Who were the ancestors of Homo floresiensis? The discovery of a tiny, new hominid species living in Indonesia until just 12,000 years ago, at the same time as modern humans in the region, has sparked world-wide public interest and debate. Finding the ancestors of this species will further promote Australian research as high profile, high calibre and cutting edge. Collaboration with researchers and institutions in Indonesia, USA, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Georgia will stre ....Who were the ancestors of Homo floresiensis? The discovery of a tiny, new hominid species living in Indonesia until just 12,000 years ago, at the same time as modern humans in the region, has sparked world-wide public interest and debate. Finding the ancestors of this species will further promote Australian research as high profile, high calibre and cutting edge. Collaboration with researchers and institutions in Indonesia, USA, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Georgia will strengthen our links with these nations.Read moreRead less
The origin of the First Australians: a genomic approach. The earliest known inhabitants of Australia lived more than 42,000 years ago on the shores of Lake Mungo. This project will present data that show it is feasible to recover complete genomes of some early Australians, in addition to the sex and mitochondrial genomes of others. These data will provide a new understanding of the robust and gracile morphologies of these people, as well as the dispersal patterns of modern humans out of Africa. ....The origin of the First Australians: a genomic approach. The earliest known inhabitants of Australia lived more than 42,000 years ago on the shores of Lake Mungo. This project will present data that show it is feasible to recover complete genomes of some early Australians, in addition to the sex and mitochondrial genomes of others. These data will provide a new understanding of the robust and gracile morphologies of these people, as well as the dispersal patterns of modern humans out of Africa. Ideas about Australia’s First People have been central to the development of theories about the origin of modern humans generally, and therefore this study will be of international significance. Read moreRead less
The origin of the first Australians. Using new DNA methods researchers aim to uncover the origins of the first Australians and to provide new evidence for when people came here and where they came from. This exciting work aims to determine some of the physical and metabolic characteristics of these early people.
Implications of morphological and molecular measures of diversity in papionine primates for interpretation of hominid phylogeny. Landmark morphometrics, superquadric modeling based on 3-D surface point mapping and conventional osteometric measurements, will be used to gauge morphological differences among macaques and baboons that are known to exchange genes across taxonomic boundaries. Morphological findings will be compared with genetic data (mitochondrial and some nuclear gene measures) on th ....Implications of morphological and molecular measures of diversity in papionine primates for interpretation of hominid phylogeny. Landmark morphometrics, superquadric modeling based on 3-D surface point mapping and conventional osteometric measurements, will be used to gauge morphological differences among macaques and baboons that are known to exchange genes across taxonomic boundaries. Morphological findings will be compared with genetic data (mitochondrial and some nuclear gene measures) on the same populations, to test for congruity between genetic and morphological divergence. The same techniques for measuring morphological divergence will be used on early hominid specimens (Miocene through Plio/Pleistocene). Comparisons between extents of morphological dispersion among hominids and monkeys will be used to test taxonomic and phylogenetic hypotheses about human evolution.Read moreRead less
Survival and growth of children in rural East Timor: the influences of family structure, resources and local environment on child outcomes. Families can moderate or exacerbate ecological challenges to child survival and growth. Rural families must balance labour needs with consumption and are challenged by unexpected environmental changes. The project will assess the characteristics of rural East Timorese families that are associated with positive outcomes in child survival and growth.
The contribution of South Asia to the peopling of Australasia. This project focuses on the human fossil record from three regions critical to understanding the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Australia is crucial in view of its diverse array of "gracile" and "robust" human remains of Late Pleistocene/early Holocene age. Equally important are South and Southeast Asia as they lined the tropical route between Africa, our species' Late Pleistocene homeland according to the Out of Africa theory ....The contribution of South Asia to the peopling of Australasia. This project focuses on the human fossil record from three regions critical to understanding the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Australia is crucial in view of its diverse array of "gracile" and "robust" human remains of Late Pleistocene/early Holocene age. Equally important are South and Southeast Asia as they lined the tropical route between Africa, our species' Late Pleistocene homeland according to the Out of Africa theory, and Australia. Osteological and archaeological evidence of the selection pressures that operated on earlier hunter-gatherers will be employed to explain the observed patterns of morphological evolution throughout the study region.Read moreRead less
The African origins of Asian and Australian lithic technologies: Exploring modern human origins and dispersals using new techniques of core analysis. This project will demonstrate that Australia is committed to understanding the origins of modern humans and solving research problems within and beyond our geographic region. The history of modern human evolution in Africa has significant implications for the origins of the first Australians, Indians and Asians and will contribute to an understandi ....The African origins of Asian and Australian lithic technologies: Exploring modern human origins and dispersals using new techniques of core analysis. This project will demonstrate that Australia is committed to understanding the origins of modern humans and solving research problems within and beyond our geographic region. The history of modern human evolution in Africa has significant implications for the origins of the first Australians, Indians and Asians and will contribute to an understanding of our shared and recent common ancestry and the emergence of human diversity. Australian archaeological innovations, especially when applied to global issues such as human evolution, will continue to showcase Australian scientific expertise and achievements. The study of problem-solving and technological innovation will help understand the sophisticated nature of early Australian peoples.Read moreRead less
Novel approaches to the forensic identification of human remains: integration of studies of bone form and chemistry. In a global era of terrorism, crime and even natural disasters, new approaches to identify victims, and prosecute offenders, are greatly required and long overdue. The combination of new computer and chemical methods will help identify unknowns, reconstruct missing parts and separate commingled remains. Its affect on understanding bones may be like that of DNA on soft tissues. The ....Novel approaches to the forensic identification of human remains: integration of studies of bone form and chemistry. In a global era of terrorism, crime and even natural disasters, new approaches to identify victims, and prosecute offenders, are greatly required and long overdue. The combination of new computer and chemical methods will help identify unknowns, reconstruct missing parts and separate commingled remains. Its affect on understanding bones may be like that of DNA on soft tissues. The results will update our ability as forensic scientists to strengthen Australian security systems by improving our ability to manage accidents, disasters, terrorism and crime. This project will start international collaborations and train a new generation of Australian forensic experts.Read moreRead less
3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the contex ....3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the context of border protection. When crime has already been committed, the identification of victims and perpetrators is important for the exoneration of the innocent and successful prosecution of the guilty. The full utilisation of 3D morphometric analysis of faces will provide criteria robust enough for legal proof of identity. Read moreRead less
Constructing robust climate proxies to explore human and primate evolution. This project will build the requisite foundation to resolve whether variable climate change sparked the origins of humans and our great ape forebears. Scientists endeavor to recover ancient environmental records to examine this influential idea, but have lacked the means to do so at the scale of a human lifespan. This multidisciplinary effort will harness groundbreaking advances pioneered by our collaborative team to pro ....Constructing robust climate proxies to explore human and primate evolution. This project will build the requisite foundation to resolve whether variable climate change sparked the origins of humans and our great ape forebears. Scientists endeavor to recover ancient environmental records to examine this influential idea, but have lacked the means to do so at the scale of a human lifespan. This multidisciplinary effort will harness groundbreaking advances pioneered by our collaborative team to produce the first fine-scaled climate proxies from the teeth of humans’ closest living relatives. Documenting climate variation across diverse landscapes promises to transform studies of prehistoric ecosystems and past behaviour from omnipresent fossilised teeth, providing further insight into humanity’s unprecedented success.Read moreRead less