Unfortunately, to many women in rural Kenya, pregnancy and child bearing is a life-threatening experience. The Safaricom Foundation has come to the aid of Turkana women with a grant of 1.8 million Kenya shillings to put up maternity units in a health center, enabling the women to access maternal care. Unfortunately, to many women in [...]
Disabled children in Turkana as in many poor communities are neglected and education for them is a far fetched dream. That was the case for Akal Ekidor, an eleven year old from Nakechichok village. Akal, is deaf and cannot speak, lives with her mother and 4 siblings. Her father died last year after a long [...]
Richard Leakey joins other scientists in discussing Lee Berger's amazing new "treasure trove" of Australopithecus sediba fossils You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. Richard Leakey joins other scientists in discussing Lee Berger's amazing new "treasure trove" of Australopithecus sediba fossils A fossil skull of the newly announced species Australopithecus sediba courtesy 60 [...]
A schedule of activities has been selected for TBI Bursary students from Ileret while they are on school holidays this month by the TBI Committee. The students visited the TBI Ileret research facilities today to participate in an education program on conservation of fossils and natural heritage. A schedule of activities has been selected for [...]
Following the grant provided by the Australian High Commission, the Ileret community has mobilized resources to bring down the old wind pump and facilitate repairs. Following the grant provided by the Australian High Commission, the Ileret community has mobilized resources to bring down the old wind pump and facilitate repairs. Ileret youth bringing down the [...]
Turkana Basin Institute field assistant Hillary sale is at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi for training on the sieving and preparation of micro-mammals. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. Turkana Basin Institute field assistant Hillary sale is at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi for training on the sieving [...]
It has been another busy January and Febrauary, with an overwhelming number of high school boys and girls seeking financial support to see them attend secondary school for the academic year of 2010. Both the new and continuing students were out to secure some support. It has been another busy January and Febrauary, with an [...]
Ever wonder where many of the most significant fossils of our earlient human ancestors were found? Curious about where in the world current research is taking place? The TBI geoBlog puts the latest news and events in the field of human evolution research in a global context. Ever wonder where many of the most significant [...]
On 19th September 2009 through the generosity of four extraordinary friends of TBI, Ian Telfer, Nancy Burke, and Jussi and Sally Westergren, a successful event was held to raise funds for the infrastructural development at Turkana. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. On 19th September 2009 through the generosity of four extraordinary [...]
Here are some images of the buildings that were completed just in time for the conference held at Turkwel in August 2009. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. Here are some images of the buildings that were completed just in time for the conference held at Turkwel in August 2009. Return to [...]
Several Turkana Basin Institute scientists and Stony Brook University faculty members were featured in a recent documentary exploring the latest scientific research into human origins. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. Several Turkana Basin Institute scientists and Stony Brook University faculty members were featured in a recent documentary exploring the latest scientific [...]
While some of the crew have been wet sieving the sediments recovered from the last field season, others have been doing specimen preparation. There are numerous large specimens, most of them in plaster that were recovered from the field over that past few years. Christopher Kiarie, an expert preparator from the National Museums of Kenya [...]
2009 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of Zinjanthropus in Olduvai Gorge by Mary Leakey, and The Turkana Basin Institute celebrated the event with a public symposium on September 30, 2009 at Rockefeller University in New York City. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. 2009 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the [...]
STONY BROOK, NY--Frederick Kyalo Manthi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Scholar-in-Residence at the Turkana Basin Institute, recently received an award to attend and present a paper at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP). You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. STONY BROOK, NY--Frederick Kyalo Manthi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Scholar-in-Residence [...]
Lawrence Nzuve After the short break after the field season, some members of the crew are back to work to continue with the wet sieving. A large quantity of sediment was painstakingly carried back to the TBI Ileret field station at the end of the field season from the excavation sites. [...]
In September 2009 the first VolkswagenFoundation/DAAD Summerschool was conducted in the Central and Southern Kenya Rift and at the University of Nairobi. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. In September 2009 the first VolkswagenFoundation/DAAD Summerschool was conducted in the Central and Southern Kenya Rift and at the University of Nairobi. Twenty MSc [...]
The 8th Human Evolution workshop and symposium, “Half a Century after Zinj - Paranthropus boisei in Context” was held in Kenya in August 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Zinjanthropus by Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania in 1959. You can also view this post in Google Earth/Maps. The 8th Human [...]
We close this season very content knowing that it has been a success. Its been exciting with several good discoveries made by several members of the field crew but as a result we spent longer on the sieves than finding new fossils. The sieving is hot work especially in the afternoons. We sit by the [...]
With the discovery, documenting and collecting of the hominin finds completed, each site now has to be seived. The crew does the preliminary sieving at the site and then the screened sediment is caried back to the car in sacks to be transported back to TBI Ileret field station. Here over the next six months [...]
The last few weeks have been busy and exciting for the crew members. What a day it was with the discovery of three hominin specimens- they were all found within hours of discovering the first one! Crew celebrates one of the hominid finds on a day three hominid specimens were discovered Abdub, who discovered [...]