Page 16 - UCT2012 Our World at Risk

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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
exploitation of “South Africa’s ‘living laboratories’” of local
resources and geographic advantage.
The South African Strategy for Palaeosciences, approved
in 2012, furthermore recognises the importance of and the
need for archaeological and palaeontological research.
The appointment in 2012 of the DST/NRF South African
Research Chair in Stable Isotopes in Archaeology and
Palaeoenvironmental Studies was UCT’s response to this
national imperative to prioritise and revitalise research in
the palaeosciences.
Stable isotopes are a key tool in the earth and life
sciences. They are also essential in the palaeosciences that
underlie and enhance our understanding of our human
past, especially palaeoecology (including palaeodiets),
palaeoenvironments and palaeoclimates. These fields form
the foundations for the interpretation of the hominid fossil
record and associated archaeology from the earliest stages
of human evolution up until the last few hundred years.
Collaborations in palaeoscience research are nurtured with
several research units and departments at UCT, as well as
other institutions around the country. The Department of
Archaeology at UCT pioneered aspects of stable isotope
research and its applications to human palaeosciences.
In other related research, palaeobiologist Professor
Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan from the Zoology Department
(now Biological Sciences) is an internationally recognised
expert on the microscopic structure of the bones of extinct
and extant vertebrates. Among recent highlights in her
work has been the discovery of information recorded in
the bones of duck-billed dinosaurs that lived in the Arctic
about 70 million years ago, providing fascinating insights
into the lives of these ancient creatures. This project was
carried out with collaborators from Temple University (USA)
and the Museum of Nature and Science (USA).
Stable Isotopes in
Archaeology and
Palaeoenvironmental
Research
Understanding our past a little bit better is the focus
of the South African Research Chair in Stable Isotopes
in Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental research.
In these studies, stable-isotope techniques are the
primary tool. Stable isotopes of light elements are a
key tool in many areas of the earth and life sciences
and are naturally occurring, non-radioactive atoms
that allow for the study of detailed chemical reactions
in certain processes – specifically the metabolisms of
people and animals.
Research Project
Stable light isotopes reflect primarily the
types of foods consumed in life, while
heavy isotopes can be used to track
movement across geological zones.
Climate changes during our current
geological era are well documented in
some parts of the world (mainly in the
northern hemisphere) but poorly known
in the south, including South Africa.
Isotopic analyses of archaeological and other
remains can help us understand how and why
humans evolved as they did, as well as why certain
climatic events occurred in some parts of the
world and not in others. Climate changes during
our current geological era are well documented
in some parts of the world (mainly in the northern
hemisphere) but poorly known in the south,
including South Africa. This work will link with other
programmes at UCT on climate and environment,
notably the African Climate and Development
Initiative.
Isotopes also provide a powerful means of studying
human behaviour. Stable light isotopes reflect
primarily the types of foods consumed in life, while
heavy isotopes can be used to track movement
across different geological zones. A major focus of
the research programme for this Chair is to study
pre-colonial times which lack documentary records.
Southern Africa is one of the areas of the globe that
has been continuously inhabited for the longest
time. For the majority of that time, it was occupied
entirely by hunter-gatherers. Research in this area
will expand on ways in which humans were able to
live as hunter-gatherers.
The focus of the Chair is therefore strongly
inter-disciplinary, with connections to both the
humanities and the sciences. The intention is to
build collaborative links across disciplines and
departments at UCT and beyond.