@profmercader.bsky.social
Pinned
Groundbreaking research
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
Reposted
Professor Bernard Wood discusses Homo and Paranthropus evolution, the Sahelanthropus femur, the taxonomy of H. naledi and H. floresiensis, and the importance of fossil access and data sharing in human origins research:
Bernard Wood | Hominin Taxonomy, Paranthropus Evolution, and Interpreting the Fossil Record
YouTube video by Our Primate Past
youtu.be
July 5, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Professor Bernard Wood discusses Homo and Paranthropus evolution, the Sahelanthropus femur, the taxonomy of H. naledi and H. floresiensis, and the importance of fossil access and data sharing in human origins research:
Reposted
Coupled, decoupled, and abrupt responses of vegetation to climate across timescales | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Coupled, decoupled, and abrupt responses of vegetation to climate across timescales
Climate and ecosystem dynamics vary across timescales, but research into climate-driven vegetation dynamics usually focuses on singular timescales. We developed a spectral analysis–based approach that...
www.science.org
July 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Coupled, decoupled, and abrupt responses of vegetation to climate across timescales | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
15 days to go!
Proud to keep advancing research + training #OldupaiGorge
🙏
University of Dodoma
+
University of Calgary
Team's fired up,
Some already in-country,
others landing soon:
Abel Shikoni
Maria Soto
@aloycem.bsky.social
Raquel Hernando
AbdallahMohamed
StephenMagohe
Ayoola Oladele
Proud to keep advancing research + training #OldupaiGorge
🙏
University of Dodoma
+
University of Calgary
Team's fired up,
Some already in-country,
others landing soon:
Abel Shikoni
Maria Soto
@aloycem.bsky.social
Raquel Hernando
AbdallahMohamed
StephenMagohe
Ayoola Oladele
July 2, 2025 at 11:58 AM
15 days to go!
Proud to keep advancing research + training #OldupaiGorge
🙏
University of Dodoma
+
University of Calgary
Team's fired up,
Some already in-country,
others landing soon:
Abel Shikoni
Maria Soto
@aloycem.bsky.social
Raquel Hernando
AbdallahMohamed
StephenMagohe
Ayoola Oladele
Proud to keep advancing research + training #OldupaiGorge
🙏
University of Dodoma
+
University of Calgary
Team's fired up,
Some already in-country,
others landing soon:
Abel Shikoni
Maria Soto
@aloycem.bsky.social
Raquel Hernando
AbdallahMohamed
StephenMagohe
Ayoola Oladele
Starch is biodegradable, so why do we assume it survives for millennia? Our new study shows rapid microbial decay, even in dry soils. Time for archaeology to rethink what “ancient” starch really means.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
HOUSE OF CARDS?
A Call for Paradigm Shift
in Archaeological Starch… | Julio Mercader Florín
HOUSE OF CARDS?
A Call for Paradigm Shift
in Archaeological Starch Research
Could decades of ancient starch research be built on a house of cards? Archaeologists have long recovered microscopic sta...
www.linkedin.com
June 10, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Starch is biodegradable, so why do we assume it survives for millennia? Our new study shows rapid microbial decay, even in dry soils. Time for archaeology to rethink what “ancient” starch really means.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Joint research at Oldupai Gorge unites palaeoanthropology with Masai-led stewardship.
A new MOU formalizes co-design in science, education, tourism and heritage. A model for collaborative futures.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
A new MOU formalizes co-design in science, education, tourism and heritage. A model for collaborative futures.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Collaborative Research and Joint Management at Oldupai Gorge:
A… | Julio Mercader Florín
Collaborative Research and Joint Management at Oldupai Gorge:
A long-term partnership at Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania between palaeoanthropologists and the Maasai Advisory Council demonstrates how co...
www.linkedin.com
May 20, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Joint research at Oldupai Gorge unites palaeoanthropology with Masai-led stewardship.
A new MOU formalizes co-design in science, education, tourism and heritage. A model for collaborative futures.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
A new MOU formalizes co-design in science, education, tourism and heritage. A model for collaborative futures.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Excited to see the University of Dodoma
leading research at Oldupai Gorge
(Tanzania),
collaborating globally
to explore the origins of humanity
#UNESCO
#WorldHeritageSite
Cheers to a new chapter of discovery 🎉
@udomofficial
#HumanOrigins #Paleoanthropology
leading research at Oldupai Gorge
(Tanzania),
collaborating globally
to explore the origins of humanity
#UNESCO
#WorldHeritageSite
Cheers to a new chapter of discovery 🎉
@udomofficial
#HumanOrigins #Paleoanthropology
April 24, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Excited to see the University of Dodoma
leading research at Oldupai Gorge
(Tanzania),
collaborating globally
to explore the origins of humanity
#UNESCO
#WorldHeritageSite
Cheers to a new chapter of discovery 🎉
@udomofficial
#HumanOrigins #Paleoanthropology
leading research at Oldupai Gorge
(Tanzania),
collaborating globally
to explore the origins of humanity
#UNESCO
#WorldHeritageSite
Cheers to a new chapter of discovery 🎉
@udomofficial
#HumanOrigins #Paleoanthropology
Reposted
Paper alert, @nature.com. Our study reveals 8 million years of #GreenArabia. We document environmental variability - ranging over the entire course of human evolution. Arabia is a key bridge at the cross-roads of continents. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Paper alert, @nature.com. Our study reveals 8 million years of #GreenArabia. We document environmental variability - ranging over the entire course of human evolution. Arabia is a key bridge at the cross-roads of continents. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to
University of Dodoma
and
University of Calgary
for backing our project and permit
to uncover early human life
at the cradle of humankind
in Eastern Africa
#OldupaiGorge
Stay tuned for discoveries ahead!
#Paleoanthropology
#HumanEvolution
University of Dodoma
and
University of Calgary
for backing our project and permit
to uncover early human life
at the cradle of humankind
in Eastern Africa
#OldupaiGorge
Stay tuned for discoveries ahead!
#Paleoanthropology
#HumanEvolution
April 4, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Big thanks to
University of Dodoma
and
University of Calgary
for backing our project and permit
to uncover early human life
at the cradle of humankind
in Eastern Africa
#OldupaiGorge
Stay tuned for discoveries ahead!
#Paleoanthropology
#HumanEvolution
University of Dodoma
and
University of Calgary
for backing our project and permit
to uncover early human life
at the cradle of humankind
in Eastern Africa
#OldupaiGorge
Stay tuned for discoveries ahead!
#Paleoanthropology
#HumanEvolution
Aloyce Mwambwiga defended his doctoral thesis today!
He is a scholar I respect for his consistency and integrity, even as we navigated the most extreme challenges
There’s now a new phytolith lab in Tanzania, equipped.
He will be directing it, for the science to be practiced locally
Cheers!!
He is a scholar I respect for his consistency and integrity, even as we navigated the most extreme challenges
There’s now a new phytolith lab in Tanzania, equipped.
He will be directing it, for the science to be practiced locally
Cheers!!
March 31, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Aloyce Mwambwiga defended his doctoral thesis today!
He is a scholar I respect for his consistency and integrity, even as we navigated the most extreme challenges
There’s now a new phytolith lab in Tanzania, equipped.
He will be directing it, for the science to be practiced locally
Cheers!!
He is a scholar I respect for his consistency and integrity, even as we navigated the most extreme challenges
There’s now a new phytolith lab in Tanzania, equipped.
He will be directing it, for the science to be practiced locally
Cheers!!
Reposted
Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity
Biodiversity hotspots in Earth’s mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain...
www.science.org
March 25, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted
A structured coalescent model reveals deep ancestral structure shared by all modern humans www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A structured coalescent model reveals deep ancestral structure shared by all modern humans - Nature Genetics
The cobraa model extends the pairwise sequentially Markovian coalescent to identify structured population history by examination of the model transition matrix. Applied to human polymorphism data, cob...
www.nature.com
March 18, 2025 at 10:30 AM
A structured coalescent model reveals deep ancestral structure shared by all modern humans www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted
Our new paper 🥲 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The earliest human face of Western Europe - Nature
A Homo aff. erectus individual dated to 1.4 million to 1.1 million years ago found at Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) does not display the modern-human-like aspect of Homo antecess...
www.nature.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Our new paper 🥲 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted
The Tai Chimpanzee Project is making available microCT scans from their collections on human-fossil-record.org. All proceeds are used to support their mission of conservation and non-invasive research in Tai National Park (taichimpproject.org).
The Human Fossil Record: A Digital Resource for Research and Education
The Human Fossil Record: A Digital Resource for Research and Education
human-fossil-record.org
February 13, 2025 at 7:50 AM
The Tai Chimpanzee Project is making available microCT scans from their collections on human-fossil-record.org. All proceeds are used to support their mission of conservation and non-invasive research in Tai National Park (taichimpproject.org).
Reposted
Another fascinating study on the broader knock-on effects of megafaunal extinctions
Megafauna disperse pathogens and ectoparasites. The End Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions led to an 85% reduction of pathogen dispersal, causing surviving species to become immunonaieve. This led to the rise of zoonotic disease and epizootics 🧪
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
February 6, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Another fascinating study on the broader knock-on effects of megafaunal extinctions
Reposted
Unfortunately few academics realise the power they have to change the system, when they reach the points where they can begin to bear pressure.
The UKRI has shifted focus from individuals to academic teams in the next Research Assessment Exercise.
Here is my take docs.google.com/presentation...
The UKRI has shifted focus from individuals to academic teams in the next Research Assessment Exercise.
Here is my take docs.google.com/presentation...
February 2, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Unfortunately few academics realise the power they have to change the system, when they reach the points where they can begin to bear pressure.
The UKRI has shifted focus from individuals to academic teams in the next Research Assessment Exercise.
Here is my take docs.google.com/presentation...
The UKRI has shifted focus from individuals to academic teams in the next Research Assessment Exercise.
Here is my take docs.google.com/presentation...
Reposted
Paper alert! We use polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (🔥) biomarkers at staggered scales relative to Palaeolithic archaeological sites to argue for deep antiquity (600 to 400 ka) to land management practices in 🇹🇯 Central Asia. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Biomarker evidence on early Paleolithic human-environment interactions from loess records in Tajikistan, Central Asia
The loess-paleosol sequences of Khovaling, southern Tajikistan preserve signatures of prehistoric human settlement during the Early Paleolithic. Archa…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 30, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Paper alert! We use polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (🔥) biomarkers at staggered scales relative to Palaeolithic archaeological sites to argue for deep antiquity (600 to 400 ka) to land management practices in 🇹🇯 Central Asia. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted
The third of our series of papers on this topic, in which I had a minor part: 🧪 🏺 "Auto-fluorescent #phytoliths : can we detect past fires in tropical and subtropical contexts?" 𝑉𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑜𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑦. #plantscience
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Auto-fluorescent phytoliths: can we detect past fires in tropical and subtropical contexts? - Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
To understand human practices and landscape evolution it is crucial to be able to trace evidence of past fires, notably in tropical environments. In such anthromes, phytoliths are generally well prese...
link.springer.com
January 24, 2025 at 11:18 AM
The third of our series of papers on this topic, in which I had a minor part: 🧪 🏺 "Auto-fluorescent #phytoliths : can we detect past fires in tropical and subtropical contexts?" 𝑉𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑜𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑦. #plantscience
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted
Just starting our fieldwork at Pegwell bay for Palaeo-Thaw project. Sampling the Late Pleistocene Loess sequence
January 22, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Just starting our fieldwork at Pegwell bay for Palaeo-Thaw project. Sampling the Late Pleistocene Loess sequence
Reposted
Potentially significant
1st independent replication of sequenced dinosaur 🦕 collagen. 41 peptides in Edmontosaurus bone, identical sequences in Brachylophosaurus. Minimal PTMs suggest exceptional preservation #teammassspec #ZooMS.
Now to explore the data...
Data on PRIDE PXD048810 (but not yet)
1st independent replication of sequenced dinosaur 🦕 collagen. 41 peptides in Edmontosaurus bone, identical sequences in Brachylophosaurus. Minimal PTMs suggest exceptional preservation #teammassspec #ZooMS.
Now to explore the data...
Data on PRIDE PXD048810 (but not yet)
Evidence for Endogenous Collagen in Edmontosaurus Fossil Bone
Reports of proteins in fossilized bones have been a subject of controversy in the scientific literature because it is assumed that fossilization results in the destruction of all organic components. I...
pubs.acs.org
January 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Potentially significant
1st independent replication of sequenced dinosaur 🦕 collagen. 41 peptides in Edmontosaurus bone, identical sequences in Brachylophosaurus. Minimal PTMs suggest exceptional preservation #teammassspec #ZooMS.
Now to explore the data...
Data on PRIDE PXD048810 (but not yet)
1st independent replication of sequenced dinosaur 🦕 collagen. 41 peptides in Edmontosaurus bone, identical sequences in Brachylophosaurus. Minimal PTMs suggest exceptional preservation #teammassspec #ZooMS.
Now to explore the data...
Data on PRIDE PXD048810 (but not yet)
Thank you Mr Zimmer for your write up! Cheers
And in news from one million years ago: extinct humans were a lot tougher than traditionally thought, thriving in a harsh desert. Here's my story [gift link] nyti.ms/3CbTjqI
Extinct Human Species Lived in a Brutal Desert, Study Finds (Gift Article)
A million years ago, a species known as Homo erectus most likely survived in an arid desert with no trees.
nyti.ms
January 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Thank you Mr Zimmer for your write up! Cheers
Groundbreaking research
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
January 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Groundbreaking research
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
on Homo erectus
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#OldupaiGorge
BED III:
Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma
Reposted
Space exploration has expanded the realm of geoscience to the outermost Solar System. A new generation of missions shines the way www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Outer planet frontier of geoscience - Nature Geoscience
Space exploration has expanded the realm of geoscience to the outermost Solar System. A new generation of missions shines the way.
www.nature.com
January 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Space exploration has expanded the realm of geoscience to the outermost Solar System. A new generation of missions shines the way www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted
🏺 Massive new isotope database drops! NARIA (North American Repository for Archaeological Isotopes) just launched with 28k+ measurements spanning 12,000 years of human history across North America 🗺️
pandoradata.earth/organization...
pandoradata.earth/organization...
NARIA - Communities - Pandora
pandoradata.earth
January 14, 2025 at 8:38 AM
🏺 Massive new isotope database drops! NARIA (North American Repository for Archaeological Isotopes) just launched with 28k+ measurements spanning 12,000 years of human history across North America 🗺️
pandoradata.earth/organization...
pandoradata.earth/organization...
Reposted
ISBA @isbarchaeology.bsky.social heads to Turin! 🇮🇹
Call for abstracts for biomolecular archaeology's premier conference, @isba11.bsky.social. Spotlight on ancient biomolecules, isotopes & their stories of the past 🧬
Human-environment interactions foodways, mobility & more 🏛️
Deadline: Jan 20, 2025
Call for abstracts for biomolecular archaeology's premier conference, @isba11.bsky.social. Spotlight on ancient biomolecules, isotopes & their stories of the past 🧬
Human-environment interactions foodways, mobility & more 🏛️
Deadline: Jan 20, 2025
January 8, 2025 at 6:56 PM
ISBA @isbarchaeology.bsky.social heads to Turin! 🇮🇹
Call for abstracts for biomolecular archaeology's premier conference, @isba11.bsky.social. Spotlight on ancient biomolecules, isotopes & their stories of the past 🧬
Human-environment interactions foodways, mobility & more 🏛️
Deadline: Jan 20, 2025
Call for abstracts for biomolecular archaeology's premier conference, @isba11.bsky.social. Spotlight on ancient biomolecules, isotopes & their stories of the past 🧬
Human-environment interactions foodways, mobility & more 🏛️
Deadline: Jan 20, 2025