Objetivo Recent evidence indicates that the roots of our species, Homo sapiens, do not trace back to a single population, but to morphologically diverse group living over an extensive geographic area from Morocco to South Africa. The range of environments and regions in Africa that played a role in shaping our species is therefore rapidly emerging as central to unravelling human origins. However, thanks to the lack of fieldwork in many regions of Africa, these important parameters are not well understood.The aWARE project will therefore undertake a timely investigation into the role of Africa’s western forests, and their neighbouring ecozones, in modern human origins. Genetic and fossil studies have associated poorly known West Africa with complex evolutionary processes thought to have played a key role in shaping our species. Such processes include admixture between our species and late-surviving archaic humans, and long-term isolation of H. sapiens populations in forested zones. Significantly, research in West Africa by the applicant has also identified a unique late persistence of stone tool technology typical of much older periods, while at the same time demonstrating that human populations were present in currently forested regions close to the time of H. sapiens speciation. aWARE builds on this pilot work and sets forth a series of explicit, testable hypotheses to explore the time depth and environmental context of human populations in West Africa as a window into our pan-African origins. To adequately address these hypotheses, an interdisciplinary approach is taken, combining information from archaeology and palaeoecology. By exploring major theories in recent human origins through Africa’s poorly known western region, the project offers an opportunity to radically change our understanding of recent human evolution. The results will be broadly communicated through open access resources, including an online database and targeted public outreach activities. Ámbito científico natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencenatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biologynatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational sciencenatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencespalaeontologypaleoecology Palabras clave Middle Stone Age African Middle Pleistocene African Late Pleistocene West Africa Lithic Analysis Human Evolution Habitat Diversity Programa(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Tema(s) MSCA-IF-2017 - Individual Fellowships Convocatoria de propuestas H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoria Régimen de financiación MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinador MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Aportación neta de la UEn € 171 460,80 Dirección HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen Alemania Ver en el mapa Región Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Tipo de actividad Research Organisations Enlaces Contactar con la organización Opens in new window Sitio web Opens in new window Participación en los programas de I+D de la UE Opens in new window Red de colaboración de HORIZON Opens in new window Coste total € 171 460,80
