Collaborative Research: Paleontological Field Research at Dikika, Ethiopia

该项目将采用最先进的方法进行系统的化石收集，以解决有关人类起源的关键问题，例如在300万至400万年前的时间间隔中存在多少古人类（早期人类祖先）物种，以及它们与其他此类物种的进化关系。它还将讨论他们如何与周围的动物和植物生活和互动。这与该地区的地质将有助于重建人类进化的大地构造背景。迪基卡遗址位于埃塞俄比亚阿法尔地区的中心，含有厚厚的沉积物，其中富含380万到20万年前的化石。它已经发现了一些惊人的化石，包括迄今发现的最古老的人类祖先儿童的大约60%完整的骨架。利用迪基卡的数据回答有关早期古人类的主要问题，将对理解人类进化与环境变化之间的联系做出独特的贡献。这项研究的数据将提供给古人类学界，从而促进区域和大陆范围内的合作研究，并在不断变化的环境背景下了解我们家族的历史。该项目在促进国际和地方层面的合作，促进当地参与化石遗产保护，教育美国和国外的本科生和研究生，以及促进国际和跨学科合作方面具有相当广泛的影响。从这项研究中产生的人类进化知识将通过在美国和国际博物馆和论坛的讲座和展览来促进公众教育。本研究将为两名研究生提供国际研究机会，以获得研究训练经验。

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.