Taung Child: Reflecting on 100 years of South African palaeoanthropology
The 100-year anniversary of the Taung Child discovery was commemorated by South African human evolution researchers hosting an online webinar honouring the fossil’s legacy in science and culture.
The Taung Child is a 2.8-million-year-old fossil discovered by workers at a limestone quarry in Taung, South Africa. It was recognised as an ancient human relative and the first known member of a new species, Australopithecus africanus, in a research paper published in Nature in 1925.
The fossil is considered one of the most significant human evolution discoveries and established Africa as a permanent focal point for the study of humanity’s origins.
Reflecting on how the Taung Child disovery impacted history, science, and the community where it was found, the webinar’s panel of leaders from the South African palaeoscience community examined its legacy and what the future holds for uncovering answers about human evolution.
Panel speakers included:
Mirriam Tawane, National Heritage Council
Robyn Humphreys, University of the Western Cape
Bernhard Zipfel, University of the Witwatersrand (WITS)
Georgina Luti, Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT)
Christa Kuljian, University of the Witwatersrand (WITS)
Lauren Schroeder, University of Toronto & HERI at UCT
Watch the full webinar here or below. For more information on the Taung Child visit this page in English or this page in Setswana.