Postdoctoral Affiliate
Research: I am interested in social transmission and tool use in primates, particularly how these areas can inform us about human evolution and adaptability. My DPhil research studied the presence/absence of cultural behaviors among baboons in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. My observations focused on social grooming, greeting behaviors, sleeping site preparation, and food processing/preparation, with particular emphasis on the latter two categories as those behaviors are most likely to leave physical traces that could be preserved in the archaeological record. I hope that this research will improve our understanding of the evolutionary origin and age of the cognitive processes necessary for cultural behaviors to arise.
Other research interests: Paleolithic and neolithic archaeology, domestication
Email: jana.muschinski@anthro.ox.ac.uk
