2010 African Origins Research MAP_Layout 1 2010/04/15 11:02 AM Page 1 South African Palaeo-scientists The names listed below are just some of South Africa’s excellent researchers who are working towards understanding our African origins. UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN (UCT) Dr Thalassa Matthews analyses the Dr Job Kibii focuses PALAEOBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH thousands of tiny teeth and bones of fossil on how fossil hominid Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan is one microfauna to reconstruct palaeoenviron- and non-hominid of only a few specialists in the world who mental and climatic changes on the west faunal communities coast over the last 5 million years. changed over time and African Origins Research studies the microscopic structure of bones of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and mammal-like uses this to reconstruct reptiles in order to interpret various aspects ALBANY MUSEUM, past palaeoenviron- of the biology of extinct animals. GRAHAMSTOWN ments and palaeo- A summary of current research into fossils of animals, plants and early hominids from the beginning of life on Earth to the Middle Stone Age PERMIAN AGE PLANTS ecology. THE HOFMEYR SKULL Dr Rose Prevec studies the “No other country in the world can boast the oldest evidence of life on Earth extending back more than 3 billion years, the oldest multi-cellular animals, the oldest land-living plants, Professor Alan Morris described the Glossopteris flora of South Africa (the PAST HUMAN BEHAVIOUR Hofmeyer skull, a prehistoric, fossilized ancient forests that formed our coal Professor Chris Henshilwood directs the most distant ancestors of dinosaurs, the most complete record of the more than 80 million year ancestry of mammals, and, together with several other African countries, a most remarkable human skull about 36 000 years old deposits) and their end-Permian excavations at Blombos Cave where that corroborates genetic evidence that extinction. engraved pieces of ochre have been record of human origins and of human achievements through the last eight million years. It’s the best of all times to be a Minister of Science and Technology. I’m immensely proud to be modern humans probably originated in discovered in deposits that are 100 000 South African today. I’m proud to be at the event that will introduce a significant new fossil discovery to the world.” sub-Saharan Africa and migrated at FOOTPRINTS AND DINOSAURS years old. He is particularly interested in the about that time to colonise the Old World. Dr Billy de Klerk studies dinosaurs reconstruction of past human behaviour. and other fauna from the Karoo – Minister Naledi Pandor, Press Conference at Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind, Announcement of Austrolopithecus sediba, 8 April 2010 (early Jurassic), Algoa Basin (early Dr Marlize BIOMECHANICS OF THERAPSIDS Cretaceous) and Permian trace Lombard is an Dr Sandra Jasinoski investigates the fossils (Karoo Basin). Mammal-like archaeologist who has a feeding mechanics of fossil mammal- reptile footprints and trackways particular interest in residues adhering like reptiles, and uses the microscopic provide clues about the animals’ to stone artefacts from various periods structure of skull bone to reconstruct behaviour and way of walking. associated with Homo sapiens in function in these extinct therapsids. South Africa. NATIONAL MUSEUM, Professor Lyn Wadley is an archaeologist MARINE PALAEOECOLOGY BLOEMFONTEIN EXTINCTION SURVIVORS who has worked at Sibudu and Rose Cottage Dr Romala Govender is a palaeobiologist Dr Jennifer Botha-Brink is interested in evolution caves, where Middle Stone Age deposits have who studies the palaeoecology of marine and extinction of Permo-Triassic terrestrial yielded exciting cultural material relating to the mammals from vertebrates in the Karoo Basin. She focuses on behaviour of Homo sapiens more than 50 000 Langebaanweg. the biology of fauna that survived the end- years ago. Mrs Ples, the most complete skull of an MAKAPANSGAT Permian extinction and how they adapted adult Australopithecus africanus BIOGENIC to the harsh early Triassic environment. Dr Kris Carlson (Sterkfontein). ISOTOPES uses a combi- Dr Daniel Thomas EVOLUTION OF MODERN MAMMAL FAUNA nation of approaches to investigate studies the isotopic Dr James Brink studies the origin and evolution primate limb form and function. signals preserved in Western Cape fossils. of large mammals from the Quaternary period Identifying changes in limb structure His primary interest is the reconstruction of (within the last 2,6 million years). His research during hominid evolution offers an ancient environments from chemical team works from the Florisbad Research opportunity to understand the origins The cranium of the juvenile skeleton of Australopithecus signals. sediba, one of the most significant hominid finds of the Station, northwest of Bloemfontein. of terrestrial bipedalism, and changes 21st Century. in limb use in general. HOMINID EVOLUTION Cluver, MA & Barry, TH. 1977. Advances in South African vertebrate VEGETATION palaeontology. In: Brown AC (Ed), A history of scientific endeavour Professor Rebecca Ackermann studies CRADLE OF HuMANKIND, FROM THE PAST Dr Geeske Langejans studies shellfish remains living and fossil primates, and hominids, in South Africa. Rustica, Cape Town, 318-338. WORLD HERITAGE SITE Dr Lloyd Rossouw uses grass phytoliths to from Blombos Cave. Her work helps to under- in order to understand the processes that (including Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, reconstruct ancient environments. Phytoliths stand early anatomically modern humans drive human evolution. (Sterktontein). Cooper’s Farm, Drimolen, Gondolin, are microscopic silica bodies present in between 100 000 and 65 000 years ago and Littlefoot, the most complete skeleton Gladysvale, Plover’s Lake) numerous plant families. When extracted from the way they gathered and selected seafood. DIETARY of Australopithecus Paranthropus robustus fossilized herbivore teeth or fossil soils, they STUDIES (Drimolen, Sterkfontein valley). help interpret past environments. FOSSIL Professor Bone tools used by early hominids at Olduvai Gorge in CARNIVORES Emeritus Nikolaas van Tanzania and Swartkrans Cave in the Cradle of Humankind Dr Brian Kuhn identifies fossil carnivores, der Merwe is a pioneer in the deve- UNVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE (left). An ancient bone point (about 60 0000 years old) and studies current carnivore behaviour in lopment of stable isotope techniques (UFS), BLOEMFONTEIN from Sibudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal (top right) compared FOSSIL POLLEN relation to the fossil record. He works on for studying the diets of prehistoric to Iron Age and Bushmen bone arrowheads. Professor Louis Scott uses fossil pollen from fossil carnivores from various sites and people by analysing their skeletons. He has applied these ancient lake, swamp and dung deposits to is undertaking an ecological study of techniques in studies of mammal-like reptiles, early hominids reconstruct vegetation and climate fluctua- leopards and brown hyaenas in the Cradle and today’s wildlife. tions over time. of Humankind. Pteridium, ancient multicellular life, EARLY HOMINIDS 550 million years old (southern Namibia). Dr David Braun studies the way stone COUNCIL FOR GEOSCIENCES, SCHOOL OF ANATOMICAL SCIENCES WONDERWERK CAVE artefacts made by distant human ancestors TSHWANE AT THE WITS MEDICAL SCHOOL (near Kuruman, Northern Cape) Fossilized egg of Massospondylus, the ANCIENT ENVIRONMENTS EARLY HOMINID ANCESTRY The Taung Child, oldest dinosaur egg (Drakensberg foothills). relates to hominid ecology to help us Dr Johann Neveling is interested in the Professor Emeritus Phillip Tobias is a world the first Australo- understand the pressures that shaped early ancient environments inhabited by fossil authority on the evolution of humankind. He is pithecus africanus hominid behaviour and cognition. discovered. faunas of the Permian to Jurassic Periods best known for his pioneering work on ancient GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK (265–200 million years old), as well as the hominid sites in the Cradle of Humankind. HUNTERS AND HERDERS (oldest known dinosaur eggs found here) distribution of Triassic Karoo fossil vertebrates. He initiated the systematic excavation of the Professor Judith Sealy uses stable isotope The Florisbad Skullabout – archaic260 000 years old. Sterkfontein deposits in 1966, a site that has Homo sapiens techniques for dietary reconstruction, focusing on yielded thousands of fossils, including several hunter-gatherer archaeology across the period from DITSONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY hundred hominid fossils. Ammonite the emergence of modern humans to the recent past. , a common marine FOSSILS OF MAMMAL-LIKE REPTILES animal from the Cretaceous. Dr Heidi Fourie studies the skeletal morpho- LITTLE FOOT EARLY MODERN HUMANS logy of mammal-like reptiles from the Karoo, Professor Ron Clarke has worked exten- Professor John Parkington studies the earliest human inhabitants of and the way this can be used to correlate rock sively on the palaeo-anthropology of eastern the Cape. He has been instrumental in driving the hypothesis that the A 70 million-year-old fossil frog layers. and southern Africa. In 1997 he unearthed emergence of modern human intellectual (Stompoor Crater, Northern Cape). the first complete Australopithecus skull and Owenetta skeleton. These anapsid reptiles capability is tied to a seafood diet. OLDEST MULTI- skeleton, known as “Little Foot”. are considered to be distant ancestors of CELLED ORGANISMS tortoises (Beaufort Group). PALAEOENVIRONMENTS , an early ornithischian