PUBLIC LECTURE

MP3 format – 61MB

Discovery of Australopithicus sediba in South Africa: Implications for our family tree

The Shine Dome, Canberra, Thursday, 23 September 2010
RSVPs essential

Professor Paul Dirks
Head of School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
James Cook University

Paul Dirks is a structural geologist with an interest in geodynamics. He holds a PhD in geology from the University of Melbourne.

Paul was previously Professor and Head of School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Associate Professor at the University of Zimbabwe. While in Zimbabwe, Paul founded the Mineral Resources Centre to promote applied research in the earth sciences.

Paul has worked on research projects across the world including several years in Antarctica in association with the University of Melbourne. In addition, he has extensive experience as a consultant to the mining and minerals industry focussing on geological mapping, open pit stability and gold and base metal exploration.

With a diverse interest in the geosciences, Paul has authored and co-authored over 70 peer reviewed papers.

Paul Dirks will present a lecture on the discovery of a new human ancestor, Australopithecus sediba. Paul was part of the team that discovered the fossils in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, 40 kilometres from Johannesburg, South Africa. The species is named 'sediba', which means 'wellspring' in seSotho, because it represents a transitional form between early australopithecines and early members of the genus Homo. The hominids from the site were dated at about 1.9 million years old, and were found amongst the skeletons of animals including a sabre-toothed cat, wild dog, hyena and early horse.