Collaborative Research: Paleontological Field Research at Dikika, Ethiopia

合作研究：埃塞俄比亚迪基卡的古生物学实地研究

• 批准号: 0914687
• 负责人: Zeresenay Alemseged
• 金额: $ 11.02万
• 依托单位: California Academy of Sciences
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2012-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0914687&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Paleontological; Field; Dikika

This project will undertake a systematic collection of fossils using state of the art methods to address key questions about human origins such as how many hominin (early human ancestors) species were present in the time interval between 3 and 4 million years ago and what their evolutionary relationship is to other such species. It will also address how they lived and interacted with the animals and plants in their surroundings. This together with the geology of the area will contribute to the reconstruction of the geotectonic background for human evolution. The Dikika site, located in the heart of the Afar Region in Ethiopia, contains thick sediments rich in fossils dated to between 3.8 and 0.2 million years. It has already yielded some spectacular fossils including a ca. 60% complete skeleton of the earliest human ancestral child ever discovered. Answering major questions about early hominins using data from Dikika will contribute uniquely to the understanding of the link between human evolution and environmental changes over time. Data from this research will be made available for the paleoanthropological community, thus facilitating regional and continent wide collaborative research and understanding of the history of our family within the context of a changing environment. This project has considerable broader impact in promoting cooperation at the international and local level, advancing local involvement in the preservation of the fossil heritage, educating undergraduate and graduate students in the US and abroad, and promoting international and interdisciplinary collaborations. Knowledge of human evolution generated from this research will be used to promote public education via lectures and exhibitions at US based as well as international museums and forums. This research will provide international research opportunities for two graduate students to gain research training experience.

该项目将使用最先进的方法进行系统收集的化石集合，以解决有关人类起源的关键问题，例如在3到400万年前的时间间隔中存在了多少人类（早期的人类祖先）物种，以及它们与其他此类物种的进化关系。 它还将解决他们如何与周围的动物和植物生活和互动。 这与该地区的地质一起将有助于重建人类进化的地理背景。 Dikika遗址位于埃塞俄比亚的远处地区中心，其中包含富含化石的厚底沉积物，其历史可追溯到3.8至20万年。 它已经产生了一些壮观的化石。有史以来最早的人类祖先儿童的60％完整骨骼。 使用Dikika的数据回答有关早期人类的主要问题将有助于理解人类进化与环境变化随着时间的变化之间的联系。这项研究的数据将用于古人类学界，从而促进了在不断变化的环境的背景下，促进了区域和大陆广泛的合作研究以及对我们家庭历史的理解。该项目在促进国际和地方一级的合作方面产生了更大的影响，推进了当地参与，以保护化石遗产，对美国和国外的本科生和研究生进行教育，并促进国际和跨学科的合作。这项研究产生的人类进化知识将用于通过基于我们的讲座和展览以及国际博物馆和论坛来促进公共教育。这项研究将为两位研究生获得研究培训经验提供国际研究机会。