March 27, 2024
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.
For the latest information click here to visit the SAQUA web pages.
March 26, 2024
The 15th Mapping Ancient Africa seminar took place online on Friday 15th March 2024. The seminar was delivered by Bruk Lemma (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany; Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute – EBI). In the seminar Bruk presented recent advances made in the application of biomarker and stable isotope techniques in revealing the climate dynamics of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. He showed that it is possible to identify some plant types using these approaches, but that degradation of the signal in the sedimentary environment is possible.
Details of this seminar can be found here. You can find more Mapping Ancient Africa seminar videos on the “Ecology of the Past” YouTube channel.
March 7, 2024
A workshop will be held at the National Museums of Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya) in June 2024. The aim of the workshop is to help authors prepare articles for the Mapping Ancient Africa (MAA) special issue proposed for publication in Quaternary International and lead by Dr. Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr. The workshop will be associated with the “1st Joint International Scientific Conference” (3-6 June). The MAA workshop is being organized by Dr. Rahab Kinyanjui, and the congress organization is being lead by Dr. Emmanuel Ndiema (click here to watch his 2022 MAA seminar) and Dr. Esther Kioko (Acting Director National Repository and Research).
For further information on attending the MAA workshop please contact Rahab directly.
To find out more about the Mapping Ancient Africa project click here.
March 6, 2024
Piperno, D.R., McMichael, C.N.H., Pitman, N.C.A., Paredes, M.R., Torres-Montenegro, L.A. & Bush, M.B. (2024) Pre-Columbian vegetational and fire history in western Amazonia: Terrestrial soil phytolith and charcoal evidence from three regions. Quaternary International. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.01.011
March 5, 2024
Sales, R.A., McMichael, C.N.H., Peterson, L.C., Stanley, A., Bennett, I., Jones, T.E., Walker, A.S., Mulhearn, M., Nelson, A., Moore, C., O’Connor, M., Sinkler, W., Banner, C., Church, W., VanValkenburgh, P. & Bush, M.B. (2024) Wet and dry events influenced colonization of a mid-elevation Andean forest. Quaternary Science Reviews 327, 108518. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108518
March 1, 2024
Open access:
Witteveen, N.H., Blaus, A., Raczka, M.F., Herrick, C., Palace, M., Nascimento, M.N., Van Loon, E.E., Gosing, W.D., Bush, M.B. & McMichael, C.N.H. (2024) Quantifying local-scale changes in Amazonian forest cover using phytoliths. Frontiers of Biogeography. DOI: 10.21425/F5FBG62254
January 25, 2024
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.
January 12, 2024
The 10th Mapping Ancient Africa seminar took place on Tuesday 7th February 2023. The seminar was delivered by Cecile Blanchet (Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam) and highlighted recent work linking river sediments from the Nile with change in global climate systems, including El Nino.
Details of this seminar can be found here. You can find more Mapping Ancient Africa seminar videos on the “Ecology of the Past” YouTube channel.
January 11, 2024
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.
January 9, 2024
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/
Ecology of the past 