What does our research in this field focus on?
We study the interactions between hominins, their environments, and changing climates during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. Our work centers on reconstructing dietary patterns, habitat preferences, and ecological flexibility of hominins in different regions and time periods. We are particularly interested in how hominins responded to environmental variability and what this reveals about their evolutionary adaptations.
Which key methods or approaches do we commonly use?
Our primary methodological approach is the analysis of stable isotopes, especially carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotopes from tooth enamel. Tooth enamel provides a robust archive of ecological information, allowing us to infer aspects of diet, vegetation structure, and climatic conditions during tooth formation. Isotopic data are integrated with geological, paleoenvironmental, and faunal evidence to place hominin ecology within a broader environmental framework.
What is our main contribution to this research field?
Our main contribution lies in producing high-resolution, quantitatively robust reconstructions of Early and Middle Pleistocene hominin ecology. By combining stable isotope geochemistry with paleoanthropological questions, we provide new insights into dietary diversity, habitat use, and adaptive strategies of early hominins. This biogeological perspective helps refine models of human evolution by linking biological behavior to environmental change.
