Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease worldwide and a leading cause of disability, yet is often framed as an unavoidable consequence of aging and mechanical “wear and tear.” In this seminar, I draw on evolutionary anthropology to argue that osteoarthritis is better understood as a mismatch disease, a condition that has become more common and more severe because human biology evolved under environmental conditions that differ markedly from those experienced today. After outlining the evolutionary context of human susceptibility to joint degeneration, I review multiple lines of anthropological evidence suggesting that OA meets the criteria of an evolutionary mismatch disease, including comparative data from diverse populations and lifestyles. I conclude by discussing how this perspective reshapes our understanding of OA risk and what it may reveal about the future prevalence, prevention, and management of OA.
Biography
Dr. Wallace is an evolutionary anthropologist and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico. His research tackles two big questions: How did humans evolve to use their bodies to move? And what are the costs and benefits of modern physical activity patterns for human health? He is particularly drawn to research topics that lie at the interface between evolutionary anthropology and medicine, especially degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis that appear to stem from deleterious interactions between our evolutionary heritage and modern environments.