Late Pleistocene Homo erectus in Java?: Investigating the context, associations, and age of the world's youngest H. erectus sites

直立人的种群可能存活到爪哇更新世晚期（5万年前），可能在时间和空间上与现代人类（智人）共存。直立人的这种生存与尼安德特人和现代人在欧洲的共存是平行的，这也引出了一个问题，为什么今天只有现代人留在这两个地区。该项目通过在爪哇岛梭罗河谷进行的为期两年的实地考察，来检验印尼是否存在这样的晚期直立人种群。该小组将在20米阶地的已知地点（如吉格尔、广东）对已发现的遗骸进行新的挖掘、微地层研究和系统的动物和地层学分析，并确定在类似地质环境下的其他地点进行测试挖掘。该团队还将使用其他技术（包括放射性碳（14C）、封闭系统u系列、发光和宇宙生成放射性核素技术）测试先前获得的辐射年龄估计（u系列/ESR年龄）的准确性。这是第一个明确关注印度尼西亚组合形成问题的项目。这些数据，连同在非洲和欧亚地区开发的数据，是模拟直立人进化和扩散的关键部分。该项目建立了印度尼西亚和美国学者之间的长期合作研究和培训计划，致力于回答科学问题和发展印度尼西亚的科学机会。该项目旨在为印尼和美国学生提供培训机会，并为印尼科学家和藏品提供基础设施。除了系统收藏管理、地貌学分析、地质现场和挖掘技术方面的实践培训外，还将为印尼研究生提供实地和实验室培训机会以及至少两个博士项目。将为至少两名美国研究生提供国际实地培训。该项目还旨在促进印度尼西亚和美国研究生之间的关系，目的是鼓励建立更多富有成效的合作，例如PI和她的印度尼西亚同行之间的合作。美国的研究生都是女性，因此该项目提供了在传统上女性代表性不足的领域（野外地质学和野外古人类学）的实地机会。该项目还支持至少一名美国本科生的实验室培训。将通过增加Gadjah Mada大学的实验室收藏，为实地和实验室存档提供额外的计算机设备，并通过协助系统的策展工作来支持科学研究。提供基础设施，包括策展设备，以确保为长期研究提供适当的环境。

Populations of Homo erectus may have survived into the late Pleistocene of Java (50,000 years ago), possibly coexisting with modern humans (H. sapiens) in both time and space. Such survival of H. erectus would parallel the coexistence of Neandertals and modern humans in Europe and also begs the question of why only modern humans remain in both regions today. This project tests whether such late-surviving populations of H. erectus existed in Indonesia through a two-year field program in the Solo River Valley, Java. The team will undertake new excavations, microstratigraphic work, and systematic faunal and taphonomic analyses of recovered remains at known sites in the 20 meter terrace (e.g. Jigar, Ngandong) and identify other sites in a similar geological context for test excavation. The team will also test the accuracy of the previously acquired radiometric age estimates (U-series/ESR ages) using other techniques (including radiocarbon (14C), closed system U-series, luminescence and cosmogenic radionuclide techniques). This is the first project to focus explicitly on questions of assemblage formation in Indonesia. These data, in conjunction with those developed for African and Eurasian localities, are critical pieces to modeling the evolution and dispersal of H. erectus.This project establishes a long term collaborative research and training program between Indonesian and American scholars dedicated to answering scientific questions and to the development of Indonesian scientific opportunities. The program is designed to include training opportunities for Indonesian and American students and infrastructure for Indonesian scientists and collections. Field and laboratory training opportunities and at least two PhD projects will be provided for Indonesian graduate students in addition to practical training in curation of systematic collections, taphonomic analyses, and geological field and excavation techniques. International field training will be provided for at least two American graduate students. The program is likewise designed to foster relationships between Indonesian and American graduate students with the goal of encouraging the creation of additional productive collaborations, such as the one between the PI and her Indonesian counterpart. The U.S. graduate students are female, the project thus provides field opportunities in areas (field geology and field paleoanthropology) in which women have been traditionally underrepresented. The project also supports laboratory training of at least one American undergraduate. Scientific research will be supported by augmenting the laboratory collections of Gadjah Mada University with additional computer equipment for field and lab archiving and by assisting in systematic curation efforts. Infrastructure, including curatorial equipment, are provided to ensure an appropriate environment for long term study.