Leakey Foundation funds fieldwork in the Turkana Basin
Dr. Josephine Joordens, post-doctoral researcher of the Human Origins Group, has been awarded a grant of EUR 15.000 to conduct fieldwork in the Turkana Basin, “the cradle of mankind”, in Kenya.
Her research aims to shed light on the early history of the genus Homo in the time period around 2 million years ago in Africa. With her team she will apply a novel climate proxy, a combination of magnetostratigraphy and strontium isotope stratigraphy, to refine age control and climatic context of important hominin fossils found in the Turkana Basin.
Team of experts
The team consists of experts in geology, paleomagnetics and isotope geochemistry, and collaborates closely with paleoanthropologists and “fossil hunters” Meave and Louise Leakey (Stony Brook University, USA) and Fred Spoor (Max Planck Institute, Leipzig).
Remote desert area
Fieldwork in this remote and harshly beautiful desert area around Lake Turkana is a privilege but also a challenge. Logistical support is therefore provided by the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) founded by Richard Leakey.
