Sediba fossil casts turn heads in Germany
- By Deborah Minors
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Professor Lee Berger from the Wits Institute of Human Evolution presented fossil replicas of two of the most complete skeletons of early human relatives ever found, to the Natural History Museum (Museum für Naturkunde) in Berlin, Germany, on 12 March 2012. A gift from Wits University and the South African Government, Gauteng's MEC for economic development, Qedani Mahlangu indicated at the handover that the fossil replicas would stimulate tourism to South Africa. She hoped that the permanent display of the fossil casts in Germany would stimulate inbound travel to the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa. Germany is one of South Africa's biggest trading partners and the number of German tourists visiting South Africa over the past year has increased by 9%, according to a press release issued by Tourism Gauteng. Berger (PhD 1994) and his team discovered the 1.9-million-year-old Australopithecus sediba fossils in the Cradle of Humankind. The announcement of the fossils in 2010 made headline news in 99 countries. The fossils continue to attract international attention and have sparked renewed interest in the palaeosciences, the Cradle of Humankind and South Africa. “Germany is among the leaders in Europe in the field of human origins research and has a decades-long history of strong collaboration with South African scientists,” said Berger. “Additionally, the presentation demonstrates Wits University’s global leadership in palaeoanthropology and its strong commitment to open access in science.” Professor Johannes Vogel, General Director of the Museum für Naturkunde, was delighted to receive “this amazing gift. The story of the evolution of mankind is fascinating. We are proud to add this important discovery to our exhibition and welcome visitors to share this unique experience.” The fossils are significant because they suggest that the transition between species that ultimately resulted in modern humankind happened on an entirely different ‘branch’ on the tree of evolution to what scientists had previously believed. To view video, images and find out more about the discovery of Australopithecus sediba, visit http://www.wits.ac.za/sediba Source: Wits Communications and Tourism Gauteng |
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