Discover: Hadar, Ethiopia
The science of paleoanthropology begins with discoveries in the field. And it is exciting to find a real fossil! The famous fossil "Lucy" was discovered in 1974 by Donald Johanson in the dusty hills of Hadar, Ethiopia. Scientists continue to return to the same area to look for more fossils of our ancient ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, along with the fossil skeletons of animals that lived around the same time—3.2 million years ago. Follow along as a group of scientists and students trek out to the field in search of fossils!
Image credits Benjamin Reed
After supplies and equipment are packed for the six-week field season, the caravan of trucks heads out through Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, to the field.
The view quickly opens up to the beautiful African landscape.
Now, that is something you don't see everyday!
A long drive out to the field over dirt roads and tough terrain.
Everyone helps to set up camp. And the first, most important thing—bathrooms!
This camp is home for six weeks. There are tents for each person, a research tent, and a kitchen tent.
In the field, the classroom may be under the shade of a nearby tree. Here, the team learns about the day's schedule and where they will be searching for fossils.
Students use field journals to take notes—this is still school!
The search begins for new fossils. In this area of Ethiopia, fossils erode out of the soil through time, wind, and the scarce rain that falls. You have to keep a sharp eye to the ground—you may just spy part of an ancient antelope skull just below the surface!
The soil is examined to see if it is the correct geological area for searching for new hominin, or ancient human ancestor, fossils. Geologists know from working in the area for the past 40 years, which layers will possibly have fossils they are looking for.
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