technology | Ecology of the past

Scientific Workshop: Getting to the bottom of the Quaternary

July 8, 2026
WDG

The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Deep Chew Bahir (DeepCBH) drilling workshop took place in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) between the 30 June and 3 July 2026. The workshop brought around 50 scientists to Ethiopia, with a further 30, or so, in a satellite meeting in Potsdam (Germany) and online. The workshop was lead by Asfawossen Asrat, Verena Foerster, Daniel Gebregiorgis and Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr, and included scientist from 18 different countries (including 5 African countries).

The purpose of the meeting was to, build upon the previous successful drilling of the Chew Bahir basin which raised sediments spanning the last c. 600,000 years (Foerster et al., 2026), and to discuss the opportunities, logistics and requirements to make the recovery of sediments spanning the whole of the Quaternary (last 2.6 million years) from the Chew Bahir basin possible. Obtaining such a record would provide an unprecedented insight into the environmental and climatic change that was the backdrop for the evolution of our genus, Homo.

The skill sets of those attending was as diverse as the challenges and opportunities that undertaking such an epic coring expedition would require. These included the fundamentals of what equipment would be required to recover a sediment core down to depths of 1.2 kms below the Earths surface and what to do with 1.2 kms of sediment once it was recovered; as well as the scientific motivations for doing so from perspectives of hydrology, human-environment interactions and extreme microbial ecosystems.

Over the three days, discussion of the feasibility, ambition and funding was intense, and many steps forward were made in aligning the practical and scientific considerations. It was great to meet everyone and to have a chance to chat about the potential of this exciting project. The next step is to collate the workshop outputs and submit a full proposal to the ICDP in January 2027.

To find out more about the DeepCBH project visit the ICDP web site here.

Visit to the National Museum of Ethiopia

From Writing to Rock Art: A Week at the Mapping Ancient Africa Workshop

March 21, 2026
bouwegroeneveld

By Bouwe Groeneveld (MSc Biological Sciences, track Ecology & Evolution, University of Amsterdam)

From 2 to 6 March, I joined the Mapping Ancient Africa Research and Writing Workshop at Fountainhill Estate near Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The week brought together focused writing, interdisciplinary exchange, and time in the landscape.

We began with a speed dating session that set an open and collaborative tone. Participants introduced their research backgrounds, ranging from botany and ecology to geography. The group was highly international, with participants from Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and the Netherlands. This diversity quickly proved valuable, as different perspectives naturally complemented one another throughout discussions.

The second day centred on the challenges of academic writing and publishing. Through group conversations and smaller sessions, we reflected on common difficulties such as structuring arguments and navigating the publication process. Later that afternoon, we walked across the estate to the Holley Shelter archaeological site. During the walk, I noticed how the surrounding landscape offered a sense of calm that contrasted with the intensity of writing. Along the way, we encountered a giraffe standing only a few metres from us, quietly feeding on acacia leaves.

The shelter itself was striking. A clear waterfall flowed down the rock face, catching the sunlight as it filtered into the green valley below. The interplay of water, rock, and light created a remarkably beautiful and tranquil setting, making the site feel both impressive and deeply serene.

Mapping Ancient Africa: Video of seminar 19

July 26, 2024
WDG

On the 25 July 2024 the 19th Mapping Ancient Africa (MAA) seminar, entitled Climate frameworks for the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa, was delivered by Solène Boisard (University Montreal). In the seminar Solène presented two lines of evidence for past climate change in north-western Africa over the last c. 70,000 years. One from mechanistic climate models (via the PastClim package, for more details see: Leonardi et al. 2023) and one from reconstructions based on archaeological evidence. She found good agreement between the two approaches and linked climatic changes to the transition from Middle Stone Age to Late Stone Age technologies.

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.

Fire in Human Evolution

June 7, 2024
WDG

The “Fire in Human Evolution” international Symposium will take place at the University of Leiden (10-11 June 2024). The meeting is being organized by Femke Reidsma and Amanda Henry. The meeting will include talks and discussion on:

Fire perception, social interaction, and culture
Fire as landscape management
Fire, cooking and diet
Fire technology and cognition
Archaeological signatures of fire

For full details click here.

PhD Thesis: Morphometrics of modern and fossil Poaceae pollen from South America

December 19, 2023
WDG

On November 17, 2023, Caixia Wei (魏彩霞) accomplished a pivotal milestone by successfully defending her thesis titled “Morphometrics of Modern and Fossil Poaceae Pollen from South America” at the distinguished Agnietenkapel (University of Amsterdam). During the defense ceremony, Caixia showcased her professional knowledge and expertise in the field of paleoecology in a relaxed and cheerful manner. The committee members, promoters (Carina Hoorn, William Gosling, Phillip Jardine), and attendees (~50 people) responded with frequent smiles, laughter, and numerous rounds of applause! After the defense, a delightful reception and dinner were held, where Caixia was showered with an abundance of hugs, kisses, heartfelt wishes, and thoughtful gifts. These wonderful memories will support Caixia on her journey ahead…

For a glimpse into the event, you can watch Caixia’s insightful 10-minute project presentation here:

Additionally, most of Caixia’s thesis is available for download at this link:

Wei, C. (2023) Morphometrics of modern and fossil Poaceae pollen from South America. PhD Thesis, University of Amsterdam.

Enhancing fieldwork learning

August 22, 2016
WDG

Enhancing Fieldwork Learning
Showcase 2016
University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus
12-13th September 2016

Supported by the British Ecological Society.

Nocturnal camera trapping
Underwater camera work
Field microscopy
Drones in teaching and research.
Virtual fieldwork
Using e-books as lab notes
Linking to Citizen Science

Click here to sign up.

The technofossil record of humans

March 27, 2014
HayleyKeen

Can you spot the technofossil?

Hayley Keen on:

Zalasiewicz, J., Williams, M., Waters, C.N., Barnosky, A.D. & Haff, P. (2014) The technofossil record of humans. The Anthropocene Review, 1, 34-43.

An interesting research article introducing a stratigraphy (technostratigraphy) for and within the Anthropocene, stratigraphic markers are defined as “fossils” left behind by humans (technofossils); for example Iron Age tools from around 1000 BC. The article is driven by the need to:

characterise the deposits, and
date and correlate strata,

of (and within) the Anthropocene in a similar manner to other periods of geological time. By using technofossils from the different stages of homonid technological development Zalasiewicz et al. argue that a chronology can be developed and applied to the Anthropocene concept. Furthermore, Zalasiewicz et al. provide examples of how technofossils, such as pottery and mobile phones, could be used to produce a high resolution (sub-centennial) dating and correlation of strata; so far an unreachable target for other periods of geological time. The paper provides a thought provoking insight the definition of strata throughout geological time, and a novel technique into how this could be done in the Anthropocene.