Background: Beginning at the end of the last Ice Agethe Pleistocenehuman groups across the world began cultivating wild plants and animals for food.  In the past 10,000 years this process resulted in the domestication of wild species to the point that nearly all of the foods that we eat today are radically different in their genetic composition and physical appearance from their nondomesticated ancestors.  Given that humans (H. sapiens sapiens) have been around for at least 200,000 years, and agriculture has been practiced for only about 6000 years or so, some people assert that humans are not evolved to consume many of the foods that are dietary staples in modern human societies.  Specifically, they argue that the so-called Paleo Diet is based on the eating patterns of our most ancient hunter gatherer ancestors the early humans of the paleolithic (stone age) period, who roamed the earth millions of years ago[that] all hunter gatherers had the same dietary approach they consumed only those foods provided and available by nature[and that] human genes have not changed enough over the last few thousand years to adapt to our new agriculturebased diet (http://www.paleodietfoodlist.net/paleo-diet/ (Links to an external site.)). 

Instructions: In this activity you will evaluate the scientific basis for these claims about human diet, and how archaeology can be used to inform on modern ideas.  First, read through a recent discussion of this fad diet by National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2014/04/22/prehistoric-dining-the-real-paleo-diet/ (Links to an external site.)

After reading this discussion, select one foodstuff that proponents of the Paleo Diet assert is allowed by the diet (and thus is something humans are evolved to eat), and select a foodstuff that is not allowed by the diet (and thus is something humans are NOT evolved to eat).  A list of allowed and not allowed foods is provided below.

Research the history of domestication and human use of these two foodstuffs to identify the following:

Where and by whom (i.e., what culture or society) were these first domesticated?
When were these first domesticated?
What is the wild (nondomesticated) species from which the modern cultivar derives?
What are the ways in which the modern cultivars differ from the nondomesticated versions?
Identify evidence from archaeology as well as from one other scientific discipline (e.g., botany, genetics, biology, etc.) to support your findings
In your written essay, be sure to compare the origins and histories of these two foodstuffs by presenting the information you have gathered from each of the above 5 questions.  Next, identify whether these modern foods are truly representative of things that were eaten by our forager/hunter-gatherer ancestors.  Decide whether you believe that the distinctions between allowed and not allowed foods are justified by scientific evidence.

You may use our textbook to assist you in answering these questions, but you must also identifyand use as a sourceat least one other scientific paper for your assignment.  Be sure to include academic citations when necessary.  If you need help identifying possible academic research for your work, please meet with one of us.

Specifications: Your essay should be no less than 3 and no more than 5 pages (note: references cited pages do not count towards your page total), double spaced, with 1-inch margins, and set in 12-point font.  Include your name, student number, and course code (ANTH2302) and enrollment semester (Spring 2020) at the top of the first page, and that there are page numbers at the bottom of each page.  Your essay should have a clear structure with an introduction, discussion, and conclusion.  You should avoid bullet points, poor grammar and informal language, vague/non-specific statements, and plagiarism (either intentional or unintentional).

If you are unsure how to identify a scholarly or peer-reviewed paper, please consult the SMU Libraries guide on doing so: http://guides.smu.edu/peer_reviewed/peer_finding (Links to an external site.).  In general, journal articles and books located through the JSTOR service are peer reviewed works; web pages generally are not.  When providing your reference(s), you may use any bibliographic format that you are comfortable with (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago); however, make sure to use it correctly.  Be sure to check that you are correct by consulting an official guide or the guides provided by the Purdue Online Writing Lab (http://guides.smu.edu/peer_reviewed/peer_finding (Links to an external site.)).  If you are in doubt as to whether a reference is scholarly or your bibliographic formatting is correct, be sure to consult with one of our TAs before the assignment is due.