Kgalagadi Human Origins

About

The Emmy Noether Group ‘Kgalagadi Human Origins’ started in June 2021. The six-year project is researching the impact of the extreme climate changes in the Mid- and Late Pleistocene on human evolution in the southern Kalahari basin.

Learn more about the KHO project

News

• New paper publishedOctober 1, 2026
  Check out the new paper “A high-resolution, multi-method palaeoenvironmental record from pan sediments at Maralaleng Pan, southern Kalahari basin” here.
• KHO invited to the residency of the german ambassador in BotswanaSeptember 8, 2026
  KHO Project leader Michaela Ecker was invited to the residency of the german ambassador in Gaborone, where she joined her research partner Dr. Sarah Mothulatshipi (University of Botswana) to present their latest findings. Dr LaurentContinue reading “KHO invited to the residency of the german ambassador in Botswana”
• KHO at the ASAPA conference 2026June 25, 2026
  The KHO project will attend this year’s biannual conference of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) from the July 5 to 9 2026. During the session “Beyond the coasts: Pleistocene adaptations to water-scarceContinue reading “KHO at the ASAPA conference 2026”

More projects

Multiple research projects across different disciplines focus on Pleistocene and Holocene Europe and Africa. The interdisciplinary projects grant insights into past interactions between hominins and landscapes with dedicated focal points.

Learn more about our other projects

New publications

• Faul et al. (2026)October 1, 2026

  Faul I, Grandfield T, Green C, Hensel-Karamalakidou EA, Segadika P, Winterhalder R, et al. (2026) A high-resolution, multi-method palaeoenvironmental record from pan sediments at Maralaleng Pan, southern Kalahari basin. PLoS One 21(9): e0357461.

  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357461

• Richard et al. (2026)April 15, 2026

  Richard, M., Bin, B., Longet, B., Ecker, M., Andersen, N., Archer, W., Gohodzi, M., Holt, S., Bousman, C. B., & Toffolo, M. B., 2026. A Middle Stone Age occupation identified at Baden-Baden in the grasslands of the Free State, South Africa. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 12027. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43246-9
  

• Winterhalder et al. (2026)February 20, 2026

  Winterhalder, R., Green, C., Faul, I., Henderson, A., Mothulatshipi, S., Segadika, P., & Ecker, M., 2026. Connecting survey data with targeted test excavations to understand lithic artefacts in the landscape of the southern Kalahari, Botswana. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 0, 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2026.2627127