Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 1d

The #TaungChild has been silent for over 2 million years — until now.

Our new podcast takes you back to 1924 #SouthAfrica, where one fossil would upend colonial narratives to centre human origins #Africa.

🌍Unburied Season 2: The Taung Child
🔗 Listen: linktr.ee/arcdocs

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 9d

HERI made a podcast! 🎧 With ARC DOCS we bring the #TaungChild story to life - not for academics but everyone interested in humanity.

Commemorate 100 years since the fossil centred human origins in #Africa by listening NOW!

Unburied Season 2🔗 Listen linktr.ee/arcdocs

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 10d

📍 Sunday morning at #campHERI, camping at the West Coast Fossil Park: Participants took part in a stone tool knapping exercise, engaging with ancient technologies through hands-on learning in an immersive outdoor setting.

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 12d

Meet the #campHERI 2025 crew! These are the amazing participants from yesterday’s 3MT session and Sexual Harassment Workshop.

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 12d

This sexual harassment workshop, led by our Co-director Rebecca Ackermann, is one of the most important parts of #campHERI.

The session invites women to share experiences, learnings and concerns about harassment in the field.

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 12d

How does a #PhD student condense years of research into a three-minute presentation? #campHERI is thrilled to have @kerrynwarren show us how!

Kerryn is the past winner of the @3MT_official competition Science category for her work in #archaeology.
#campHeri

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 13d

#campHERI is here! Today is the start of our annual camp that gives students from UCT and partner institutions a safe and supportive environment to develop skills, build community & address challenges faced in field-based sciences.

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 13d

📢 Podcast news! The #TaungChild proved our roots lie in #Africa but its story is tangled in colonial bias & forgotten voices.

Listen to the full story with Unburied Podcast Season 2 from HERI and ARC DOCS

🎧 Unburied Season 2 Episode 1 out NOW
📆 New Episodes on Thursdays
🔗 Listen linktr.ee/arcdocs

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · 17d

This is HERi Member Linda Mbeki!

She gave the #BABAO2025 keynote titled: From bones to ancestors: Embodiment, structural violence & social justice.

The lecture explored past practices in #archaeology with reflections on how #research in the future can be done with - and not on - communities.

BABAO 2025 Annual Conference @babao2025meeting.bsky.social · 19d

KEYNOTE 2

To round off Day 2 of #BABAO2025, we have our second Keynote Lecture:

Linda Mbeki discusses their research on ‘From bones to ancestors: Embodiment, structural violence, and social justice’ 👩🏿‍🦱⛓️⚖️

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Sep 3

Dominant theories of #humanevolution say our ancestors evolved behaviours seen as ‘modern’ 100,000 years ago along the #SouthAfrican coast. What if we could flip that narrative?

HERI researchers did just that in 2021 with this @nature.com paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Aug 27

Researchers including HERI's Dr Palesa Madupe have opened a new window into #humanevolution studies.

Using palaeoproteomics, they uncovered some of the oldest human genetic data from #Africa - sparking an exciting future for early hominin research.

New clues from 2 million-year-old tooth enamel tell us more about an ancient relative of humans — HERI - Human Evolution Research Institute

Researchers including HERI's Dr Palesa Madupe experienced a breakthrough when they extracted ancient proteins from the enamel of the 2-million-year-old teeth of four P. robustus fossils. The results…

www.heriuct.co.za

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Aug 20

This is what #womeninscience look like!

Our @drpeechiwara.bsky.social is extracting a quartzite block to be geochemically tested. Part of her #postdoc field work, the aim is to pinpoint where raw materials used to make ESA & MSA stone tools in Kalahari of #SouthAfrica were obtained.

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Aug 13

Palaeoanthropology asks profound questions: Who are we? What makes us human? Too often, answering these answers has been done by a privileged few.

Our Rebecca Ackermann calls for that to change - toward feminist palaeoanthropology. #diversityinscience

We need a feminist palaeoanthropology that finally listens to all of us — HERI - Human Evolution Research Institute

Palaeoanthropology asks profound questions: Who are we? What makes us human? Too often, answering these answers has been done by a privileged few. HERi Co-director Prof Rebecca Ackermann calls for…

www.heriuct.co.za

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Aug 4

Our Robyn Pickering has spent the past decade refining radiometric dating of fossils from flowstones.

The work has enabled researchers to date cave sites in #SouthAfrica -- and supports theories that at least two types of hominins co-existed.

Read more: www.science.org/content/arti...

Three ancient human relatives once shared the same valley. Did they meet—and compete?

The world’s greatest concentration of ancestral human remains, in South Africa, poses a 2-million-year-old riddle of coexistence

www.science.org

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Jun 11

In 1908 Austrian Dr Rudolf Pöch took remains of indigenous people from the Kalahari region & used the bones for race science.

Unburied - the NEW podcast from Iziko Museums #SouthAfrica - explores how this shaped the lives of indigenous communities here & globally

🔊👇🏾https://www.arcdocs.org/unburied

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Reposted by Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town

Elsabe Brits @elsabebrits.bsky.social · May 29

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...
Sent with my Daily Maverick App (app.dailymaverick.co.za)
@heriuct.bsky.social

Ancient protein from pre-human teeth reveals secrets of human evolutionary tree

Researchers have extracted 2 million-year-old protein remains from ancient pre-human teeth to reveal biological sex and genetic variability.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Reposted by Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town

Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · May 30

Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus

Paranthropus robustus is a morphologically well-documented Early Pleistocene hominin species from southern Africa with no genetic evidence reported so far. In this work, we describe the mass spectrome...

www.science.org

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · May 30

🧬NEW: Our Dr Palesa Madupe & colleagues retrieved some of the oldest human genetic data from #Africa

They identify 2million year-old protein remains from Paranthropus robustus to reveal its biological sex & genetic variability

Read about this breakthrough in human evolution studies: bit.ly/3HiOgqP

Ancient genetic data reveals biological sex and genetic variability of Paranthropus robustus — HERI - Human Evolution Research Institute

Using a technique called palaeoproteomics, researchers extracted 2-million-year-old protein remains from Paranthropus robustus teeth to reveal biological sex and genetic variability. 

bit.ly

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Feb 13

These are ancient waterfalls in the now-dry Kalahari.

Called tufas, HERI researchers have dated them to between 110,000 to 100,000 years ago - exactly when evidence of modern humans was found nearby.

Read more of their findings here: https://buff.ly/49idakk

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Feb 7

Helping produce #Setswana translations for this #Taung Child special issue from
@SAJS_Official
was a very special project for us.

Thanks to all for their support #languagematters

👉🏾https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667/23562

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Feb 7

So proud of this #Taung Child special issue from the South African Journal of Science (SAJS). And having our Co-directors Rebecca Ackermann & @pickeringrobyn.bsky.social along with HERI's Lauren Schroeder and UCT's Yonatan Sahle supporting to guest edit the special issue. sajs.co.za/article/view...

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Feb 7

Happening in 10 minutes! 👇🏾

Celbrate today's 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the #Taung Child skull with the #palaeoanthropology community in #SouthAfrica🌍

Starting at 15.00 SAST / 08.00 EST
Register here: bit.ly/4hyV28M

Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Feb 5

The story of Taung Child should be told by South Africans, for South Africans, and from #SouthAfrica.

Join us to commemorate the light #Taung shines on our heritage & shared origins.

➡️Friday 7 Feb at 15.00 SAST / 08.00 EST

🌍Register here: bit.ly/4hyV28M

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Jan 28

This February is the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the #Taung Child skull.

Join the #palaeoanthropology community in #SouthAfrica to commemorate at this free online webinar.

Happening Friday 7 Feb at 15.00 SAST / 08.00 EST

Register here: bit.ly/4hyV28M

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Human Evolution Research Institute at University of Cape Town @heriuct.bsky.social · Jan 27

How is HERI building a cohort of black womxn researchers in human evolution studies?

Read more in the Unviersity of Cape Town 2023 #Sustainability & #SDGs report

👉🏾http://bit.ly/SDGReport2023

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