Fossil History
How do we know what we know about humans’ evolutionary past?
Paige Madison is a
In addition to her dissertation research, Paige is interested in science communication and social media as a tool for such communication. She blogs about fossils and history in order to communicate and celebrate her genuine enthusiasm for fossils. She can also be found on social media sharing new discoveries, celebrating important moments in history, and just generally being excited.
Features
Conditions the World Cannot Conceive: Studying Taung in 1920s South Africa
The Taung Child—one of the most iconic fossils in paleoanthropology’s history—was initially rejected by the scientific community. Despite claims from the little skull’s discoverer that it was an important “missing link,” the fossil was dismissed. Excluded from the...
The World Was a Much More Interesting Place Not That Long Ago: Best Paleoanthropology of 2018
Everything you thought you knew about human evolution is wrong. I’m kidding of course, but this is often the impression given by news headlines. While this is far from the truth (scientists have made huge leaps in understanding human origins in recent decades), there...
Chasing Hobbits: A Year in Indonesia
I remember when I first learned about the crazy, contentious new species of human relative Homo floresiensis. I was a little late—when the little “hobbit” was announced in 2004 I was only in high school, just barely beginning to understand the discipline of...