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Lynn
Copes Rick Potts, Ph.D. "Because of its resources at one of the greatest natural history museums in the world, the RTP is able to offer its students exposure to all areas of science and all manner of scientific scholars. This summer was an unforgettable experience, and a valuable step along the path toward my goal of becoming a scientist and a scholar in my own right." |
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The Stratigraphic Precision of Paleoenvironmental
Data in Relation to Hominin Localities in the Turkana and Olduvai
Basins, East Africa: how much fuzz exists? This
investigation studied the paleoenvironments of human evolution -the
climate and landscape of Africa millions of years ago. Evidence that
helps scientists understand ancient environments includes the fossilized
animal bones, plant seeds, and wood found at archaeological sites.
Stable isotopes (non-radioactive) of elements like carbon and oxygen
are present in rocks in different amounts. These ratios serve as indicators
for the temperature and plant life of the ancient landscape. This
research examined the geologic location of paleoenvironmental evidence.
If it is found at the same layer (called stratigraphy) as the early
human fossils, it is a good indicator of the environment of those
hominins. If, however, it is found at different stratigraphic layers,
it is a less accurate indication of the environment those individuals
lived in. By investigating the exact stratigraphic position of the
paleoenvironmental and paleoanthroplogical data at four important
sites in East Africa (Koobi Fora and Nachukui in Kenya, Shungura in
Ethiopia, and Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania), it was discovered that most
hominin fossils aren't found in the exact same layer as paleoenvironmental
evidence. This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, Award Number DBI-0243512. |