iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Rob Foley @robfoley.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The archaeologist David Clarke died in 1976 aged 38. To mark the 50th anniversary of his death we are holding a one day meeting - ‘Analytical Archaeologist: the living legacies of David Clarke in contemporary scientific archaeology’ in Cambridge on 10th October. Details and registration below

eventbrite.com

Analytical Archaeologist: The living legacies of David Clarke

A one-day meeting to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of David Clarke to be held at the McDonald Institute, University of Cambridge

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Dr Sarah Paris @sarah-paris.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

New proteomics study from Palesa Madupe & colleagues suggests Homo naledi fossils are all female! For over a decade, H. naledi has been making waves in palaeoanthropology. This new data adds a fascinating layer to the mystery, but what questions does it raise? 🧵(1/4) 🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

cell.com

Proteomic analysis of dental enamel from 20 Homo naledi individuals shows no male markers

The morphological homogeneity of the middle Pleistocene hominin Homo naledi is reflected in its dental proteome, with no evidence supporting confident identification of male individuals, and the detec...

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

We’re hiring a Research Assistant🚨 Interested in human evolution and African prehistory? We’re looking for someone with excellent organisational skills who will be based in Cambridge, with fieldwork opportunities in Kenya🇰🇪 Deadline: 01.07.2026 🔗 Apply online: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

cam.ac.uk

Research Assistant in the Ng'ipalajem Project (Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a 12-month Research Assistant position on the NG'IPALAJEM project, funded by the ERC. The project aims at collecting new palaeontological, archaeological and geological da...

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Cambridge Archaeology @cam-archaeology.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

If you enjoyed reading the blog last week about the ENTANGLED project’s fieldwork in Mozambique, you’ll enjoy reading this new blog from the Ng’ipalajem team about their fieldwork in Kenya @palaeotrails.bsky.social Read their blog here: www.arch.cam.ac.uk/news/muddlin... 📸 Sarah Paris

An incredible field team of 62 people. Photo credit: Dr Sarah Paris

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

New paper by @sarah-paris.bsky.social 🚨 "The transformation of ochre from a loose pigment used widely in early burials to rare pellet deposits in later interments mirrors broader processes of cultural change, technological development and ideological realignment in Southeast Asia."

cambridge.org

Ochre use in burial practices in Thailand, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

Ochre use in burial practices in Thailand, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

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Marta Mirazon Lahr @martamlahr.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Congratulations 🥂 to @jjrowan.bsky.social for receiving the #PhilipLeverhulmePrize from @leverhulme.ac.uk 🥳🤩!! So special to have such an amazing #CamBioAnth team in @cam-archaeology.bsky.social - brilliant, interesting, fun and nice. The best colleagues 😍 www.leverhulme.ac.uk/news/2025PLP

leverhulme.ac.uk

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Thrilled to share that our lovely PI, @martamlahr.bsky.social is now officially Professor Marta Mirazón Lahr FBA. Formally admitted at a ceremony at the British Academy yesterday! Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition and remarkable milestone — here’s to many more!! 🎉

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

We are hiring a Project Co-ordinator! 🚨 Are you extremely organised with great interpersonal skills? Able to multitask efficiently? Interested in African prehistory? Keen to work with an enthusiastic team? We want to hear from you! Closing date: 17 October, 2025

cam.ac.uk

Project Coordinator (Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a 12-month Project Co-ordinator position on the NG'IPALAJEM project, funded by the ERC. The project aims at collecting new palaeontological, archaeological and geological

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Marta Mirazon Lahr @martamlahr.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Like you, I've read so many nice things about Jane Goodall's amazing life and legacy today, but this video of the realease of the chimp called Wounda is beyond words ♥️ If only we could find the will to stop destroying the extraordinary natural world around us... youtu.be/ClOMa_GufsA?...

youtu.be

Wounda's Journey - Jane Goodall Witnesses Release of Chimpanzee Into New Island Sanctuary Site

YouTube video by Dr. Jane Goodall & the Jane Goodall Institute USA

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

It's a wrap! #ESHE2025 3 days filled with stimulating discussions in the form of 35 podiums, 33 Pecha Kuchas, 169 posters. Congratulations to the winners of the student prize - Harmony Hill & Gabriele Russo! Massive thank you to the organisers for making it all happen. See you in Burgos next year!

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Session 9 Podium #ESHE2025 @stephanepeyregne.bsky.social on a new Denisovan genome, J. Kubat uncovers sexing and phylogeny of M. palaeojavanicus, E. Veatch reconsiders fire use and behaviour in H. floresiensis, H. Berghuis on the first subsea H. erectus site in Sundaland

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Podium Day 3 #ESHE2025 H. Farrell, R. Sorrentino, C. Ruff, A. Toccacceli, R. Clarke, A. Robles on the architecture of human foot, gait in Dmanisi, dexterous rock climbing in chimps, craniofacial diversity in great apes and so much more!

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Poster Session 2 #ESHE2025 83 wonderful posters. 169 in total. Palaeotrails’ Jesse Martin & @martamlahr.bsky.social on detecting microevolutionary trends in fossil hominin populations.

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Podium talks Day 2 #ESHE2025 @jingzhang.bsky.social, K. Bretzke, G. Duller, @armandofalcucci.bsky.social, @giuliagallo.bsky.social, @jonathanreeves.bsky.social present exciting research on AI refits for lithics, use of operculum to push the limits of OSL, fire durations in the MP and so much more!

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Marta Mirazon Lahr @martamlahr.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

#ESHE2025 posting on Pecha Kuchas is hard 😅😅😅!

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

First round of podium presentations at #ESHE2025 Olivia Rivero, Alba Mesa, April Nowell, @aurelienmounier.bsky.social, Chris Hunt explore everything from cognitive complexity, aDNA in cave art to the lives of teens in the #Palaeolithic and the amazing discoveries at #Shanidar! Stay tuned!

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Marta Mirazon Lahr @martamlahr.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

#ESHE2025 Introduction by @mariesoressi.bsky.social – 14 years of ESHE! 340 participants in Paris 😊! Welcome by MNHN, hosting: info on major cyber-attack in July, and how challenging it was to organise the meeting (thank you Paris team!!), thanking a number of supporting & funding institutions.

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Celebrating our wonderful PI @martamlahr.bsky.social for such an incredible achievement 🎉🍾🥂

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Justus Erus Edung was only 25 years old when he discovered Kenyanthropus platyops in a team led by Prof. Meave Leakey in 1999. This 3.5 million year old “flat-faced” skull quickly grabbed international headlines and changed the course of human evolution. #fossils #turkana #humanevolution

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Had such a fun time learning about species identification, phylogeny and palaeoecology with @deadbovids.bsky.social 🤩🤩

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Episode 2: Faunal identification with @deadbovids.bsky.social Other than identification, tooth wear pattern can give us exciting insights into faunal diet and palaeoecology.

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

The joy of sorting LSA lithics from Turkana under the guidance of @robfoley.bsky.social Follow us on Instagram for more www.instagram.com/palaeotrails...

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

What does the Ng'ipalajem team do? Ng’ipalajem, meaning Ancestors in Turkana, is an ERC-funded project. Led by @martamlahr.bsky.social, the project investigates how the emergence of Homo sapiens is deeply intertwined with Africa’s long-term environmental and ecological history. #humanevolution

We spend long periods of time in Kenya collecting data in the collections, understanding the landscape and looking for fossils.

Picture credits: Sarah Paris

The rest of the year is spent analysing data, honing skills and preparing for upcoming field work. During this time, we develop new methodologies, attend conferences, write papers and discuss our findings

Picture credits: Sarah Paris, Eleanor Williams

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

📢 We’re HIRING! Are you experienced in 3D imaging and geometric morphometric analysis? Do you have strong organisational and communication skills? We want to hear from you! Apply below www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51730/ Join our passionate research team exploring Pleistocene African prehistory! 🦴

jobs.cam.ac.uk

Research Assistant in the Ng'ipalajem Project (digital) (fixed-term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge

Research Assistant in the Ng'ipalajem Project (digital) (fixed-term) in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

🎉 Fantastic new book by Jonathan R. Goodman Invisible Rivals: How we evolved to compete in a cooperative world’ forward by Palaeotrails @robfoley.bsky.social

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

🚨 New research by Palaeotrails' @sarah-paris.bsky.social beautifully connects Neolithic infant burials in Thailand with today’s evolving conversations around perinatal loss. "This isn't just about pigment—it's about belonging." From ancient ochre to Ronaldo's 7th-minute tribute—grief unites. 🕊️

arch.cam.ac.uk

What Ancient Burials Can Teach Us About Grief: New Study Links Prehistoric Thai Cemetery to Today’s Perinatal Loss Conversations

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UoL EvoAnth Seminar Series @liverpoolevoanth.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

Please join us next week, 8th May 2025, at 13:00 BST, for our final talk of the academic year which will be given by Dr John Rowan, University of Cambridge. More details below 👇 If you would like to attend, please register here: liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi... We hope to see you there!

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

🎉 Members of the Palaeotrails team were recently awarded bursaries to attend this years #HumanEvo25 🧬💀 The team were delighted to participate in the dynamic interdisciplinary programme ranging from genetic 👻 🏜️ 🦠 🧫 to evolutionary 🤰👣⚔️🌍 Thank you @eventswcs.bsky.social

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A huge congratulations to all the #HumanEvo25 prize winners 👏 🎉 including Palaeotrails’s @avantikab.bsky.social who won a a prize for her poster Tracing Ancient Footsteps using sulphur isotopes 🏆

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Mark Stoneking ⚒️🗣️💻🧬🌏 Combining linguistic, archaeological, computer simulations & genetic data to resolve long held questions about the timing and direction of migration and settlement of the Pacific. Exciting results overturn 💻 simulations that suggested voyaging wasn’t possible! ⛵️ #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

@dangliu.bsky.social New genomic research reveals that genetic drift—not selection—likely shaped high risk of metabolic disorder in Polynesians, following ancient admixture and isolation. Unique variants underscore the value of studying diverse populations. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Ruthie Golomb looks at Cell-Autonomous Adaptation (CAAs) in Tibetan, Andean & Papuan populations at high altitudes 🏔️ High altitudes are one of the most extreme environments humans live in. Methods combine complementary methods at the cellular and organismal level to identify novel CAAs. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Ashley Hammond "'Pregnancy waddle' has anatomical correlates" Humans evolved early weaning, long childhood and post-reproductive care to boost brain growth. Anatomical and dietary shifts in Homo Erectus (~1.7Ma) show earliest adaptations for big babies, early weaning, social learning. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

@evanirvingpease.bsky.social exploring the evolutionary origins of diseases. MS genetic risk rose among Steppe pastoralists & was brought into Europe by migration ~5kya. These MS-associated immunogenetic variants underwent positive selection, likely driven by pathogenic challenges. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Round 2 of the poster pitch talks! 🚨 Including Palaeotrails' @sarah-paris.bsky.social Otto Geissier and Tom Van Parys From reconstructing populations to Ronaldo, come and see the wide range of fascinating research on display! #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Marta Pla-Diaz Combating the problems of using reference genomes to reconstruct aDNA from highly damaged samples 🧫 MRB strategy enabled reliable genome reconstruction. Identifying new recombination events, positive selection targets & refined dating estimates for T. pallidum evolution. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Kirk Lohmueller DominL uses patterns of archaic ancestry to infer degree of dominance. Provides statistical support for the presence of recessive deleterious mutations in the human genome. Up to 15% of the human genome may carry recessive deleterious mutations! 🧬 #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

@judithbeier.bsky.social Judith presents a new method using GLMs to estimate cranial trauma prevalence in N. and H.s. Results overturn long held misconceptions that N. had sig. higher rates of trauma when compared to H.s 💀 Ev. suggests a relationship with age, revealing social diff. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

How do scientists cope with unexpected technological problems... a fabulous impromptu discussion comparing our understanding of ancient plagues with COVID 🐀🦠 A celebration of the multidisciplinary nature of the #HumanEvo25 programme!

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Johannes Krause “Germs are far deadlier than Germans” aDNA reveals Yersinia pestis evolved virulent strains over 1,000 years earlier than thought, with the Black Death likely originating in Central Eurasia. Redefines plague history and offers insights to guide future outbreak response. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

@hannesrathmann.bsky.social Exploring human migrations & demographic change resulting from environ. change. Applying new Pheno-ABC modelling method to skeletal phenotypes 🦷 Results show significant population migration patterns beginning ~47kya, changing ~28kya and again after ~14kya. #HumanEvo25

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Palaeotrails @palaeotrails.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Nancy Bird New method infers admixture dates per individual, revealing multiple waves of ancient intermixing. Applied to Neanderthal and Neolithic Europe data, it uncovers finer migration patterns previously overlooked by grouping individuals. Compatible with tools like GLOBETROTTER. #HumanEvo25

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