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Monday 08:30 - 16:30 Tuesday 08:30 - 16:30 Wednesday 08:30 - 16:30 Thursday 08:30 - 16:30 Friday 08:30 - 16:30

Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

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Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

The Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at UCT. Driving transformative research on human orig

HERI drives African-led research on human evolution at UCT and across the continent. We believe that with diverse teams, we can ask deeper questions and get better answers to our origin story. The result can lead to a better understanding of our past and a greater appreciation of human diversity. Our research focuses on questions of human biological and cultural evolution on many levels and across

a wide time period. Our multidisciplinary teams investigate fossil records, the role of hybridisation in evolution, understanding the origins of modern human behaviour and dating Africa’s fossil and archaeological sites, as well as understanding how changing climates and environments shaped us. We also host leading figures in the palaeosciences at our space on the UCT campus for talks, teas and workshops. We encourage interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation in our research, our collaborations and our communication.

04/09/2026

🎉 HERI news! We are proud to last night accept the National Research Foundation (NRF) Science Team Award, recognising our collaborative research extending the boundaries of science across Africa.

“This award honours HERI’s scientific excellence and our commitment to transforming how human origins research is done,” says HERI Co-Director Rebecca Ackermann.

The award acknowledges key team members including Co-directors Ackermann and Robyn Pickering, Wendy Black, Precious Chiwara, Tara Edwards, Palesa Madupe, and Lauren Schroeder, as well as the contributions of HERI’s research associates, postdocs and students.

🎉 https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/heri-receives-prestigious-nrf-2026-science-team-award

02/09/2026

Our shines on UCT Master's student Keane Wanza, whose research uses palaeoproteomics to uncover new insights into early human evolution 🧬

Working on fossil material from Hadar and Omo in , Keane is part of a cutting-edge field that brings biomolecular evidence into palaeoscience. His journey has taken him from training in Copenhagen to fieldwork in and research in Addis Ababa.

Driven by curiosity, inspired by his parents, and navigating the challenges of a pioneering field, Keane is helping shape the future of palaeoanthropology.

Read more: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/herispotlight-keane-wanza

26/08/2026

🦴 Fossils from Africa

Did you know one of the oldest known Homo erectus skulls was discovered in ?

Dating back 2 million years, this remarkable fossil helped scientists rewrite part of the human story by showing that Homo erectus - an early human ancestor - appeared earlier than previously thought.

Discoveries like this remind us that Africa is at the heart of our shared human origins, with every new fossil shedding more light on where we came from.

Read more: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/heri-researchers-make-fossil-discovery-that-rewrites-human-history

19/08/2026

📚 Who gets to tell the story of our past, and whose voices are still missing?

Reflecting on her South African Journal of Science review of the book The Untold History and Prehistory of African Indigenous Palaeontology, Precious Chiwara explores who gets recognised as a knowledge holder, whose voices remain overlooked, and why representation matters in telling Africa's scientific and historical stories.

👉 Read more: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/beyond-the-book-precious-chiwara-maenzanise-on-voice-history-and-palaeontology-in-south-africa

12/08/2026

Our Robyn Pickering, the 2026 Alex du Toit Memorial Lecturer, is the second woman ever to deliver the Geological Society of South Africa's prestigious Alex du Toit Memorial Lecture.

Her lecture - presented across 6 cities in - explores how uranium-series dating has transformed our understanding of early human evolution, ancient environments, and the landscapes our ancestors inhabited.

🎥 Watch the lecture here: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/watch-heris-associate-professor-robyn-pickering-presents-2026-alex-du-toit-memorial-lecture

05/08/2026

Our podcast, Unburied Season 2, is a model of what it looks like to place African voices at the centre of inquiry into the fossil discovery - rather than the margins, says Justin Levy Aphiri Pargeter.

In this SAJS review, he calls the podcast one of the most important conversations the centenary of the Taung Child has generated.

"That conversation with all of its uncomfortable, unresolved, but necessary implications, is the one our field’s next century of work should carry forward."

📖 Read the SAJS review here: https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/taung-child-podcast-the-hidden-voices-of-south-african-palaeoanthropology

🎧 And listen to all episodes of Unburied FREE here:
https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/new-podcast-from-heri-reveals-how-the-taung-child-challenged-science-and-bias-to-centre-human-origns-in-africa

Unburied Season 2 was produced by HERI in partnership with ARC Docs.

31/07/2026

📢 The latest issue of the South African Journal of Science, published this week, features two exciting contributions related to HERI.

🎙️ "Buried Inside the Bones: The Unfinished Reckoning with Palaeoanthropology's Origins" by Associate Professor Justin Levy Aphiri Pargeter - a review of the Taung Child podcast produced by ARC in collaboration with HERI.

📚 HERI's Dr Precious Chiwara reviews "The Untold History and Prehistory of African Indigenous Palaeontology," reflecting on the book's contribution to decolonising African palaeontology and Indigenous knowledge.

Read the articles here:
https://sajs.co.za/index.php/sajs/en/article/view/26881
https://sajs.co.za/index.php/sajs/en/article/view/26961

Stay tuned for dedicated posts exploring each publication in more detail.

29/07/2026

The future of palaeoscience in is African 🌍

HERI master’s students Kelly-Anne Shaw and Kirsten Van Der Heyden travelled to Kanapoi and Chesowanja in as part of a field exchange organised by the PANACHE initiative.

They joined a team led by HERI's Fredrick Manthi, from the National Museums of Kenya, helping to uncover fossils and contribute to the growing faunal and anthropological assemblages from both sites.

Experiences like this, facilitated by HERI, enable networking and skills exchange among African students working in human evolution research.

Read reflections from Kelly and Kirsten here:
https://www.heriuct.co.za/news-content/from-finding-fossils-to-building-african-networks-heri-students-reflect-on-kenyan-field-exchange

22/07/2026

The 2026 Tswalu Kalahari Reserve archaeological field season is underway!

Led by HERI Research Associate Benjamin Schoville, excavations have been underway here since 2018, revealing remarkable insights into early human life in this arid landscape.

Among the artefacts recovered are these 1.3 million-year-old handaxes, reflecting the skill and technological ability of Pleistocene hominins that lived in ancient .

17/07/2026

From the heart of the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, HERI researchers Marang Keebine and Dr. Precious Chiwara are proud to be part of a fieldwork team led by Associate Prof. Benjamin Schoville, uncovering evidence of early human behaviour in the . Every excavation, every artifact, and every discovery brings us one step closer to understanding our shared human story.

Address

University Avenue, Upper Campus
Cape Town
7700

Opening Hours

Monday	08:30 - 16:30
Tuesday	08:30 - 16:30
Wednesday	08:30 - 16:30
Thursday	08:30 - 16:30
Friday	08:30 - 16:30

Telephone

+27 21 650 2353

Website

http://heriuct.co.za/

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