University of Algarve

Following its emergency in Africa, human populations started migrating and dispersing within and outside Africa. Current research indicates that climate changes and increased human population density may have triggered both human inventive and adaptive behavior and dispersal. To better understand prehistoric behavior and human dispersal in Africa, our team is developing groundbreaking research on the past social and cultural interactions between human populations and between humans, the environment and other species surrounding them.

Eurasia played a critical role in unravelling details of our evolution from the appearance of the earliest Homo species to the transition from Neanderthals to Homo sapiens around 40,000 years ago. The ICArEHB’s group 'Dynamics of Paleolithic People in Eurasia' explores the cultural, social, and environmental interactions that occurred during the Pleistocene across this vast and diverse geographical area. Its goal is to contribute towards a better understanding of the factors that led to our status as the only surviving species on Earth.

The transition from hunting-gathering-fishing to agriculture as the main form of obtaining dietary calories was one of the key moments in human evolution. It occurred at different times in distinct parts of the world. Often, this led to an increase in social complexity, inequality and to the appearance of state societies. We analyse traces left behind in the archaeological, bio-anthropological and palaeobotanical records, while evaluating the relationship between daily human activities and ecological/climatic changes overtime.

Two main areas are developed in UAlg: Sustainable Water and Resources Recovery area and Computation for Sustainability areas. In the Sustainable Water and Resources Recovery area we work in resource efficiency by ‘closing the loops’ through greater recycling and reuse, which is a cornerstone of sustainability policies where wastes and water are seen as resources.

The core mission of the ICArEHB is to develop an integrative understanding of past human adaptations.

The Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics (CEFAGE) was created in 2006, with the aim of promoting high quality research in the areas of Management and Economics. Since 2009 CEFAGE is funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (previous project reference: UID/ECO/04007/2013; current project reference UIDB/04007/2020).