(MENAFN - The Conversation) I am using modern dental wear on human volunteers of known plants to create a record of distinctive tooth wear associated with African edible plants that hominin and ancient peoples may have used as part of their staple diet. Examples include Egyptian papyrus stalks and rhisomes (Cyperus papyrus).

We are currently using remote sensing to characterize the behaviour of certain landscapes and wetlands over decadal time-scales. This research is indicating that certain wetland areas are able to buffer against the local drying trends and provide a degree of localised refuge from climatic extremes. This has important implications for how we view and understand palaeo-wetlands, like Olduvai Gorge, which hosted hominin species over many millennia.

Experience

• present Senior Lecturer in Hominin Palaeoecology, Bournemouth University

Education

• 2005 Liverpool John Moores University, Biological and Earth Sciences

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