Relatrice: prof.ssa Alessia Nava, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza.

The intimate relationship between mother and infant, since the first moments after conception, contributed to shaping the evolution of our species and its behaviour.
The mother-infant nexus changed through time adapting to environmental changes, new subsistence economies and social constraints. Yet, how the biocultural transitions across human evolution influenced the mode and time of pregnancy and nursing of human infants is under-investigated. These aspects will be unveiled by the recently-funded ERC StG MOTHERS. The project will use state-of-the-art and cutting edge methodologies of trace elemental and isotopic analyses in dental enamel and dentine to identify the change from an exclusive breast milk diet to one that includes non-milk foods and to assess the mother’s diet and well-being.