Today it's a desert. 105,000 years ago, it held waterfalls & modern homo sapiens The @dailymaverick.co.za looks at work from an all-women team of HERI researchers who challenged theories of #humanevolution to show our ancestors lived in a water-rich Kalahari www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021...

4/5 of these talented young researchers are in my group 🤩🤩🤩 It’s so rewarding to see all these projects making it to publication. #brag #proudsupervisor

A landmark year, indeed.✨✨👏

Historic moment! A/Prof @pickeringrobyn.bsky.social, HERI Co-director, will deliver the 2026 Alex du Toit Lecture Series, the first female to do so since 1969. The series honours Alexander du Toit, a South African geology pioneer and early champion of continental drift theory. Dates on the flyer

Last year, HERI contributed to the @SAJS special issue marking 100 years of the #TaungChild. With abstracts in #Setswana, the issue gave multilingual insights into science, colonialism & exclusion. Read more reflections from the SAJS Editor-in-Chief: mailchi.mp/assaf/gknccq...

Well done @Marang Keebine✨🎊

Thrilled to share that the 2025 SAJS paper with the highest attention score was led by our @palaeoprotpalesa.bsky.social, with nearly 4,000 abstract views! The study identified 2 Myr-old proteins from Paranthropus robustus, revealing biological sex & genetic variability sajs.co.za/article/view...

Reminder: ASAPA abstract deadline 31 Jan ⏰ We invite abstracts for our session on the Pleistocene record of the Kalahari and interior southern Africa, including comparative studies with other regions of southern Africa or Africa. Submit via the ASAPA portal: asapa2026.co.za/submissions....

Imagine surviving in the Kalahari thousands of years ago—one of #Africa’s driest environments. Evidence shows that early humans didn’t just endure it; they adapted with remarkable skill. 🔗 www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/surviving-the-drylands-stone-tools-as-evidence-of-early-social-networks

New work by HERI's @drpeechiwara.bsky.social & colleagues reviews Middle Stone Age evidence in #Africa to explore how early humans built complex social networks Looking at context & patterns, the paper sheds light on the deep roots of human cooperation & collaboration. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Women in science in #Africa 🌍 Christina Mutinda, a HERI PhD candidate at @UCT_news, explores how early humans adapted to changing environments. Using fossils, isotopes and ecological clues, she reconstructs East Africa’s Early Pleistocene habitats, when Paranthropus boisei roamed.

HERI’s Dr Rieneke Weij has led a rare update of U-Th & U-Pb dating in palaeoscience. Published with our Dr Tara Edwards, the review highlights advances & potential for carbonate geochronology — and the implications for #humanevolution research. www.heriuct.co.za/news-content...

A great step forward for Kalahari archaeology. @drpeechiwara.bsky.social and the team’s work offer important new insights into early Homo sapiens technological choices in interior southern Africa.

105,000 years ago, Homo sapiens left their mark at Gamohana Hill North Rockshelter in the Kalahari. They crafted points from galaxy tuff, a 2.4-billion-year-old glass-like stone. Not just a rock, but evidence of skill, planning, and ingenuity. 📖 Read more at www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

HERI’s Drs @drpeechiwara.bsky.social & Ben Schoville are organising a session at ASAPA 2026 on Pleistocene adaptations in the Kalahari and other interior drylands of southern Africa. Researchers working in these regions are invited to submit abstracts and join the discussion. asapa2026.co.za

New publication alert!‼️ Wrapping up 2025 with my fifth paper of the year in the SAJS! The paper reviews how stone tools reveal social connections, noting similar patterns can also arise independently and suggesting ways to better distinguish the two. 💫 🔗 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

ASAPA 2026 Call for Abstracts is open! Ben Schoville and I are organising a session on Pleistocene adaptations in the Kalahari and other interior drylands of southern Africa. Working in these landscapes? We’d love your contribution. Submit here: asapa2026.co.za Deadline: 31 Jan 2026

Ancient tooth proteins reveal the biological sex and genetic diversity of Paranthropus robustus. Led by Dr. Palesa Madupe of the University of Copenhagen and UCT’s HERI, this study provides the oldest human genetic data from Africa. 🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Flowstones from the Cradle of Humankind in #SouthAfrica reveal no evidence of intrusion. New work, led by HERI’s Georgina Luti, counters arguments that the flowstones are uniform & intrusive, adding support for their role in dating fossils. 🔗 www.heriuct.co.za/news-content...

🦴 The #TaungChild fossil changed how we understand human origins in #Africa. Its story is shaped by prejudice, rivalry and hidden hands. 🎧 Unburied Season 2: The Taung Child from HERI and ARC explores its history and legacy. Listen here 👉 linktr.ee/arcdocs

Science is stronger when every voice is heard. At HERI, diversity drives discovery, challenges assumptions, and creates richer stories of our shared human story.

Applications are open for the 2025 Student Development Workshop (SDW) at Skukuza, Kruger National Park! 🌿🦓 A great opportunity for students in archaeology & heritage management. 📅 6–10 Dec 2025 See details on SAASS social media & website: www.saassarchaeology.com/upcoming-eve...

Africa’s caves are timekeepers of climate and life. 🌍 An all-women research team, led by HERI’s Georgina Luti, has revealed how rock layers called speleothems record shifts in Africa’s past and help us date fossils more reliably. #WomenInScience & rooted in Africa.

HERI brings #Africa to the heart of #humanevolution research, blending innovation, inclusivity and transformative training. From ancient biomolecules to archaeology, we’re shaping a more ethical and African-centered science.

As a primatologist, Jane Goodall was a huge inspiration to me. I admired the way she describes chimpanzee behavior with such detail and empathy, and she’s inspired so many people and advocated for chimpanzee conservation and welfare. However, I'm dismayed at what her narrative leaves out (1/10)

Today I'm giving my 1st seminar @UCTgeology titled "Sourcing Quartzite: Using Geochemistry to Trace Early Human Raw Material Selection Strategies in the Southern Kalahari." My postdoc research explores where early humans obtained the raw materials they used to make tools.

The #TaungChild has been silent for over 2 million years — until now. Our new podcast takes you back to 1924 #SouthAfrica, where one fossil would upend colonial narratives to centre human origins #Africa. 🌍Unburied Season 2: The Taung Child 🔗 Listen: linktr.ee/arcdocs

📍 Sunday morning at #campHERI, camping at the West Coast Fossil Park: Participants took part in a stone tool knapping exercise, engaging with ancient technologies through hands-on learning in an immersive outdoor setting.

This sexual harassment workshop, led by our Co-director Rebecca Ackermann, is one of the most important parts of #campHERI. The session invites women to share experiences, learnings and concerns about harassment in the field.

#campHERI is here! Today is the start of our annual camp that gives students from UCT and partner institutions a safe and supportive environment to develop skills, build community & address challenges faced in field-based sciences.

This is what #womeninscience look like! Our @drpeechiwara.bsky.social is extracting a quartzite block to be geochemically tested. Part of her #postdoc field work, the aim is to pinpoint where raw materials used to make ESA & MSA stone tools in Kalahari of #SouthAfrica were obtained.

Last night, I had the honour of sharing my research at the ColoStone Annual Meeting in Kimberley, hosted by the SA Colorectal Society. Never thought I’d present archaeology to surgeons! Thanks to Prof Paul Goldberg, Head of Surgery at Groote Schuur & UCT, for the invite. #KnowledgeExchange

Just presented at #WAC10 in the Deep Time Heritage session, sharing my PhD/Postdoc work on MSA in the Kalahari. I highlighted evidence of social ties, innovation, and the region’s central role in human evolution. Next stop: Brisbane to meet up with my sup Jayne after a long time.

Excited to be in 🇦🇺Darwin for the World Archaeological Congress #WAC10! Registered & tagged 🌿 Looking forward to a week of global conversations & I’ll be presenting my PhD & postdoc work in the Kalahari on Tues. Many thanks to GENUS, HERI, ARC Discovery, Ben, Robyn, Jayne, PAST, IFAS & BIOGRIP!

Seriously important #archaeology paper on notable #kalahari site from #mis5 -- Ga-Mahona, led by an African scholar Precious Chiwara-Maenzanise with Jayne Wilkins Shared lithic technology shows adaptation to Kalahari Basin's arid climate […]

Hello, Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.

I recently shared my PhD journey in a blog with @Research Hive, reflecting on how I navigated the highs and lows of PhD life. You can read it here👉 research-hive.com/2025/04/04/t... @heriuct.bsky.social

New Publication Alert! 🚀 Excited to share my paper, based on my PhD research, published today in the Journal of Human Evolution! 🎉. 🔗 Link to the article here: 👉 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S00… @heriuct.bsky.social

Helping produce #Setswana translations for this #Taung Child special issue from @SAJS_Official was a very special project for us. Thanks to all for their support #languagematters 👉🏾https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667/23562

To commemorate the #Taung centenary, a special issue of the SAJS came out today! We present a collection of articles looking at aspects of the #history, #anatomy, #geology, #community and -#museum curation of the #Taung child in this post colonial era 🙌🏽 Link here 👇🏽👇🏽 sajs.co.za/index