RAPID: Rescue excavation of fossils of late Middle Pleistocene Homo from the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya

我们这个物种的起源，智人，是人类进化研究中最有争议和知之甚少的话题之一。虽然化石和基因组证据都支持智人起源于非洲，但来自适当时间范围的化石证据很少。在肯尼亚卡普图林组的中更新世沉积物中发现了人属化石，但由于雨季的开始，工作暂停。国家科学基金会的资金将支持一项救援行动，以恢复更多的化石，以确定其精确的地层位置，并防止破坏网站。 导致我们物种起源的事件的性质是当今人类进化研究中尚未解决的关键问题之一。这些事件引起了科学家和公众的强烈兴趣。 如果没有新的非洲化石，比如这项研究提供的化石，就无法理解它们。 这项研究将为康涅狄格大学的一名博士后学生和两名研究生以及十名肯尼亚技术人员和当地参与者提供培训机会。 调查结果将与当地社区分享，包括当地两所小学的儿童。研究结果将在学术和大众媒体上传播。

The origin of our species, Homo sapiens, is one of the most contentious and poorly understood topics in the study of human evolution. While both fossil and genomic evidence supports an African origin for Homo sapiens, fossil evidence from the appropriate time range is scanty. Fossils of genus Homo were encountered in Middle Pleistocene sediments in the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya, but operations were suspended due to the start of the rainy season, which renders work impossible. NSF funds will support a rescue operation to recover more fossils, to determine their precise stratigraphic position, and to prevent destruction of the site. The nature of the events leading to the origin of our species is of one of the critical unresolved issues in the study of human evolution today. These events are of intense interest both to scientists and to the general public. They cannot be understood without new African fossils such as those provided by this research. This research will provide training opportunities for one postdoctorate student and two graduate students from the University of Connecticut, as well as ten Kenyan technicians and local participants. Results will be shared with the local community including children at two local primary schools. Results will be disseminated in both scholarly and popular media.