The COEXIST team will be participating in the upcoming 21st World Congress of the Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP), taking place from 31 August to 4 September 2025 in Poznań, Poland. As part of the conference programme, Leire Torres-Iglesias (University of Copenhagen), Emilie Berlioz (CNRS, University of Poitiers), Frido Welker (University of Copenhagen), and Anna Wagner (University of Reading) are co-organising a thematic session titled: “Integrating multidisciplinary approaches to reconstruct human–environment relationships in the Pleistocene past” (Thematic Session 4C).
This session brings together researchers investigating how humans interacted with their environments, and particularly with animal communities, during the Pleistocene. Understanding these relationships is essential for reconstructing past ecosystems, human adaptations, and behavioural change. The session welcomes contributions that integrate multiple analytical approaches, including:
- palaeoproteomics
- ancient DNA (aDNA)
- stable isotope analysis
- dental microwear and mesowear studies
- geometric morphometrics
- computational modelling
The session aims to promote more integrated reconstructions of past human-environment dynamics by fostering dialogue across disciplines and combining diverse lines of evidence.
Anna Wagner, COEXIST team member and co-session organiser, will also present new research during the session. Her contribution focuses on a comprehensive review and analysis of the zooarchaeological record from central and southeastern Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition (55,000-40,000 years BP). This work examines patterns in human-animal relationships during a critical period of behavioural and ecological change, contributing to broader discussions about human adaptation and environmental interaction during the transition.