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Department of Human Origins

Director: Prof. Dr. Tracy L. Kivell

The Department of Human Origins combines new fossil and archaeological discoveries with an interdisciplinary approach to reconstructing how our fossil relatives interacted with their past environments. Our goal is to uncover the emergence and evolution of the human lineage through fieldwork and analysis, studying the fossils of our early relatives and those of African apes. We aim to reconstruct the key behaviours that define humans by integrating high-resolution imaging, quantitative analyses of anatomy, experimental biomechanics and study of living primates. 

News

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Fossil footprints reveal coexistence of two extinct human relatives

Human Origins

Research raises questions about role of competition in human evolution

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How chimpanzees adapt to open habitats

Human Origins

Study on Issa Valley chimpanzees challenges traditional views on arboreal behaviour and hominin evolution

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What about bipedalism in Sahelanthropus?

Human Origins

No evidence in Sahelanthropus postcranial remains supporting habitual bipedalism

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