ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connection ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context. Read moreRead less
Early African woodworking and tool use at the transition to modern humans. Our archaeological excavations and preliminary dating of Amanzi Springs (South Africa) to between 515,000 and 163,000 years ago shows that the site covers a critical time period that led to the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Amanzi documents, in never before seen resolution, the technological leaps that our ancestors made during this transition. At ~400,000 years ago this includes the oldest evidence for woodworkin ....Early African woodworking and tool use at the transition to modern humans. Our archaeological excavations and preliminary dating of Amanzi Springs (South Africa) to between 515,000 and 163,000 years ago shows that the site covers a critical time period that led to the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Amanzi documents, in never before seen resolution, the technological leaps that our ancestors made during this transition. At ~400,000 years ago this includes the oldest evidence for woodworking and tool use and >163,000 years ago the oldest heat treatment of rock to make stone tools. The organic preservation at the site means that we can reconstruct changing environment, linked to sea level changes and spring activity, for this period in the evolution of our ancestors at a level of detail not previously possibleRead moreRead less
East Australian climate extremes through the Holocene. The project aims to document climate variability in eastern Australia over the Holocene, the last 11,500 years. It seeks to develop Australia’s two highest-resolution Holocene climate records using novel techniques to infer past rainfall, temperature and evaporation. The project will combine the expertise of international drought and climate specialists with novel techniques developed by the Australian investigators to derive an unparalleled ....East Australian climate extremes through the Holocene. The project aims to document climate variability in eastern Australia over the Holocene, the last 11,500 years. It seeks to develop Australia’s two highest-resolution Holocene climate records using novel techniques to infer past rainfall, temperature and evaporation. The project will combine the expertise of international drought and climate specialists with novel techniques developed by the Australian investigators to derive an unparalleled record of drought duration, frequency and intensity. In particular, the project aims to determine the frequency, duration and causes of mega-droughts in eastern Australia, of which little is known. Expected project outcomes include improved decision making capacity for natural resource management, and planning.Read moreRead less
Warratyi: Cultural Innovation in the Indigenous Settlement of Australia. This project aims to determine the role of cultural innovation in the Indigenous settlement of Australia's arid zone 50,000 years ago. Using innovative methods, it will produce new data on key technologies, symbolic behaviours and human interactions with animals and environment to identify the cultural innovations needed to overcome the challenges of Australia's deserts. Expected outcomes include new understandings of the s ....Warratyi: Cultural Innovation in the Indigenous Settlement of Australia. This project aims to determine the role of cultural innovation in the Indigenous settlement of Australia's arid zone 50,000 years ago. Using innovative methods, it will produce new data on key technologies, symbolic behaviours and human interactions with animals and environment to identify the cultural innovations needed to overcome the challenges of Australia's deserts. Expected outcomes include new understandings of the settlement of the arid zone to inform global debates relating to the dispersal, settlement and lifestyles of early humans in marginal environments. Expected benefits include new information for cultural tourism and education and to support South Australia’s World Heritage nomination for the Flinders Ranges.Read moreRead less
East Asian Monsoon response to periods of abrupt global change. This proposal aims to investigate the response of the East Asian Monsoon to abrupt climatic change, under baseline states of both warm and cool climate. The research is significant as it utilises unique, precisely dated sediments from Japan, and novel approaches to quantifying spatial and temporal climate patterns. The research will improve understanding of the nature and causes of decadal-scale changes in monsoon precipitation, wit ....East Asian Monsoon response to periods of abrupt global change. This proposal aims to investigate the response of the East Asian Monsoon to abrupt climatic change, under baseline states of both warm and cool climate. The research is significant as it utilises unique, precisely dated sediments from Japan, and novel approaches to quantifying spatial and temporal climate patterns. The research will improve understanding of the nature and causes of decadal-scale changes in monsoon precipitation, with relevance for constraining the trajectory of the future monsoon, and the risks of prolonged drought and flood. The findings will benefit the Asian people, for whom the monsoon has major economic, social and environmental importance. In turn, this will benefit Australia, via economic and climatic ties to Asia.Read moreRead less
Early human dispersal: identifying the key environmental drivers. This project aims to investigate if environmental or human evolutionary processes drove the dispersal of early humans eastwards from Africa into Southeast Asia—and beyond into Australia. The project will examine archaeological sediments using an Earth-science approach, providing direct links between cultural and environmental records. The project will reveal the types of environment that were favored by early humans and provide a ....Early human dispersal: identifying the key environmental drivers. This project aims to investigate if environmental or human evolutionary processes drove the dispersal of early humans eastwards from Africa into Southeast Asia—and beyond into Australia. The project will examine archaeological sediments using an Earth-science approach, providing direct links between cultural and environmental records. The project will reveal the types of environment that were favored by early humans and provide a greater understanding of the role of environmental change on the colonisation of new environments. Read moreRead less