Abstract

The CENIEH is a research center devoted to excellent and interdisciplinary research about the biological and cultural evolution of the human lineage and the bidirectional impact of hominins and environment interaction. Through a creative approach that aims to maximize the information we can extract from the scarce records of the past, the CENIEH offers a wide array scientific and technical approaches that have also proved useful for the private or industrial sectors. This is an added challenge for the only ICTS (Unique Scientific-Technical Infrastructure) in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences. Here I will present our labs (Geology and Geochronology, Material characterization, Digital Mapping and 3D analysis, Conservation and Restauration, Experimental Archaeology and Taphonomy and Palaeoproteomics) and expertise, as well as some specific examples that illustrate our contribution to the study of human origins and other areas of growing social interest like heritage sciences, environmental studies, study of new materials and biomedical research.