'Ronald J. Clarke' is an
paleoanthropologist most notable for the discovery of "
Little Foot", an extraordinary complete skeleton of
Australopithecus, in the
Sterkfontein Caves.
[1]. A more technical description of various aspects of his description of the ''Australopithecus'' skeleon was published in the ''Journal of
Quaternary Science,''
[2]
He also discovered the
Homo ergaster partial cranium SK 847.
[3]. He also played a role in the discovery of a new skeleton of
Homo habilis related to
Homo rudolphensus [4]
He was associated with the
University of the Witwatersrand until he was fired by
Lee Berger, the head of the university's Palaeoanthropology Research Unit. He was then hired by
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main in
Frankfurt, Germany and allowed to continue his work excavating "Little Foot."
[5]
References
1. "Ancient ancestor reveals skeletal stamina" by B. Bower ''Science News'' December 26, 1998. full text
2. "The new hominid skeleton from Sterkfontein, South Africa: age and preliminary assessment" ''Journal of Quaternary Science,'' vol. 14, Issue 4, pp.293-298''
abstract and ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>
3. Donald Johanson and Blake Edgar, ''From Lucy to Language'', 1996, New York:Simon & Schuster. pg. 184
4. "Late Pliocene Homo and Hominid Land Use from Western Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania." ''Science'' Vol. 299. no. 5610, pp. 1217 - 1221 abstract
5. "World-renowned Scientist sacked" http://www.geotoursafrica.com/english/news.htm (scroll down) Accessed 15 May 2006
See Also
★
List of fossil sites ''(with link directory)''
★
List of hominina (hominid) fossils ''(with images)''
External links
★
Talk.Origins article on "Little Foot."
★
Full Australopithecus Fossil Found in South Africa (''Washington Post'')