Chercheurs

Anthropologie / ALEMSEGED, ZERAY

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Position

Ethiopian anthropologist,
Department of Human Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology,
Leipzig, Germany

Thèmes de recherche

- Description of new hominin and non human primate fossils;
- Growth and development in early hominins;
- Application of new techniques, such as CT analysis to investigate internal and external structures hominin fossils;
- Analysis of environmental and ecological factors affecting primate and human evolutionary processes;

The paleoanthropological research team led by Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged of the Max Planck Institute (Leipzig, Germany) made the extraordinary discovery of a three year old girl died, 3.3 million years ago, in present day Ethiopia, in an area called Dikika. The scientific significance of the new find is multifold, contributing substantially to our comprehension of the morphology, body plan, behavior, movement and developmental patterns of our early ancestors.

Prix et récompenses

Grants :

- National Geographic Society (pending)
- National Geographic Society (2003)
- National Geographic Society (2002)
- Leakey foundation (2001)
- National Geographic Society (2001)
- Institute of Human Origins (2000)
- French Center for Ethiopian Studies (2000, 2001)
- Centre National de la Recherches Scientifique (1999)
- Collège de France (1998)

Publications

Books

R. Bobe, Z. Alemseged, K. Behrensmeyer (editors)in press. Hominin environments in the East African Pliocene an assessment of the faunal evidence. Spinger Academic Press.

Zeresenay Alemseged, Fred Spoor, William H. Kimbe, René Bobe, Denis Geraads, Denné Reed, Jonathan G. Wynn, 2006. A juvenile early hominin skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature, 443, 296-301.

Jonathan G. Wynn, Zeresenay Alemseged, René Bobe, Denis Geraads, Denné Reed, Diana C. Roman 2006. Geological and palaeontological context of a Pliocene juvenile hominin at Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature, 443, 332 - 336.

Frost, S. & Z. Alemseged (in review) Middle Pleistocene Fossil Cercopithecidae from Asbole, Afar Region, Ethiopia. J. Hum. Evol.

Zeresenay Alemseged & René Bobe (in review) Diet in early hominin species: a paleoenvironmental perspective. Spinger Academic press

Z. Alemseged, R. Bobe, D. Geraads. (in press) Comparability of fossil data and its significance for the interpretation of hominin environments: a case study in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Spinger aca. Press.

K. Behrensmeyer, Z. Alemseged, R. Bobe (in press) . Key issues in the analysis of faunal change in the East African Pliocene. Spinger Academic press.

R. Bobe, Z. Alemseged, K. Behrensmeyer (in press). Faunal and environmental change in the East African Pliocene: a synthesis. Spinger Academic press.

Z. Alemseged, J. G. Wynn, W. H. Kimbel, D. Reed, D. Geraads, & R. Bobe, 2005. First hominin from the Basal Member of the Hadar Formation, Dikika, Ethiopia and its geological context. J . Hum. Evol. 49 : 499 – 514.

H. de Lumley, JJ Bahain, Y. Beyene, F. Marchal & Z. Alemseged. 2004. Les Formation Plio-Pleistocenes du bassin de l’Omo-Turkana. In: Les sites Prehistoriques de la region de Fejej, sud-Omo, Ethiopie, dans leurs contexte stratigraphique et paleontologique. Eds. H. De Lumley & Y. Beyene. Recherche sur les civilizations.pp 81-107.

A. Echassoux, PE Moulle, E. Desclaux & Z. Alemseged. 2004 Les faunes Plio-Pleistocene du site de Fejej FJ-1. In: Les sites Prehistoriques de la region de Fejej, sud-Omo, Ethiopie, dans leurs contexte stratigraphique et paleontologique. Eds. H. De Lumley & Y. Beyene. Recherche sur les civilizations.pp. 203-340.

D. Geraads, Z. Alemseged, D. Reed & J. Wynn. 2004 The Pleistocene fauna (other than Primates) from Asbole, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia, and its environmental and biochronological implications. Geobios. 37, 697-718.

Z. Alemseged. 2003. An integrated approach to taphonomy and faunal change in the Shungura Formation (Ethiopia) and its implication for hominid evolution. J.Hum.Evol. 44: 1-28.

Alemseged Z., Y. Coppens & D. Geraads -2002 - A hominid cranium from Omo description and taxonomy of Omo-323-1976-896. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 117:103-112.

Geraads D. & Alemseged Z. Bellon H. - 2002 - The late Miocene Mammalian fauna of Chorora, Awash basin, Ethiopia: systematics, biochronology and 40K-40Ar ages of associated volcanics. Tertiary Research.21 (1-4) 113-122.

Alemseged Z. & Geraads D. 2000 – A new Middle Pleistocene Fauna from the Busidima-Telalak region of the Afar, Ethiopia. Compte Rendu de l’academie des Sciences.331:549-556.

Alemseged Z.- 2000 – Plio-Pleistocene Hominids and Their Environment in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Annales d’Ethiopie. Vol. 20, pp.1-5.

Alemseged Z. 1999 - La basse valle de l’Omo (Ethiopie). In : Les Australopitheques (eds. G. Berillon, AM Bacon, F. Marchal & Y. Deloison). Editions Artcom.

Alemseged Z . & Geraads D. 1998 - Theropithecus atlanticus (Thomas, 1884) (Primate : Cercopithecidae) from the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam, Casablanca, Moroco. J. Hum. Evol.34 : 6, 609-621.

Alemseged Z. et al. 1996 - Taphonomical and paleoenvironmental study of Omo-33, a late Pliocene hominid locality of the lower Omo basin, Ethiopia. Revue de Paléobiologie, 15, 2, pp. 339-347.

Scientific presentations

Zeresenay Alemseged, Fred Spoor, William H. Kimbel, René Bobe, Denis Geraads, Denné Reed & Jonathan G. Wynn: A juvenile early hominin skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature. September 21, 2006.

Jonathan G. Wynn, Zeresenay Alemseged, René Bobe, Denis Geraads, Denné Reed & Diana C. Roman: Geological and palaeontological context of a Pliocene juvenile hominin at Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature. September 21, 2006.

Z. Alemseged, J. Wynn. 2005. A new Australopithecus afarenisis P3 from Dikika, Ethiopia. 12th Congress of the Pan African Archaeological Association for Prehistory and Related Studies (PAA), 3 to 10 July 2005 Gaborone, Botswana

Z. Alemseged. 2005. Ethical issues in Physical Anthropology research in developing countries. 2nd Conference on Science, Cultural Heritage, Natural Heritage and Tourism. Mekelle University June 23-25. Mekelle.

Z. Alemseged. 2004. Major issues in Pliocene hominin paleoecology. Workshop on Faunal evidence for hominin paleoecology in East Africa, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. May 21-23, 2004

Jonathan G. Wynn, Z.Alemseged & D. C. Roman – 2004 - On the realtionship between paleoenvironment and human evolution at Dikika in the Afar, Ethiopia. International Conference on the East African Rift System. June 20-24, Addis Ababa.

R. Bobe, J. Ferraro, L. Bishop, T. Plummer, and Z. Alemseged – 2004 - Late Pliocene hominin paleoenvironments of the lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia: new data from bovid ecomorphic studies. Paleoanthropology meetings, Montreal, Canada.

Z. Alemseged, Rene Bobe, Denis Geraads. 2003. Hominid environments and faunal change in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia: A comparison of the French and American databases. Abstracts. 72 nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

J. Riel-Salvatore, Z. Alemseged, D. Reed, J. Wynn - 2003 Stone Age Archaeological Survey in the Busidima region, Ethiopia. Paleoanthropological Society of America.

Z. Alemseged. 2002. Evidence for a major faunal turnover at around 2.3 Ma in the Shungura Formation, Ethiopia. Abstracts. 71 th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

C. Orr & Z. Alemseged - 2002. Estimation of body mass and diet for fossil cercopithecids from the Asbole area of the Afar, Ethiopia. Abstracts. 71 th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Alemseged Z. & Geraads D. 2001 – A new Middle Pleistocene Fauna from the Busidima-Telalak region of the Afar, Ethiopia. Abstracts. pp. 31-32. 70 th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Geraads D. Alemseged Z. - 2001 - A hominid from Omo description and systematics of Omo-323-1976-896. Abstracts, pp. 68-69. 70 th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Alemseged Z. 1998 - On the habitat preference of Australopithecus boisei. Dual Congress, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Alemseged Z. 1997 - Mammals as indicators of paleoenvironment in the Shungura Formation. Second European Workshop of Paleontology, Quillan, France.

Alemseged Z. & Geraads D. 1997 - Mammalian fauna and some taphonomic aspects of the Shungura Formation, Ethiopia. 45 th symposium of Vertebrate Paleontology. Derby, UK.