THE PALEOCLIMATIC FRAMEWORK
OF HUMAN EVOLUTION

Dr. Gail M. Ashley
Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, New Jersey

Sunday, March 21, 2010 2:00 P.M. Room 319
American Museum of Natural History New York City

There is a growing consensus that climate variability (i.e. magnitude and frequency of climate change) was an important factor in natural selection. Reconstruction of the environment requires multidisciplinary interaction of geologists, soil scientists, paleoanthropologists and paleoecologists. The study of a Plio-Pleistocene "time slice" in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania provides a successful example of a reconstructed paleolandscape that is rich in detail and adds a small piece to the puzzle of hominin evolution in Africa.

Lake Olduvai in the Olduvai basin expanded and contracted on Milankovitch time scales (23 Ka). Groundwater-fed wetlands provided a source of food and safety in an otherwise harsh setting. The importance of springs and wetlands to the ecology of hominins and other vertebrates (e.g. wildebeest, zebra, tragelaphine, hippo, suid, hippo and various carnivores) at Olduvai had not been appreciated before and the linkage was noted only because of the interdisciplinary approach of the research. Two recently re-opened archeological sites provide new insights into the paleoenvironments at approximately 1.8 Ma.

N.Y.P.S. MEETING DATES FOR THE YEAR

These are the meeting dates of the New York Paleontological Society for the 2009-2010 season. We meet at 2:00 P.M. in room 319 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (79th Street and Central Park West). Please check the Newsletter for information regarding the annual party. Due to changes in the museum’s schedule, the above dates may change (usually very unlikely), so check your Newsletter or the monthly meeting notice on this website.

September 13, 2009*	December 5, 2009	March 21, 2010
October 18, 2009	January 17, 2010	April 18, 2010
November 15, 2009	February 21, 2010	May 16, 2010
* NOTE: All the above dates are third Sundays of their respective months, except September which is the second Sunday.