Taung Child is the second specimen presented by the Origins Centre and GENUS for Wits University’s 100th anniversary. The original Taung Child skull (Australopithecus africanus) will be at Origins Centre for viewing on 26 March 2022 from 09h00 to 16h00.

Taung Child, found in 1924, was the first hominin fossil discovered in Africa by Prof. Raymond Dart. He described and named the species Australopithecus africanus which means southern ape of Africa.

We invite you to attend Professor Amanda Esterhuysen’s lecture, “I quite expected this would cause trouble”, about Professor Raymond Dart’s Taung Child discovery, and Dr Bernhard Zipfel’s lecture, “Behind the scenes: Curating Ancient Fossil Human Ancestors at Wits University”, that will give you a glimpse into the curation of the renowned fossil finds at Wits University.

For more information visit the Origins Centre website: https://www.wits.ac.za/origins/