
Animals can adapt the direction of aggression to more or less powerful rivals to suit their individual needs and social contexts
tinyurl.com
July 25, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Individual circumstances & social context influence the aggressive behaviour of female #gorillas towards group members. New study by Nikolaos Smit & Martha Robbins now out in @elife.bsky.social. @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social @utu.fi More: tinyurl.com/3baw5dr7 & elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Another cool study 👇🏼coming from @lummaalab.bsky.social, this time by Veera Schroderus 🎣📖🧶🪡🇫🇮
Next talk in Session 5B belonged to Veera Schroderus. She introduced us her interesting research regarding the importance of social networks and hobbies in human health.🧶🎣🌱
June 6, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Another cool study 👇🏼coming from @lummaalab.bsky.social, this time by Veera Schroderus 🎣📖🧶🪡🇫🇮
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Elisabeth Maaria Mikkonen @lummaalab.bsky.social is studying the determinants of milk cortisol concentrations in *semi* captive elephants from Myanmar 🐘🍼 #EMPSEB30
June 4, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Elisabeth Maaria Mikkonen @lummaalab.bsky.social is studying the determinants of milk cortisol concentrations in *semi* captive elephants from Myanmar 🐘🍼 #EMPSEB30
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
Eiliseltä: Tuhat kilometriä mummolaan – sukulaisten vaikutusta hyvinvointiin tutkitaan ensimmäistä kertaa alueellisesta näkökulmasta
Tuhat kilometriä mummolaan – sukulaisten vaikutusta hyvinvointiin tutkitaan ensimmäistä kertaa alueellisesta näkökulmasta
Pitkien välimatkojen maassa kaupungistuminen erottaa sukupolvia toisistaan. Miten se vaikuttaa lähteneiden ja jääneiden hyvinvointiin? Professori Virpi Lummaa tutkii suomalaisten sukulaisverkostojen vaikutusta hyvinvointiin alueellisesta näkökulmasta.
www.ku.fi
May 3, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Eiliseltä: Tuhat kilometriä mummolaan – sukulaisten vaikutusta hyvinvointiin tutkitaan ensimmäistä kertaa alueellisesta näkökulmasta
A new review paper from our newest lab member!
Strategies, costs and counter-strategies to sexual coercion. 2025. Smit N onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Strategies, costs and counter-strategies to sexual coercion. 2025. Smit N onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Strategies, costs and counter‐strategies to sexual coercion
Sexual conflict, the conflict between the evolutionary interests of females and males over mating, occasionally results in the evolution of traits favourable for one sex and adverse for the other. In....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 13, 2025 at 7:05 PM
A new review paper from our newest lab member!
Strategies, costs and counter-strategies to sexual coercion. 2025. Smit N onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Strategies, costs and counter-strategies to sexual coercion. 2025. Smit N onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@melissa-gagniere.bsky.social presented her PhD work at the Aura symposium. She works on 🦊🦡🦝 behavior following an urban gradient in Finland. Follow her for more update to come or even to participate in her study!
March 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM
@melissa-gagniere.bsky.social presented her PhD work at the Aura symposium. She works on 🦊🦡🦝 behavior following an urban gradient in Finland. Follow her for more update to come or even to participate in her study!
Super proud of our PhD @markspa.bsky.social who was practicing his talk for the Aura symposium next week in Turku.
Mark will tell how studying former diseases spread can tell us about future epidemics. #humanhealth #historicaldata #humanresearch
Mark will tell how studying former diseases spread can tell us about future epidemics. #humanhealth #historicaldata #humanresearch
March 13, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Super proud of our PhD @markspa.bsky.social who was practicing his talk for the Aura symposium next week in Turku.
Mark will tell how studying former diseases spread can tell us about future epidemics. #humanhealth #historicaldata #humanresearch
Mark will tell how studying former diseases spread can tell us about future epidemics. #humanhealth #historicaldata #humanresearch
Even highly successful vaccine mandates insufficiently reach lower socioeconomic groups. Check out the latest research of our Human Evolutionary Health team on vaccination in historical Finns, jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
#PublicHealth #Vaccines #Mandates
#PublicHealth #Vaccines #Mandates
Socioeconomic Differences in Vaccination After a Historical Vaccination Mandate
This population-based cohort study examines the association of an 1883 mandatory vaccination law with vaccine coverage rates among infants aged less than 1 year in Finland from 1855 to 1900.
jamanetwork.com
February 28, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Even highly successful vaccine mandates insufficiently reach lower socioeconomic groups. Check out the latest research of our Human Evolutionary Health team on vaccination in historical Finns, jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
#PublicHealth #Vaccines #Mandates
#PublicHealth #Vaccines #Mandates
Reposted by Lummaa Lab
1/11
New preprint out with @hannahdugdale.bsky.social, @lummaalab.bsky.social, and @erikpostma.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Why do we age? And can a “natural experiment” during the Great Finnish Famine with long-term data help provide some answers?
New preprint out with @hannahdugdale.bsky.social, @lummaalab.bsky.social, and @erikpostma.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Why do we age? And can a “natural experiment” during the Great Finnish Famine with long-term data help provide some answers?
February 13, 2025 at 3:46 PM
1/11
New preprint out with @hannahdugdale.bsky.social, @lummaalab.bsky.social, and @erikpostma.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Why do we age? And can a “natural experiment” during the Great Finnish Famine with long-term data help provide some answers?
New preprint out with @hannahdugdale.bsky.social, @lummaalab.bsky.social, and @erikpostma.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Why do we age? And can a “natural experiment” during the Great Finnish Famine with long-term data help provide some answers?