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Implications of Anthropogeny for Medicine and Health

All living things are the product of evolutionary processes. Since the goals of the health sciences are to prevent disease, maintain health and treat illnesses, it follows that understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and processes in the context of human origins is of vital importance. New applications of evolutionary biology to medicine and health are developing fast, with special opportunities for contributions from anthropogeny. Exploring the constraints and trade-offs involved in the evolutionary transition to humans is crucial for understanding diseases of our species. This symposium brings together experts who discuss these advances as they apply to the prevention and treatment of various illnesses such as obesity and other metabolic diseases, sleep disorders, problems associated with reproductive health, and disorders resulting from inappropriate immune responses, viewed in the context of human origins. (from carta.anthropogeny.org)

Homeostasis, Inflammation and Disease. Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale School of Medicine) explains in this talk that the intricate connection between homeostasis and inflammation is rooted in underlying principles of control circuits. He then describes these principles and their implications for human diseases.

5. Homeostasis, Inflammation and Disease


Go to the Series Home or watch other lectures:

1. Zoobiquity and "One Medicine"
2. Are there Human-Specific Diseases?
3. Evolving Milk
4. Heart Disease in Hunter-Gatherers?
5. Homeostasis, Inflammation and Disease
6. Why Genes that Harm Health Persist
7. The Divided Child
8. Adaptations to High Altitude
9. Shining Evolutionary Light on Human Sleep and Health