Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Very interesting, I'll be excited to hear what you all find! 000
Reposted by Kevin HatalaJohn Hawks @johnhawks.net · 02/08/2026The story of “The petite bodies of the robust australopithecines” is changing in light of the last 15 years of evidence, and footprints are leading the way. www.johnhawks.net/p/the-big-fe...johnhawks.netThe big feet of Paranthropus boiseiNew analysis of footprint trackways suggest a larger body size than previously thought for this Early Pleistocene human relative. 1215
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 03/08/2026I agree with the likely bias in attributing small postcrania to Paranthropus and large to Homo, but I've also wondered about the possibility that body size in P. boisei and P. robustus could be more different than previously recognized (especially after publication of the SWT1/HR-2 specimen) 110
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Thanks for the nice write-up, John! I also felt that the large sizes are not too surprising when viewed in light of P. boisei skulls and teeth, and it's hard for me to picture the KNM-ER 101000 hand attached to a very small body. 110
Reposted by Kevin HatalaMax-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 29/07/2026This is so intriguing! 21 fossil footprints capturing an exact moment in time - 1.4 M (!) years ago near Lake Turkana, Kenya. The tracks reveal a group of 8 mostly adult male 𝘗. 𝘣𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘪 travelling together. Researchers think they may have formed groups for safety (think hippo-filled lakeshores)!🦛 0153
Reposted by Kevin HatalaRiley Black 🏳️⚧️ 🦖 @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Multiple trackways found in Kenya might give our hominin relative Paranthropus a size boost. I've got some cool new paleoanthropology science for you over at @smithsonianmag.bsky.social 🧪smithsonianmag.comAncient Fossil Footsteps Found in Kenya May Hint That an Early Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously ThoughtThe trackway sheds light on how some hominins moved around their environments and with one another 18221
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Ultimately, the site captures an amazing snapshot in time where we can evaluate what hominins looked like, how they moved, and how they interacted with each other and with their landscapes. We have much more work like this in the pipeline, which I'll be excited to share in the near future! 030
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Perhaps they capture a moment when a group of adult male P. boisei individuals were traveling together through what would have been a resource-rich, but dangerous, lakeshore environment. There are dozens of enormous hippo tracks right alongside the hominins! 130
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026These new footprints look most similar to footprints from other sites that we've attributed to P. boisei. However, several of them are VERY big. We think they must represent multiple adult male individuals, with body sizes that meet and exceed the largest prior estimates for P. boisei. 110
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026In our other recent work, we have identified morphological differences that we hypothesize distinguish the footprints of Paranthropus boisei and Homo erectus: www.science.org/doi/full/10....science.orgFootprint evidence for locomotor diversity and shared habitats among early Pleistocene homininsFor much of the Pliocene and Pleistocene, multiple hominin species coexisted in the same regions of eastern and southern Africa. Due to the limitations of the skeletal fossil record, questions regardi... 110
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026In this project, we revisited a ~1.43 million year old hominin footprint site discovered by Kay Behrensmeyer and colleagues, and published in Nature in 1981: www.nature.com/articles/289.... More recent excavations revealed many more footprints, including several additional hominin trackways. 110
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 28/07/2026New paper out in @pnas.org: Insights into hominin body size, locomotion, and behavior from Early Pleistocene trackways in northern Kenya. Link here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgInsights into hominin body size, locomotion, and behavior from Early Pleistocene trackways in northern Kenya | PNASThe Early Pleistocene fossils of the Koobi Fora Formation, northern Kenya, record two well-documented hominin genera, Homo and Paranthropus, preser... 12410
Reposted by Kevin HatalaMPI-EVA Leipzig @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Fossil #footprints in Northern #Kenya offer new insights into the body size and group dynamics of #Paranthropus boisei, a human relative that lived 1.4 million years ago. New study @pnas.org by an intl. team led by @kevinhatala.bsky.social. See: tinyurl.com/r83e4yb8 & www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...tinyurl.comFossil footprints reveal body size and group dynamics of 1.4-million-year-old human relativeNew study provides a rare snapshot of “fossil behavior” from Paranthropus boisei, an ancient hominin group in northern Kenya 082
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 26/01/2026📣There is still time to submit your Late Breaking Science abstract! Submissions are due February 2. bioanth.org/95th-annual-...bioanth.orgLate Breaking Science abstracts due February 2, 2026 - AABAWe are accepting Late Breaking Science submissions until Monday, February 2, 11:59 pm Pacific Time. The Late Breaking Science poster session will include only 40 […] 043
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 26/01/2026Join us in congratulating our outstanding members who have received the prestigious AABA annual awards for 2026. The 2026 Mid-Career Research award recipient is Katherine Amato from Northwestern University ! 2136
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 13/01/2026🧪🧬 The COD's undergraduate research symposium is an excellent way for undergrads to get experience presenting their research and networking at our national bioanthropology meeting. The abstract deadline is January 30th! Details here. bioanth.org/about/divers...bioanth.orgCOD Undergraduate Research Symposium - AABAThe Committee on Diversity (COD) was started in order to assess disciplinary demographics and address minority representation in biological anthropology. A survey of U.S. programs […] 133
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 02/12/2025Students: the deadline for #AABA2026 travel awards is this week! 026
Reposted by Kevin HatalaNature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 26/11/2025A paper in Nature shows that a 3.4-million-year-old partial foot found in Ethiopia in 2009 belongs to an ancient human relative named Australopithecus deyiremeda, a more primitive species of Australopithecus than the famous ‘Lucy’ (A. afarensis). go.nature.com/49BkCZY 🏺 🧪 16418
Reposted by Kevin HatalaCara Ocobock @caraocobock.bsky.social · 26/11/2025All NSF SBE DDRIG solicitations have been archived and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Grants currently submitted will be processed, but as always, chances of funding remain very low. This means anyone aiming for the upcoming deadline will not be able to submit. 1/3 11017
Reposted by Kevin HatalaHuman Behavior & Evolution Society @humbehevosoc.bsky.social · 11/11/2025Two postdoctoral opportunities in evolutionary anthropology at Duke University! The Pontzer Lab is hiring for projects on human ecology, energetics, and aging & health. More info: www.hbes.com/two-postdoct...hbes.comTwo postdoctoral opportunities in evolutionary anthropology at Duke - HBEShttps://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30783 Position Description The Pontzer Lab in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University seeks two Postdoctoral Associates for research in h... 01717
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 11/11/2025Join us next week on Nov 19th for a virtual workshop on writing op-eds 📝 Register here: burkinc.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 032
Reposted by Kevin HatalaCaley Orr @caleyorr.bsky.social · 15/10/2025Paranthropus boisei is a human fossil cousin w/ giant jaws and teeth that lived in East Africa ~2.6 to 1.3 million years ago. Whether it could make & use tools has been a paleoanthropological mystery since the 1960s. Our new paper describes the first firmly associated hand and foot. 1/nature.comNew fossils reveal the hand of Paranthropus boisei - NatureAnalyses of newly discovered hand and foot bones of a Paranthropus boisei specimen provide insight into possible tool use and other palaeobiology characteristics among Plio-Pleistocene hominin species... 32912
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 15/09/2025Do you want to support students attending #AABA2026? Get your #AABA2026 t-shirt or hoodie! Proceeds will fund our various student programs www.bonfire.com/sales-will-s...bonfire.comAABA 2026 Denver, CO Meeting Swag | BonfireBuy AABA 2026 Denver, CO Meeting Swag merchandise that supports American Association Of Physical Anthropologists. Featuring Heather Carolina Blue Premium Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA... 045
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 16/09/2025Interested in becoming more involved in AABA? The deadline for nominations for President-Elect, Vice President, and Secretary are due October 15! bioanth.org/95th-annual-...bioanth.orgCall for Executive Committee Nominations (Deadline: October 15, 2025) - AABAExecutive Committee Positions: The Executive Committee manages the affairs of the association. The committee meets in person once a year, immediately before the Annual Meeting, and virtually […] 065
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 15/09/2025📌 Students attending #AABA2026: we've made some changes to simplify the submission process for Student Presentation Awards. Your award application is now due October 15, 2025, the same day as abstracts are due. 📖 Read about it here: bioanth.org/about/studen...bioanth.orgStudent Presentation Awards - AABAThe AABA has long recognized the important contributions made to our discipline by students. Their work reflects the promise and future of our field. Conferring […] 165
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 15/09/2025📣 The abstract portal for #AABA2026 in Denver is open! Please read the abstract guidelines carefully before submitting your abstract. Submissions are due by October 15, 2025. bioanth.org/95th-annual-... 054
Reposted by Kevin HatalaKatie Ranhorn @kathrynranhorn.bsky.social · 03/09/2025New essay about our collaborative deep history work in Tanzania! Thanks to @sapiens.org for inviting me to contribute & for editorial support Fidelis Masao, Husna Mashaka, Sam Porter, & many more contribute to this work. Thanks @leakeyfoundation.org @asubeinghuman.bsky.social & @asuiho.bsky.social 033
Reposted by Kevin HatalaArmita R. Manafzadeh @armanafzadeh.bsky.social · 02/09/2025I'm recruiting a PhD student to join the lab at @gtsciences.bsky.social in Fall 2026! Broad taxonomic and topical freedom under the umbrella of vertebrate joint form and function. Information here: www.manafzadeh.com – please share 🦴🩻 04233
Reposted by Kevin HatalaRob Foley @robfoley.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Breaking the barriers! Important new paper by Daniel Green and others discovering 18 million years of proteins of East African mammals! www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comEighteen million years of diverse enamel proteomes from the East African Rift - NatureThe isolation of dental proteins from fossils deposited 1.5 million to 18 million years ago in the Turkana Basin in Kenya, a tropical region, demonstrate the promise of dental enamel for palaeoproteom... 0287
Reposted by Kevin HatalaPalesa @palaeoprotpalesa.bsky.social · 29/05/2025Hello, Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.doi.orgEnamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African ParanthropusParanthropus robustus is a morphologically well-documented Early Pleistocene hominin species from southern Africa with no genetic evidence reported so far. In this work, we describe the mass spectrome... 37942
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmanda G. Henry @phytolith.bsky.social · 10/05/2025I am offering two 4-year PhD positions (fully funded) and a 57 month combined post-doc / project manager position as part of my NWO-Vici grant, which starts in September. 14433
Reposted by Kevin HatalaSeth Chagi (World of Paleoanthropology🏺) @sethchagi.bsky.social · 21/04/2025Unearthing the Past: The New Turkana Footprints with Dr. Kevin Hatala youtu.be/vX-b4L3cxW0 @kevinhatala.bsky.socialyoutu.beUnearthing the Past: The New Turkana Footprints with Dr. Kevin HatalaYouTube video by World of Paleoanthropology 061
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAdam van Casteren @adamvanc.bsky.social · 25/03/2025Really happy to see this paper out, using field biomechanics we show that wild chimpanzees don't just randomly select plants materials for termite fishing tools – they use a little “folk physics” choosing materials with specific properties! Study in iScience www.cell.com/iscience/ful.... 1/5cell.comEngineering skills in the manufacture of tools by wild chimpanzeesBiological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology 1178
Reposted by Kevin HatalaLeslea Hlusko @hlusko.bsky.social · 24/03/2025Want to move to Spain? Do you study craniodental evolution in human and non-human primate evolution? Looking for postdoc position? Interested in working with my @Tied2Teeth group here @CENIEH??? Deadline to apply: 28 March 2025 www.cenieh.es/en/about-cen...cenieh.esPostdoctoral Researcher (R2) of ERC-2021-ADG TIED2TEETH Project | CENIEH 04125
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 19/03/2025🎊 Congratulations to the ten #AABA2025 student prize winners and honorable mentions! bioanth.org/about/studen... 1156
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAntonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo @whiterabbit36.bsky.social · 12/03/2025Our new paper 🥲 www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comThe earliest human face of Western Europe - NatureA Homo aff. erectus individual dated to 1.4 million to 1.1 million years ago found at Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) does not display the modern-human-like aspect of Homo antecess... 25522
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 07/03/2025🥁 Congratulations to the 76 awardees of the 2025 William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award! The Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AABA meetings. bioanth.org/about/willia... #AABA2025bioanth.orgWilliam S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award - AABAThe Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AABA meetings. The awards are named in honor of […] 0196
Reposted by Kevin HatalaNational Center for Science Education @ncse.bsky.social · 09/03/2025"Could You Survive Living With Other Hominin Species?" asks PBS Eons. youtu.be/c4E6chPj-IQ?... #humanevolutionyoutu.beCould You Survive Living With Other Hominin Species?YouTube video by PBS Eons 1125
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 04/03/2025Get excited for #AABA2025 in Baltimore next week! Download the AABA 2025 app and start planning your meeting www.xcdsystem.com/mobile/index...xcdsystem.comAABA 2025 082
Reposted by Kevin HatalaThe Leakey Foundation @leakeyfoundation.org · 04/03/2025Ever wondered what happens to your grant proposal once you submit it? Join a hands-on “mock review” workshop to learn about review processes at The Leakey Foundation and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. March 12 at #AABA2025. Registration is limited so act fast! @bioanth.org bit.ly/4havY78bit.lyAABA Workshop in Baltimore: What happens to my grant proposal? Peek into the process through mock review!This workshop introduces early career scholars to the grant review process through mock review exercises with experienced panelists and representatives from Leakey and Wenner-Gren. Date and Time: Marc... 085
Reposted by Kevin HatalaDeming Yang @demingyang.bsky.social · 21/02/2025🚨New article🚨Our #research on #elephant🐘and #strontium #isotopes in #teeth🦷is published with @commsbio.bsky.social We show how Sr is recorded in teeth and how we use such records to help reconstruct migration. @kevinuno.bsky.social @kpodkovyroff.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42...nature.comStrontium isotope mapping of elephant enamel supports an integrated microsampling-modeling workflow to reconstruct herbivore migrations - Communications BiologyComparisons of 87Sr/86Sr data from the tusk and molar enamel of a zoo elephant suggest that a microsampling-modeling workflow is the best practice strategy for geospatial reconstructions of seasonal m... 2238
Reposted by Kevin HatalaMcNulty Lab @mcnultylab.bsky.social · 18/02/2025Exciting things happening on Rusinga Island! www.sapiens.org/culture/loca...sapiens.orgConnecting Local Communities to Paleoanthropology in KenyaOn Rusinga Island, a group is celebrating field assistants who helped find famous fossils and inspiring locals to study ancient history. 1165
Reposted by Kevin Hatalaprofmercader.bsky.social @profmercader.bsky.social · 16/01/2025Groundbreaking research on Homo erectus www.nature.com/articles/s43... #OldupaiGorge BED III: Using sedimentology, geochemistry, Ar/Ar dating, biome simulations, fire history, paleobotany, fauna, and lithics, we reveal how hominins navigated extreme environments in northern Tanzania 1 Ma 0198
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 15/01/2025Congratulations to the 2025 AABA Award Winners! This year we honor Dr. Kay Behrensmeyer, Dr. Lorena Madrigal, and Dr. Sang-Hee Lee. Thank you for your contributions to biological anthropology! #AABA2025 1236
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 10/01/2025Important update for anyone with a manuscript in the JHE editorial pipeline. Thanks for sharing! 010
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAustin Lawrence, PhD @humanaustinology.bsky.social · 08/01/2025I'm very excited to share a new paper out this week with co-authors Ashley Hammond and Carol Ward. doi.org/10.1016/j.jh... 4396
Reposted by Kevin HatalaPeter Falkingham @peterfalkingham.com · 05/01/2025Incredible site. If you want to see the length of these trackways, and a little walk through of some of the Sauropod tracks, I've uploaded a 4k60p video to YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dyH...youtube.com 04014
Reposted by Kevin HatalaAmerican Association of Biological Anthropologists @bioanth.org · 03/01/2025📣 Students: applications for Pollitzer Student Travel Awards to attend #AABA2025 in Baltimore are due on January 6! Apply now! bioanth.org/about/willia...bioanth.orgWilliam S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award - AABAThe Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AABA meetings. The awards are named in honor of […] 01312
Kevin Hatala @kevinhatala.bsky.social · 30/12/2024Reminder: The deadline for AABA Pollitzer travel award applications is 1 week away (Jan 6). If you are a student traveling to the Annual Meeting in Baltimore, please apply! 023
