13.05.2022

Steps of human evolution in northern Tanzania

Colloquium by Dr. Marco Cherrin

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Time: 12th May, 13:00

Speaker: Dr. Marco Cherrin

Title: Steps of human evolution in northern Tanzania

Abstract: East Africa represents one of the areas of greatest interest worldwide for the study and reconstruction of crucial phases of human evolution. In particular, Tanzania is very rich in paleontological and archeological sites that have provided, since the first half of the twentieth century, some of the key findings for the understanding of our evolutionary history, in the context of East African paleoenviromental changes during the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
Two important Tanzanian sites, Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli, are located in the northern part of the country, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a wide protected area recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and Global Geopark. The extraordinary geodiversity and biodiversity of these ecosystems today, included between the Great Rift Valley to the east and the Serengeti Plains to the west, are the result of millions of years of geological-morphological and biological evolution, which also involved several hominin species.
The THOR (Tanzania Human Origins Research) project, born as a branch of the School of Paleoanthropology of the University of Perugia, has been active in the areas of Laetoli and Olduvai since 2010, thanks to the collaboration with the University of Dar es Salaam and other local institutions. The main aim of the project is to study poorly-known geological, paleontological, and archeological contexts in these amazing African sites, to help reconstruct the paleoenvironmental framework in which our ancestors took their steps.

If you are interested in joining the Colloquium, please send a mail to monika.dollspam prevention@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de.