Fossil record of the earliest human evolution Ledi-Geraru is one of IHO's fieldwork sites in the fossil-rich
Afar Region of Ethiopia. In 2013, graduate student Chalachew Seyoum discovered the lower mandible known as
LD 350-1, the oldest fossil from the human genus,
Homo. The discovery pushed back evidence of the human genus,
Homo, to 2.8 million years, ago, nearly a half-million years earlier than previously known.
Emergence of modern humans in Africa Since joining IHO in 2001,
Curtis Marean has directed the organization's
Pinnacle Point fieldwork, which is working to produce and integrate a climate, environment, and paleoanthropological sequence for the final stage in human evolution. The focus of the Pinnacle Point excavations has been at
Cave 13B (PP13B), where the fieldwork team has discovered early evidence of
symbolic behavior. In 2009, the examination of worked silcrete stone from
Pinnacle Point indicated that it was heat-treated, and is the oldest known example of such technology. Pinnacle Point also represents the oldest known occurrence of human consumption of
shellfish, as well as an early use of
ochre. These features indicate a sophisticated level of modern behaviors that had previously been associated with Upper Paleolithic of Europe. The discoveries here are key pieces of evidence supporting the early florescence of modern human behaviors in Africa. == Current Faculty ==