Descripción del proyecto
Un proyecto paleontológico a gran escala en Sudán
La investigación paleontológica en África ha revelado la existencia de un rico registro fósil del Pleistoceno. Con todo, la mayoría de los yacimientos de fósiles están ubicados en valle del Rift de África Oriental, lo cual crea un sesgo geográfico. Esta circunstancia limita el conocimiento de las faunas regionales, así como la función de la dispersión y la variación geográfica en la aparición de los ecosistemas modernos (incluidos los humanos). Además, se ha estudiado muy poco el papel del río Nilo en la dispersión cultural y faunística. El equipo del proyecto PALEONILE, financiado con fondos europeos, combinará métodos paleontológicos, geológicos, geocronológicos y arqueológicos a fin de descubrir un nuevo registro fósil en la cuenca del río Nilo en Sudán. Además, probará hipótesis sobre la regionalización zoogeográfica del Pleistoceno en la cuenca del Nilo con respecto al valle del Rift de África Oriental y las zonas circundantes.
Objetivo
Over a century of paleontological investigation in Africa has revealed a rich Pleistocene fossil record that includes the evolution of hominins and their material cultures. However, the vast majority of fossil sites are located in the East African Rift Valley (EARV), and our knowledge is heavily skewed by this geographic bias. Poor continental geographic sampling means we lack an understanding of faunal regional variations, and the role of dispersal and geographic variation in the emergence of modern ecosystems. Furthermore, many have questioned the role of the Nile, the longest river in the world, in promoting faunal and cultural dispersal between Subsaharan and North Africa, and beyond to Eurasia. For decades such questions have been answered speculatively, with little data to stand on. PALEONILE is an ambitious project that will address these major gaps in our knowledge through large-scale surveys to reveal a new fossil record from the Middle Nile River Basin in Sudan. This project will test an overarching hypothesis of Pleistocene zoogeographic regionalization in the Nile Basin with respect to the EARV and surrounding areas, and will use an interdisciplinary array of paleontological, geological, geochronological, and archaeological approaches to reach its objectives. The geographic scale of the project is large and the techniques are cutting edge, including high-risk experimental methodologies such as paleobiomolecular recovery and new developments in sedimentary dating. PALEONILE forms the first ever large-scale systematic paleontological project to be conducted in Sudan, where the Cenozoic fossil record remains largely undiscovered, and its potential overlooked. PALEONILE will generate a new paradigm of zoogeographic dynamics and evolution in the African Pleistocene that represents a new synthesis of hydrographic, phylogenomic, archaeological, and paleontological evidence.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedInstitución de acogida
10115 Berlin
Alemania