News | Ecology of the past

XXIV Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Quaternary Research (SASQUA)

May 17, 2024
WDG

The SASQUA congress will kick off next week (19-24 May 2024) in Cango Valley (South Africa). Sessions cover many aspects of Quaternary science and range from archaeology through palaeoclimate to geological topics. The full program is now available to download.

Quick, L.J & Asithandile, N. (2024) Proceedings of the XXIV Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Quaternary Research (SASQUA), Cango Valley, South Africa, 19-24 May 2024. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11125697

To find out more about the meeting and other SASQUA activities you can also visit the organizations web pages: https://sasqua.co.za/

Mapping Ancient Africa: Seminar 17

May 15, 2024
WDG

The next Mapping Ancient Africa seminar will take place online at 17:00 CEST on 16 May 2024.

Speaker: N’dji dit Jacques Dembele (President of WAQUA, Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako, Mali)
Title: Quaternary period seismicity on the West African Craton

The seminar will be delivered via Zoom. The link for the seminar can be obtained from the MAA Slack channel or by contacting the chair of this seminar (Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr). If you want to know more about the Mapping Ancient Africa project visit our web pages and please do not hesitate to get in contact if you want to get involved.

PhD Scholarship program for migrants in the Netherlands

April 5, 2024
WDG

The Dutch science foundation (NWO) currently has a call for proposals to support migrants to the Netherlands to undertake a PhD project.

Applicants must have:

a Dutch passport (or residency status),
a masters level degree from a university in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and
have been born in specific regions outsides the Netherlands (or be the child of someone born outside the Netherlands)

For full details click here visit the NWO Mozaiek 2.0 call web page.

If you think you might fulfill all the criteria for application, and are interested in conducting a PhD on a “ecology of the past” related theme at the University of Amsterdam, please do not hesitate to get in contact. I am then happy to check eligibility and discuss if your skill set and interests would be appropriate to apply for a PhD scholarship with us. I would be delighted if we would be able to support an applicant to this scheme.

Deadline for applications: 21 May 2024 (but please get in contact as soon as possible so that we can make the relevant eligibility checks and discuss ideas).

Contact: William D. Gosling

What has biogenic silica ever done for us?

April 3, 2024
WDG

Siliceous Microfossils Meeting

Date: Friday 24 May 2024
Location: Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam

Program

13:00-14:00 – Palynologische Kring society annual meeting
14:00-14:15 – Coffee
14:15-15:45 – Seminar series
- Using phytolith analysis to detect palm enrichment in Amazonia Nina Witteveen (University of Amsterdam)
- Starch grains as indicators of plant food consumption in Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans Amanda Henry (University of Leiden)
- Paleoenvironmental history of an archaeological lagoon in Central Italy: Insights from diatom analysis Majoi Nacimiento, Teye Aukes & Jan Sevink (University of Amsterdam)
15:45-17:30 – Laboratory activities
- Advances in topical phytolith identification Nina Witteveen (University of Amsterdam)
- Finding Suitable Grounds – combining the on/off site approach through phytolith investigation in Flevoland Ana Smuk (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

If you are not already a member and would like to attend please contact the society via email or the web portal: https://www.palynologischekring.nl/contact/

To find out more about the Palynologische Kring click here to visit the web site.

Mapping Ancient Africa: Seminar 16

April 2, 2024
WDG

The next Mapping Ancient Africa seminar will take place online at 17:00 CEST on 12 April 2024.

Speaker: Stéphanie Bodin (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt)
Title: Hunter-gatherers and Afromontane vegetation in the Ethiopian highlands since the end of the African Humid Period
Related publication:
- Bodin, S.C., Neumann, K., Hensel, E.A., Vogelsang, R., Demissew, S., Casas-Gallego, M. & Hahn, K. (2024) Afromontane forests and human impact after the African Humid Period: wood charcoal from the Sodicho rock shelter, SW Ethiopian highlands. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. DOI: 10.1007/s00334-023-00977-3
- Casas-Gallego, M., Hahn, K., Neumann, K., Demissew, S., Schmidt, M., Bodin, S.C. & Bruch, A.A. (2023) Cooling-induced expansions of Afromontane forests in the Horn of Africa since the Last Glacial Maximum. Scientific Reports 13, 10323. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37135-8

The seminar will be delivered via Zoom. The link for the seminar can be obtained from the MAA Slack channel or by contacting the chair of this seminar (William Gosling). If you want to know more about the Mapping Ancient Africa project visit our web pages and please do not hesitate to get in contact if you want to get involved.

SASQUA 2024

March 27, 2024
WDG

The Southern African Society for Quaternary Research (SASQUA) is hosting its 24th congress 19-24 May 2024 in the Cango Valley, South Africa. The congress will bring together scientists working on all aspects of the Quaternary in southern Africa. Poster and oral presentations possible.

Abstract submission and student support application deadline: 31 March 2024
Registration deadline: 20 April 2024

For the latest information click here to visit the SAQUA web pages.

Scientific international mobility fellowships

January 25, 2024
WDG

The call for the PAst Global changES (PAGES) research mobility fellowships for African, Latin American and Caribbean early career researchers studying past global changes is currently open.

Deadline: 15 August 2024

To find out more and how to apply click here.

New PODCAST: Human & Biosphere

January 11, 2024
WDG

The International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) supports a number of commissions which focus on more specific aspects of Quaternary research. One of these, the Human & Biosphere Commission, or HABCOM, has recently launched a podcast introducing its members and activities. To find out more about HABCOM listen to the podcast below, or click this link to visit the related INQUA web pages.

PhD opportunity: Fire Starters – Understanding Human vs Natural Fire Regimes in Britain

January 10, 2024
WDG

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three-year PhD to commence in October 2024 with Adele Julier (University of Portsmouth, UK).

The project will focus on disentangling the history of human ignited and natural fire regimes in Britain. This will be achieved through the analysis of charcoal fragments extracted from sedimentary sequences.

For full details click here.

Deadline: 19 January 2024

Hugo de Vries Prijs 2023

January 9, 2024
WDG

Attention Dutch biologists: The deadline for submission of nominations for the Hugo de Vries Prijs is closing soon (31 January 2024). The prize is awarded to the best biology PhD thesis defended at a Dutch university in 2023. The types of thesis considered by the panel within the category on “biology” is broad, and – for readers of this blog – includes (palaeo)ecology.

To find out more about the prize, see the past winners, and to download a nomination form visit: https://www.knbv.eu/hugo-de-vries-prijs/