Prof Fred Spoor

Prof Fred Spoor

Calleva Research Leader, Human Evolution

Department: Earth Sciences
Division: ES Vertebrates and Anthropology Palaeobiology
  • Phone: +44 20 7942 5179

Summary

I study early human evolution, predominantly in Africa during the time period between 1 and 4 million years ago. At the heart of this research are hominin fossils newly discovered during fieldwork of the Koobi Fora Research Project in the Turkana Basin of northern Kenya. The new evidence these fossils provide is especially important for our understanding of (1) the early evolution of the genus Homo, and (2) the diversity of early hominin species during the middle Pliocene (3-4 million years ago). My work mostly focusses on the skull, and I explore how it is affected by brain development, chewing function, body posture and locomotion, aiming to assess the biological basis of species differences in our evolutionary past. A particular area of interest is the inner ear, and I study this structure not only in the context of human evolution, but in other vertebrate groups as well. The inner ear includes the sensory organs of balance and hearing and can provide valuable clues about a species’ locomotion and auditory capabilities.

Qualifications

Degrees

  • PhD, Utrecht University, Netherlands
  • MSc Biology, Utrecht University, Netherlands
  • BSc Biology, Utrecht University, Netherlands

Academic

  • Calleva Research Leader, Human Evolution, Natural History Museum, Dept of Earth Sciences, U.K., 2018 - ongoing
  • Honorary Professor, University College London, Dept of Anthropology, U.K., 2018 - ongoing
  • Associated researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Dept of Human Evolution, Germany, 2015 - ongoing
  • Professor, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Dept of Human Evolution, Germany, 2010 - 2014
  • Professor of Evolutionary Anatomy, University College London, Dept of Cell & Dev. Biology, United Kingdom, 2002 - 2017
  • Reader in Evolutionary Anatomy, University College London, Dept of Anatomy & Dev. Biology, United Kingdom, 1998 - 2002
  • Lecturer, University College London, Dept of Anatomy & Dev. Biology, United Kingdom, 1994 - 1998
  • Lecturer, University of Liverpool, Dept of Human Anatomy & Cell Biology, United Kingdom, 1991 - 1994
  • Lecturer, University of Groningen, Dept of Anatomy, Netherlands, 1987 - 1990
  • Associated researcher, Utrecht University, Dept. of Stratigraphy & Palaeontology, Netherlands, 1985 - 1987

Highlighted publications

  • Gunz P, Neubauer S, Falk D, Tafforeau P, Le Cabec A, Smith TM, Kimbel WH, Spoor F, Alemseged Z (2020) Australopithecus afarensis endocasts suggest ape-like brain organization and prolonged brain growth. Science Advances 6, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz4729
  • Spoor F (2019) Elusive cranium of early hominin found. Nature 573, 200 - 202. doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02520-9
  • Nengo I, Tafforeau P, Gilbert CC, Fleagle JG, Miller ER, Feibel C, Fox DL, Feinberg J, Pugh KD, Berruyer C, Mana S, Engle Z, Spoor F (2017) New infant cranium from the African Miocene sheds light on ape evolution. Nature 548, 169 - 174. doi: 10.1038/nature23456
  • Spoor F, Leakey MG, O'Higgins P (2016) Middle Pliocene hominin diversity: Australopithecus deyiremeda and Kenyanthropus platyops. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371, 20150231 - 20150231. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0231
  • Spoor F (2015) The middle Pliocene gets crowded. Nature 521, 432 - 433. doi: 10.1038/521432a
  • Spoor F, Gunz P, Neubauer S, Stelzer S, Scott N, Kwekason A, Dean MC (2015) Reconstructed Homo habilis type OH 7 suggests deep-rooted species diversity in early Homo. Nature 519, 83 - 86. doi: 10.1038/nature14224
  • Alemseged Z, Spoor F, Kimbel WH, Bobe R, Geraads D, Reed D, Wynn JG (2006) A juvenile early hominin skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature 443, 296 - 301. doi: 10.1038/nature05047
  • Spoor F, Bajpai S, Hussain ST, Kumar K, Thewissen JGM (2002) Vestibular evidence for the evolution of aquatic behaviour in early cetaceans. Nature 417, 163 - 166. doi: 10.1038/417163a
  • Leakey MG, Spoor F, Brown FH, Gathogo PN, Kiarie C, Leakey LN, McDougall I (2001) New hominin genus from eastern Africa shows diverse middle Pliocene lineages. Nature 410, 433 - 440. doi: 10.1038/35068500
  • Spoor F, O'Higgins P, Dean C, Lieberman DE (1999) Anterior sphenoid in modern humans. Nature 397, 572 - 572. doi: 10.1038/17505
  • Hublin J-J, Spoor F, Braun M, Zonneveld F, Condemi S (1996) A late Neanderthal associated with Upper Palaeolithic artefacts. Nature 381, 224 - 226. doi: 10.1038/381224a0
  • Spoor F, Wood B, Zonneveld F (1994) Implications of early hominid labyrinthine morphology for evolution of human bipedal locomotion. Nature 369, 645 - 648. doi: 10.1038/369645a0
  • David R, Stoessel A, Berthoz A, Spoor F, Bennequin D Assessing morphology and function of the semicircular duct system: introducing new in-situ visualization and software toolbox. Scientific Reports 6, doi: 10.1038/srep32772

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