You are here: American University College of Arts & Sciences News Becca Peixotto Speaks at AU

Contact Us

Battelle-Tompkins, Room 200 on a map

CAS Dean's Office 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8012 United States

Back to top

On Campus

Becca Peixotto Speaks at AU

By  | 

Homo naledi bones

Becca Peixotto, one of six female scientists making huge headlines in the world of anthropology, spoke to an enthusiastic crowd yesterday at AU's Social Justice Colloquium in the Abramson Family Recital Hall

Peixotto, a College of Arts and Sciences anthropology PhD student and graduate of the public anthropology master's program , was part of the team that recently excavated a new species of human relative named Homo naledi . The excavation was heralded across the world and is expected to change the way scientists think about human origins.

"It was a momentous discovery," said Peter Starr, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "And we at AU are very fortunate and proud to have one of our own play such a central role in this enormous effort."

The Expedition

Almost two years ago, Peixotto and the five other scientists squeezed into a narrow chute leading to the Rising Star Cave in Maropeng, South Africa. Over three weeks, they worked 30 meters under the ground to excavate more than 1,550 fossil specimens, making it the single largest-ever fossil hominid find in Africa.

The specimens represented at least 15 distinct individuals, both male and female, and which ranged in age from infants to adolescents to older adults. They were identified as belonging to a previously unknown early human relative that was named Homo naledi by the expedition's lead investigator Lee Berger.

How it All Began

For Peixotto, the expedition all began with a Facebook ad placed by Berger, looking for archaeologists skilled in both excavation and caving. Successful candidates also had to be small enough to fit through the narrow chute that led to the chamber. "It was the fastest cover letter I've ever written," said Peixotto, who jumped at the chance to be part of the expedition.

"Studying here, at American University, I received really excellent training in field methods from the Dismal Swamp Field School from with Professors [Daniel] Sayers and [Richard] Dent, and many other archaeologists along the East coast, so I felt that I had a good background to be working in this kind of environment," she said.

30 Meters Deep

Peixotto explained that excavating in the chamber required a unique skill set. "It's not just that you have to be a caver, it's not just that you need to be an archeologist or paleoanthropologist," she said. "It's also that you have to be able to deal with the environments, deal with the eyes of senior scientists watching your every move with video cameras, and also deal with things when they go wrong, because a lot can go wrong when you bring technology into an environment that it's not built for."

Physically, the excavation was not without danger or difficulty. Just to access the chamber, Peixotto's team needed to slide down and sideways, climb on their stomachs, scale a jagged wall, step over gaps, and deal with the lack of light and the potential of falling. (Watch a 3D animation of the cave.)

At the same time, Peixotto described the incredible beauty of the Rising Star Cave, which was named for the calcite formations on the ceilings of its chambers. "They are starburst-like formations, really delicate and beautiful," said Peixotto, "and when you sit in that cave and shine your headlight up, it looks like you are looking at stars. It is really amazing."

An Open Access Expedition

The Rising Star Expedition, said Peixotto, is unusual in the traditionally closed, guarded field of paleoanthropology-it is officially an open access paleoanthropological expedition. This means that expedition members blogged, tweeted, and video chatted to share their work with schools, teachers, and the public all over the world. At the same time, all their research and articles are downloadable and available to everyone.

The multidisciplinary team included senior scientists, early career researchers , students , and volunteers , highlighting the collaborative nature of anthropological research. In a field where discoveries are closely guarded, the open access ethos of Rising Star represents a radical shift toward a more inclusive space.

"Shifting this paradigm, and changing the traditional power structure, and changing who has access to this information I think is really important and quite exciting," said Peixotto, who explained that each time she visits a school to talk about the expedition, teachers are able to download articles and 3D fossils for their students. In the past, she explained, this never would have been possible.

Peixotto said that open access is also a more efficient way of conducting scientific research. A multidisciplinary team of researchers was able to analyze the fossils in six weeks, a process that can take years in a closed environment.

Science Can Be Fun

At the same time, Peixotto said, it was rewarding to see young scientists working together with the elders in the field, getting excited over each discovery, and being willing to share their findings with each other. "It was so fun," she said, describing the moment when a scientist picked up a mandible and a maxilla in the lab and realized that they fit together.

"We can show the world that science can be fun," she said.

Support and Funding for the Expedition

This project has been supported in part by the University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, where Lee Berger is Research Professor in Human Evolution and the Public Understanding of Science.

Funding for the expedition and workshop to analyze the fossils also came from the South African National Research Foundation, and the National Geographic Society .

Ongoing exploration and conservation of the Rising Star site is supported by the Lyda Hill Foundation.