Heading from South Africa to educate and cultivate about human existence
Recently discovered fossils of two (Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi), ancient human relatives are coming to the U.S. from South Africa this winter for the first and likely only time to be featured in the limited-run exhibition – ORIGINS: FOSSILS FROM THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science partnered with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) and the National Geographic Society proudly announced this special exhibition to be conducted in October 19, 2019.
The ancient hominin fossils have traveled for public display since “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) foundbetween 2007 and 2013. Australopithecus sediba, discovered in 2008 by nine-year-old Matthew Berger,were some of the most complete hominin skeletons known in the fossil record at the time. Just five years later, the first fossils of another new ancient relative, Homo naledi were dramatically unearthed in 2015 in South Africa by a Wits University team including the Perot Museum’s Dr. Becca Peixotto, director and research scientist of the Center for the Exploration of the Human Journey.
Unearthing human secrets
Together, these two remarkable discoveries boon to human questions provided further evidence for the complex and layered processes of human evolution.
- ORIGINS: FOSSILS FROM THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND will bring to life years of scientific research tied to the Perot Museum’s recently launched Center for the Exploration of the Human Journey, a global hub for education, communication and research in the study of human origins.
- The exhibition will also showcase the collaboration and dedication demonstrated by a diverse, multinational scientific team of women and men, led by world-renowned paleoanthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-at-Large, Professor Lee Berger of Wits University. Berger also serves as the distinguished science advisor for the Perot Museum’s Center for the Exploration of the Human Journey.
“We are eager to have a chance to share these findings – which shape our understanding of our early origins – with the people of Texas and the world,” said, Berger.
The Perot Museum’s partnership with Wits University will increase research, cultivate scientific communication and maximize accessibility around the world through projects that strengthen international scientific and academic cooperation.
