The world is waiting to be explored. Come discover it with us.
Find out how our grantees are making a significant impact with the latest articles, events, news and content from our Palaeoscience community.
Why Palaeoscience is important
What can the past teach us about our future? Everything.
From dinosaurs, mass extinctions and meteorite impacts to the evolution of our species, the Palaeosciences has always inspired wonder and intrigue.The practical benefits of Palaeoscience span across many areas, including insights into modern human medicine and biological conservation to creating a love of learning and enabling positive societal change through a shared understanding of our human heritage.
As our knowledge of the Earth and human history expands, we begin to discover just how connected we all are, how the past impacts the future, and what we can do to protect our planet today and beyond.
Research Projects
Research inspired by a fossil collection unlike any other.
In the heart of Africa, where South Africa has an unmatched geographical record, our four major research themes provide unique insights into the story of life.
Evolutionary Processes
This theme focuses on the southern African palaeobiodiversity; studying the timing of evolutionary events in major clades and significant climatic events; characterising the global geographic distribution of fossil taxa; investigating the nature of functional morphology and critical innovations in morphological evolution.
Cultural & Behavioural Evolution
This theme explains the key long-term material culture and behavioural transitions in hominin behaviour and how they led to modern human behaviour.
Palaeo-environments & Palaeoclimates
Earth systems change dynamically, and when stretched beyond certain thresholds, lead to changes (and potentially collapses) in ecosystems and biodiversity. This theme uncovers the variability in the resilience of past ecosystems to fluxes through space and time.
Latest updates
See what we’ve been up to with the latest news and events from GENUS.
Slow growth in crocodile ancestors pre-dated their semi-aquatic lifestyle
Journey into the Untold Stories of Archaeology Students in the 1970s
Decoding the Past Using Mice and Machines
Exploring the Fossils of the Free State
Celebrating the career of Professor Bruce Sidney Rubidge
