Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

Our podcast, Unburied Season 2, is a model of what it looks like to place African voices at the centre of inquiry into the fossil discovery - rather than the margins, says Justin Levy Aphiri Pargeter.

In this SAJS review, he calls the podcast one of the most important conversations the centenary of the Taung Child has generated.

"That conversation with all of its uncomfortable, unresolved, but necessary implications, is the one our field’s next century of work should carry forward."

📖 Read the SAJS review here: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/taung-child-podcast-the-hidden-voices-of-south-african-palaeoanthropology

🎧 And listen to all episodes of Unburied FREE here:
https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/new-podcast-from-heri-reveals-how-the-taung-child-challenged-science-and-bias-to-centre-human-origns-in-africa

Unburied Season 2 was produced by HERI in partnership with ARC Docs.

📢 The latest issue of the South African Journal of Science, published this week, features two exciting contributions related to HERI.

🎙️ "Buried Inside the Bones: The Unfinished Reckoning with Palaeoanthropology's Origins" by Associate Professor Justin Levy Aphiri Pargeter - a review of the Taung Child podcast produced by ARC in collaboration with HERI.

📚 HERI's Dr Precious Chiwara reviews "The Untold History and Prehistory of African Indigenous Palaeontology," reflecting on the book's contribution to decolonising African palaeontology and Indigenous knowledge.

Read the articles here:
https://sajs.co.za/index.php/sajs/en/article/view/26881
https://sajs.co.za/index.php/sajs/en/article/view/26961

Stay tuned for dedicated posts exploring each publication in more detail.

The future of palaeoscience in is African 🌍

HERI master’s students Kelly-Anne Shaw and Kirsten Van Der Heyden travelled to Kanapoi and Chesowanja in as part of a field exchange organised by the PANACHE initiative.

They joined a team led by HERI's Fredrick Manthi, from the National Museums of Kenya, helping to uncover fossils and contribute to the growing faunal and anthropological assemblages from both sites.

Experiences like this, facilitated by HERI, enable networking and skills exchange among African students working in human evolution research.

Read reflections from Kelly and Kirsten here:
https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/from-finding-fossils-to-building-african-networks-heri-students-reflect-on-kenyan-field-exchange

The 2026 Tswalu Kalahari Reserve archaeological field season is underway!

Led by HERI Research Associate Benjamin Schoville, excavations have been underway here since 2018, revealing remarkable insights into early human life in this arid landscape.

Among the artefacts recovered are these 1.3 million-year-old handaxes, reflecting the skill and technological ability of Pleistocene hominins that lived in ancient .

From the heart of the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, HERI researchers Marang Keebine and Dr. Precious Chiwara are proud to be part of a fieldwork team led by Associate Prof. Benjamin Schoville, uncovering evidence of early human behaviour in the . Every excavation, every artifact, and every discovery brings us one step closer to understanding our shared human story.

🚁 Who leads the research - and who gets left behind?

‘Helicopter science’ is when researchers fly in to collect data in with little local participation or recognition - and it reflects a broader imbalance in global research.

A recent study showed that over 85% of first authors in the Journal of Human Evolution are based in Europe or North America, while only 4% come from and South America combined.

This imbalance persists despite Africa being central to the human fossil record.

We must move beyond extractive research toward genuine collaboration - where African scientists are equally involved in designing, analysing, and leading research.

👉 Read more: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/what-is-neocolonialism-in-geoscience-and-why-you-should-care

Our HERI Co-Director, Associate Professor Robyn Pickering, and HERI's Dr Precious Chiwara presented two HERI talks at this week's ASAPA 2026 Conference at the University of Mpumalanga, highlighting the Taung Podcast and HERI's All-Women Fieldwork Camp.

The talks sparked thoughtful discussions, with many attendees saying these conversations were much needed and long overdue. It was wonderful to hear the All-Women Fieldwork Camp recognised for its contribution to more transformative, socially responsible fieldwork, while the Taung Podcast was highlighted as a valuable example of science communication in action.

Our shines brightly on Wendy Black.

A founding member of HERI, Wendy helped shape our direction and impact. As she turns her focus to a new role at Iziko Museums of South Africa, we celebrate her contributions and say THANK YOU!

Wendy’s work spans Later Stone Age research, indigenous hunter-gatherers, and, more recently, repatriation, restitution, and museum transformation. In her new role, she continues to advance museums as sustainable, accessible, and community-connected spaces.

💬 “What excites me most is that every discovery adds another piece to a much larger human story and often challenges what we thought we knew,” Wendy says.

Thank you, Wendy, for your insight, leadership, and commitment to meaningful heritage work.

Read more: www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/herispotlight-wendy-black

Six HERI researchers - Precious Chiwara, Marang Keebine, Georgina Luti, Ben Schoville, Keane Wanza, and Robyn Pickering - are heading to the ASAPA 2026 Conference this weekend!

Precious and Ben are convening a dedicated session on the Kalahari and adjoining regions, where HERI researchers will present alongside colleagues working on Pleistocene behaviour and adaptations in dryland environments across interior southern .

At the Teaching the Past session, our Co-Director, Robyn, will present on the Taung podcast, while Precious will present on HERI field camps.

Check out the full programme here:
https://asapa2026.co.za/documents/ASAPA2026-Programme.pdf

🚨Groundbreaking discovery in human evolution.

HERI’s Dr Palesa Madupe has led the first-ever protein analysis of Homo naledi, studying 23 teeth from at least 20 individuals found in the Cradle of Humankind.

The team found no male-specific amelogenin‑Y, suggesting all individuals analysed were biologically female.

🦷 The study shows:
• Protein analysis of ancient hominins from the Rising Star cave system is possible
• It can be minimally destructive

“This means potentially opening the door to a whole new way of sustainably investigating the differences between sexes in groups of extinct hominins and other animals,” says Madupe.

Published in Cell, this international collaboration highlights the power of innovative science - and the impact of researchers on the global stage.

Read more: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/first-ever-protein-analysis-of-homo-naledi-fossils-finds-zero-male-markers