Frequent disturbances enhanced the resilience of past human populations

Philip Riris (), Fabio Silva, Enrico Crema, Alessio Palmisano, Erick Robinson, Peter E. Siegel, Jennifer C. French, Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen, Shira Yoshi Maezumi, Steinar Solheim, Jennifer Bates, Benjamin Davies, Yongje Oh and Xiaolin Ren
Additional contact information
Philip Riris: Bournemouth University
Fabio Silva: Bournemouth University
Enrico Crema: University of Cambridge
Alessio Palmisano: University of Turin
Erick Robinson: Native Environment Solutions
Peter E. Siegel: Montclair State University
Jennifer C. French: University of Liverpool
Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen: Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research
Shira Yoshi Maezumi: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Steinar Solheim: University of Oslo
Jennifer Bates: Seoul National University
Benjamin Davies: Tufts University
Yongje Oh: Seoul National University
Xiaolin Ren: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature, 2024, vol. 629, issue 8013, 837-842

Abstract: Abstract The record of past human adaptations provides crucial lessons for guiding responses to crises in the future1–3. To date, there have been no systematic global comparisons of humans’ ability to absorb and recover from disturbances through time4,5. Here we synthesized resilience across a broad sample of prehistoric population time–frequency data, spanning 30,000 years of human history. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of population decline show that frequent disturbances enhance a population’s capacity to resist and recover from later downturns. Land-use patterns are important mediators of the strength of this positive association: farming and herding societies are more vulnerable but also more resilient overall. The results show that important trade-offs exist when adopting new or alternative land-use strategies.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07354-8

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