Michael Petraglia
@mdpetraglia.bsky.social
Professor & Director, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution | #HumanEvolution | #Archaeology | Researching #HumanOrigins in #Africa and #Asia
more info: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/28674-michael-petraglia
more info: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/28674-michael-petraglia
Pinned
Griffith secures $85m to transform global understanding of human origins - Griffith News
Transforming Human Origins Research Centre of Excellence to reframe the study of our species globally.
news.griffith.edu.au
I’m so honoured and excited to be leading this international initative together with so many amazing people and organisations news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/09/g...
An artistic impression of what we uncovered at Xigou and a snapshot of what life was like in central China 100,000 years ago www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
160,000-year-old sophisticated stone tools discovered in China may not have been made by Homo sapiens
Archaeologists have found the oldest known evidence of hafted tools in East Asia, and they challenge a previously held assumption about stone tool use.
www.livescience.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:57 PM
An artistic impression of what we uncovered at Xigou and a snapshot of what life was like in central China 100,000 years ago www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Rock art in Saudi Arabia shows humans adapted to an arid Arabian Desert ~12,000 years ago, aided by seasonal lakes. A study in @natcomms.nature.com reveals life-sized engravings and stone tools: spklr.io/63325BIU2l
🏺 #skystorians
🏺 #skystorians
December 19, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Rock art in Saudi Arabia shows humans adapted to an arid Arabian Desert ~12,000 years ago, aided by seasonal lakes. A study in @natcomms.nature.com reveals life-sized engravings and stone tools: spklr.io/63325BIU2l
🏺 #skystorians
🏺 #skystorians
Green Arabia: past, present and future.
Our scientific findings “sit alongside Saudi Arabia’s current land-restoration push.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...
Our scientific findings “sit alongside Saudi Arabia’s current land-restoration push.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...
‘Green Arabia’: Saudi Arabia’s vast deserts were once rivers, lakes and grasslands, studies show - The Times of India
Discover how recent studies reveal that Saudi Arabia's arid deserts were once lush landscapes filled with rivers and lakes. Explore the implications for environmental restoration and human history und...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:50 AM
Green Arabia: past, present and future.
Our scientific findings “sit alongside Saudi Arabia’s current land-restoration push.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...
Our scientific findings “sit alongside Saudi Arabia’s current land-restoration push.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...
My comment on the fascinating new hominin fossil finds from Morocco
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
This ancient human may be the root of the Homo sapiens family tree
New fossils unearthed in Morocco could help solve the mystery of how Homo sapiens diverged from other ancient humans like Neanderthals.
www.nationalgeographic.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:54 PM
My comment on the fascinating new hominin fossil finds from Morocco
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
Thanks Deepak we have work to do - would love to see you in India ❤️
December 12, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Thanks Deepak we have work to do - would love to see you in India ❤️
Absolutely Mike, can’t wait to get going too!
December 11, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Absolutely Mike, can’t wait to get going too!
The Centre will support a new generation of transdisciplinary researchers including more than 40 research fellows, 70 PhD and Masters students, and 112 Honours students - with half the opportunities prioritised for Indigenous or those from the Global South. www.miragenews.com/griffith-lan...
Griffith Lands $85M to Revolutionize Human Origins Study
Griffith University has been awarded the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transforming Human Origins Research, one of only eight Centres of Excellence
www.miragenews.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:18 AM
The Centre will support a new generation of transdisciplinary researchers including more than 40 research fellows, 70 PhD and Masters students, and 112 Honours students - with half the opportunities prioritised for Indigenous or those from the Global South. www.miragenews.com/griffith-lan...
I’m so honoured and excited to be leading this international initative together with so many amazing people and organisations news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/09/g...
Griffith secures $85m to transform global understanding of human origins - Griffith News
Transforming Human Origins Research Centre of Excellence to reframe the study of our species globally.
news.griffith.edu.au
December 9, 2025 at 10:22 AM
I’m so honoured and excited to be leading this international initative together with so many amazing people and organisations news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/09/g...
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
(1/2) Just out, our new paper 'Assessing the intensity of Late Quaternary humid phases in the Nefud Desert, northern Arabia'. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
December 8, 2025 at 2:12 PM
(1/2) Just out, our new paper 'Assessing the intensity of Late Quaternary humid phases in the Nefud Desert, northern Arabia'. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
(1/18) New paper alert, a thread! Just published in PLoS ONE, our study: “Novel archaeological and palaeontological findings in cave and palaeoriver landscapes of inland northeast Arabia”. Link: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Novel archaeological and palaeontological findings in cave and palaeoriver landscapes of inland northeast Arabia
Knowledge about environmental change and the evolutionary history of hominins in Arabia has been rapidly developing over the last two decades. Interdisciplinary research on humans and environments acr...
journals.plos.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:07 PM
(1/18) New paper alert, a thread! Just published in PLoS ONE, our study: “Novel archaeological and palaeontological findings in cave and palaeoriver landscapes of inland northeast Arabia”. Link: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
[new paper alert!!]. Taking another look at the traditional Out of Africa I model… 😎😎
@courtneymanthey.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@courtneymanthey.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 8, 2025 at 8:28 PM
[new paper alert!!]. Taking another look at the traditional Out of Africa I model… 😎😎
@courtneymanthey.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@courtneymanthey.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Exciting new discoveries and theories emerging out of China and Eastern Asia about the course of human evolution
This just out in NewScientist. It includes various discussions around bodoensis, juluensis and everything Chibanian… (had no idea they were going to draw my pic for the piece!! 😂😂).
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
November 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Exciting new discoveries and theories emerging out of China and Eastern Asia about the course of human evolution
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Interested in the kinds of information archaeologists can gain from metabolic profiling? Check out this wonderful new book and our chapter on the ancient oasis of Tayma.
This work builds on our 2022 paper on reconstructing ancient scents in Nature Human Behaviour: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This work builds on our 2022 paper on reconstructing ancient scents in Nature Human Behaviour: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Interested in the kinds of information archaeologists can gain from metabolic profiling? Check out this wonderful new book and our chapter on the ancient oasis of Tayma.
This work builds on our 2022 paper on reconstructing ancient scents in Nature Human Behaviour: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This work builds on our 2022 paper on reconstructing ancient scents in Nature Human Behaviour: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Remarkable achievement. Congratulations to you and the CIEHF team too!
October 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Remarkable achievement. Congratulations to you and the CIEHF team too!
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
ABC Deep Time Australia Launched Today
Congratulations to everyone involved in working with the ABC News Story Lab to bring this project to fruition!
@ciehf.bsky.social is proud to have closely collaborated on this project.
www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/
Congratulations to everyone involved in working with the ABC News Story Lab to bring this project to fruition!
@ciehf.bsky.social is proud to have closely collaborated on this project.
www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/
Explore an epic story 65,000 years in the making
Dive into Deep Time, an immersive story of the knowledge, art and ingenuity of Australia’s First Nations peoples — told like never before.
www.abc.net.au
October 19, 2025 at 6:23 AM
ABC Deep Time Australia Launched Today
Congratulations to everyone involved in working with the ABC News Story Lab to bring this project to fruition!
@ciehf.bsky.social is proud to have closely collaborated on this project.
www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/
Congratulations to everyone involved in working with the ABC News Story Lab to bring this project to fruition!
@ciehf.bsky.social is proud to have closely collaborated on this project.
www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
This is now published! Great pleasure to work with @stewiestewart.bsky.social, @huwgroucutt.bsky.social, @carlipeters.bsky.social and the rest of the team!
A sneak peak of our forthcoming article!
Led by Mathew Stewart and @huwgroucutt.bsky.social.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mam...
Led by Mathew Stewart and @huwgroucutt.bsky.social.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mam...
Frontiers | The state of the late Quaternary megafauna extinction debate: a systematic review and analysis
With its origins in the late 18th and early 19th century, the question of what drove the extinction of the late Quaternary megafauna extinctions remains one ...
www.frontiersin.org
October 16, 2025 at 6:30 AM
This is now published! Great pleasure to work with @stewiestewart.bsky.social, @huwgroucutt.bsky.social, @carlipeters.bsky.social and the rest of the team!
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Australia in the Anthropocene: Linking Past, Present and Future. Wonderful project workshop yesterday exploring the diverse methods our students and ECRs are using to examine how Australia's ecosystems have been shaped by people over the long-term and why it matters today.
October 16, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Australia in the Anthropocene: Linking Past, Present and Future. Wonderful project workshop yesterday exploring the diverse methods our students and ECRs are using to examine how Australia's ecosystems have been shaped by people over the long-term and why it matters today.
My comments on the new discovery of hand bones of Paranthropus boisei and its implications for tool use. www.abc.net.au/news/science...
'They've got a power grip': Fossil hands suggests ape-like cousin made tools
The first set of ancient hand fossils from an ape-like cousin of humans discovered in Kenya suggest a number of species were capable of making tools 1.5 million years ago.
www.abc.net.au
October 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM
My comments on the new discovery of hand bones of Paranthropus boisei and its implications for tool use. www.abc.net.au/news/science...
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Paper alert 🎓🌿
I’m excited to share a new publication from my PhD
On-site plant-wax biomarkers + compound-specific isotopes show why relying on bulk δ13C of SOM can mislead in the tropics. Case study: Jwalapuram (S. India).
Read: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Huge thanks to all co-authors 🙏
I’m excited to share a new publication from my PhD
On-site plant-wax biomarkers + compound-specific isotopes show why relying on bulk δ13C of SOM can mislead in the tropics. Case study: Jwalapuram (S. India).
Read: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Huge thanks to all co-authors 🙏
October 15, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Paper alert 🎓🌿
I’m excited to share a new publication from my PhD
On-site plant-wax biomarkers + compound-specific isotopes show why relying on bulk δ13C of SOM can mislead in the tropics. Case study: Jwalapuram (S. India).
Read: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Huge thanks to all co-authors 🙏
I’m excited to share a new publication from my PhD
On-site plant-wax biomarkers + compound-specific isotopes show why relying on bulk δ13C of SOM can mislead in the tropics. Case study: Jwalapuram (S. India).
Read: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Huge thanks to all co-authors 🙏
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Want to explore these amazing camel images in more detail? Check out a 2022 examination of four of the #RockArt panels in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
🏺#Archaeology
🏺#Archaeology
October 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Want to explore these amazing camel images in more detail? Check out a 2022 examination of four of the #RockArt panels in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
🏺#Archaeology
🏺#Archaeology
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Hunter-gatherers may have used engravings to find water in the parched deserts of the Arabian Peninsula 12,000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4nql413
Prehistoric camel art pointed to precious water sources in the Arabian Desert
Hunter-gatherers may have used the engravings to find water 12,000 years ago
scim.ag
October 1, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Hunter-gatherers may have used engravings to find water in the parched deserts of the Arabian Peninsula 12,000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4nql413
Reposted by Michael Petraglia
Jane Goodall was a global legend at the forefront of discovery — breaking through barriers for women in primatology, science, and beyond.
Her curiosity, strength, and kindness changed the world, bridging countries and cultures in pursuit of a better future.
Her curiosity, strength, and kindness changed the world, bridging countries and cultures in pursuit of a better future.
October 1, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Jane Goodall was a global legend at the forefront of discovery — breaking through barriers for women in primatology, science, and beyond.
Her curiosity, strength, and kindness changed the world, bridging countries and cultures in pursuit of a better future.
Her curiosity, strength, and kindness changed the world, bridging countries and cultures in pursuit of a better future.
For the publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 1, 2025 at 8:52 AM
For the publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Had some fun with this one! Based on a publication by @mariaguagnin.bsky.social and our terrific team! 🐪
m.youtube.com/shorts/7Pcec...
m.youtube.com/shorts/7Pcec...
12,000-year-old road signs
YouTube video by Griffith University
m.youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Had some fun with this one! Based on a publication by @mariaguagnin.bsky.social and our terrific team! 🐪
m.youtube.com/shorts/7Pcec...
m.youtube.com/shorts/7Pcec...
About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist – or perhaps artists – was hard at work. @mariaguagnin.bsky.social
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...
12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia’s desert
The large, naturalistic engravings are a striking symbol for survival in the desert.
theconversation.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:40 PM
About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist – or perhaps artists – was hard at work. @mariaguagnin.bsky.social
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...