OSHER 206 - Human Ancestors: Geological and Environmental Background

Many fossils of early humans and their hominid ancestors have been recovered in the Lake Turkana region of The Great Rift Valley of northern Kenya. Interdisciplinary fieldwork and research in the region have contributed much to our understanding of the timing and context of human origins. Learn about the physical geography, peoples, languages, flora, and fauna; the vast geological strata from 4 million years ago to present; how the strata and the fossils they enclose are dated, connections to the marine record, and their importance; reconstruction of ancient plant and animal communities through paleontology, stratigraphy, and isotopic studies; and the importance of fossils to our understanding of human history.