HEAS Member Pere Gelabert receives a ERC Starting Grant for studying human-carnivore interactions through the Paleolithic

Caves have long served as critical habitats for both humans and carnivores during the Pleistocene. Traditionally, research has focused primarily on humans, often overlooking the role of carnivores in these ecosystems. Additionally, carnivores are frequently absent from the archaeological record as their activities may not leave behind remains indicating they perished in caves. Pere Gelabert’s SHADOWS project aims to broaden our understanding of how these carnivores coexisted with humans, competed for resources, and ultimately faced extinction. The project will utilize advanced techniques such as high spatiotemporal precision sampling for sediment DNA and paleoproteomics. This research will enhance our knowledge of the biological processes leading to extinction and offer crucial insights for the protection of critically endangered species today. The team will generate comprehensive data on these species, particularly focusing on their later occurrences, to detail the process of genetic erosion. Additionally, the team will develop models to better explain carnivore-human interactions and co-evolutionary patterns, aspects that are essential for understanding Paleolithic societies

Pere Gelabert is a biologist who earned his PhD in Biomedicine from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, in 2018. Since 2019, he has been conducting research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Vienna. He has established himself as an author of several publications in the field of paleogenomics. In 2023, Dr Gelabert received an FWF Stand-Alone Project to investigate the complex relationship between social status and health in ancient populations, with a particular focus on the microbiome during the early medieval period. His research sheds light on how microbiomes and environmental samples can reveal insights into the health of past societies and their interactions with the environment. Additionally, Dr. Gelabert is dedicated to studying the living conditions of Paleolithic groups, utilising cutting-edge technologies such as sedaDNA analysis and zooarchaeology to gain a deeper understanding of prehistoric lifestyles.