Newly discovered Homo sapiens fossils in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, push back the origins of our species by 100,000 years. The fossils show that by about 300,000 years ago, important changes in our biology and behavior had taken place across most of Africa. Dr. Shara Bailey is part of the international research team that has been studying these fossils. In this talk Dr. Bailey will discuss her comprehensive study of the cranial and dental remains. She will also share how these fossils are reshaping our understanding of how we evolved.

Presented by The Leakey Foundation and the Houston Museum of Natural Science

With generous support from:
The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Ann and Gordon Getty
Camilla and George Smith

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Shara Bailey is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at New York University and an associated research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Bailey is the director of undergraduate studies, the director of the Women in Science Program in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, and she is on the editorial board of the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. Bailey’s research focuses on using teeth to answer questions about human evolution. She has extensively researched Neanderthals and modern human origins, including the earliest modern humans from Europe and Africa. She is the recipient of two Leakey Foundation Research Grants.