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Cagliari - Sardinia, 21-23 September 2026
A SMBE Satellite Meeting open to Interdisciplinarity:
A SMBE Satellite Meeting open to Interdisciplinarity:
Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy) | 21-23 September 2026
Human populations have undergone profound cultural, biological, and demographic changes across time and space. Genes and culture, while bearing some differences in their evolutionary mechanisms, are deeply intertwined: language barriers can be associated with genetic structure, demographic and cultural changes can shape immune response and disease risk, sex biased patterns and kinship reconstruction are key to interpret population history and social structures, and dietary transitions can drive natural selection. This SMBE Satellite Meeting will explore the co-evolution of genetic and cultural traits, focusing on how human biology has interacted with language, material and immaterial culture, diet, social structure, and health across millennia. We will bring together researchers using diverse data types, such as ancient and modern genomes, linguistic and cultural databases, archaeological and dietary proxies, microbiomes, and formal modeling, to examine how these dimensions of human history are connected, and create new opportunities for interdisciplinary dialogue.
The meeting will include invited talks, contributed talks, and a poster session, with onsite and online participation. All talks will be recorded and made available to the SMBE community.
Organizers:
Organizers:
Chiara Barbieri, University of Cagliari (IT)
Carla Calò, University of Cagliari (IT)
Sandra Oliveira, University of Zurich (CH)
Serena Tucci, Yale University (US)
Save the date — further details on the scientific program and registration will be announced soon.
Scientific Themes:
Scientific Themes:
Genes, Languages, and Culture: Transmission, Isolation, and Contact
Parallels and divergence between linguistic, cultural and genetic diversity
Language isolates and genetic isolates
Effects of horizontal language contact and population admixture
Modeling the co-dispersal of genes, linguistic and cultural traits
Evolutionary implications of multilingualism, language shift, and language death
Genetic evidence for food Adaptation
Case studies on genetic adaptation to diet (e.g. lactase persistence, amylase copy number, and fatty acid metabolism)
The genomic legacy of agricultural and pastoralist transitions
Gene-culture co-evolution in extreme environments (e.g. islands, arid, and high-altitude)
Archaeological and isotopic proxies integrated with genomic inferences
Food, microbes, and metabolism: bridging diet and microbiome evolution
Sex-Biased Demography and the Evolution of Kinship
Patterns of male vs. female migration across time and space
Sex-biased admixture and its imprint on Y-chromosome, mtDNA, and X-chromosome
Reproductive variance and cultural transmission of surnames, inheritance, and residence
Modeling the impact of kinship systems (e.g., patrilocality, polygyny) on genome-wide diversity
Population Structure, Health, and Microbiomes
Genetic and microbiome diversity in population isolates
Health-related consequences of demographic history (e.g., founder effects, homozygosity)
Metagenomic signatures of lifestyle, diet, and ancestry
Integrating host genetics, pathogens and microbial communities across populations
Cultural Transitions and Modeling
Demographic fingerprints of language shifts, migration, conquest, and trade
Archaeogenetic insights into major transitions (e.g., Neolithic, Bronze Age, colonialism)
Formal modeling of cultural replacement vs. assimilation
Integrating linguistics, archaeology, and genetics in statistical models
Keynote Speakers:
Keynote Speakers:
Demography and life histories during the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Cultural-genetic interaction during the Neolithisation
Human linguistic and genetic variation, theoretical and computational models cultural evolution
Evolution of health, human-pathogen interactions in the Americas
Modeling cultural changes from genomic data, relationship with diet and diseases
Travel logistics:
Travel logistics:
Location
The meeting will take place in Cagliari, the largest city of Sardinia (Italy), a well-connected Mediterranean city and home to the University of Cagliari.
Getting to Cagliari: by plane, Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG) has frequent direct flights to major Italian cities (including Rome, Milan, Bologna and Naples) and seasonal or regular connections to several European hubs. International travelers can reach Cagliari via a transfer through mainland Italy. The airport is 7 km from the city center and is connected by trains. By ferry, daily trips from Rome-Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo.
Accommodation
A range of accommodation options is available within walking distance or short public-transport travel from the conference venue, including hotels, b&b, and short-term rentals.
Visas and Entry Requirements
Italy is part of the Schengen Area. Participants requiring a visa are advised to consult the relevant Italian consulate well in advance. Invitation letters can be provided upon request after registration.
The conference will take place in the Department of Architecture of the University of Cagliari, in the historical buildings of the city center.
The conference will take place in the Department of Architecture of the University of Cagliari, in the historical buildings of the city center.
Registration
Registration
OPENING SOON!
Conference registration includes coffee breaks, lunch breaks, and social event.
Registration fees:
Undergraduate students, PhD students: 80 EUR
SMBE members: 100 EUR
General attendance, non-SMBE members: 150 EUR
Travel grants (European and intercontinental) will be available for undergrads, PhD students and early postdocs. Indicate if you are applying for a travel grant during abstract submission, and submit a motivational letter with a brief CV together with your abstract. Travel grants will cover the registration fee and accommodation. Two intercontinental travel grants are available to cover return flight tickets above 500 EUR. Deadline for travel grant submission is 30th of April.
Registration for online attendance is available with a fee of 10 euros. The talks will be streamed for registered participants only.
Participants can register without submitting an abstract.
Stay up to date on registration opening and important deadlines.
To receive updates, please email us at smbegeneculture@gmail.com
Stay up to date on registration opening and important deadlines.
To receive updates, please email us at smbegeneculture@gmail.com
Abstract submission - OPENING SOON
Abstract submission - OPENING SOON
DEADLINE: 30th of April
Participants can submit only one abstract. During abstract submission, you can indicate a preference for one of the five Scientific Themes and for either Short Talk or Poster Presentation.
Abstracts should be max 250 word long.
The organizing committee will evaluate the abstracts and select oral and poster contributions. Submitters of selected abstracts will be notified and will have to confirm their partecipation by registering to the conference. Notification of abstract acceptance and travel grants: 30th of May.
SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT:
SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT:
Our climate-conscious choice for the conference is to reduce paper-printed material, including notebooks and conference kits, and provide a vegetarian catering during the conference.
CODE OF CONDUCT:
CODE OF CONDUCT:
The meeting follows the SMBE code of conduct available at https://www.smbe.org/code-of-conduct/
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