Paranthropus robustus

MOLECULAR-BASED PHYLOGENY OF PARANTHROPUS ROBUSTUS

In Africa, the Plio-Pleistocene hominin fossil record is characterised by the presence of the genus Austrolopithecus, from which the genus Homo emerged. Robust members of Australopithecus, including both South African and East African specimens and proposed species, have frequently been included into a separate genus, Paranthropus, although this is heavily debated. PROJECT 6 will provide a first answer to this conundrum by analysing Paranthropus enamel proteomes from South African fossils (Paranthropus robustus). Specimens will be made available, and data interpretation conducted in conjunction with, Prof. Rogers Ackermann @UCT, an expert in the South African fossil record. Obtaining Paranthropus proteomes will represent a shift biomolecular research on the Early Pleistocene fossil record of Africa, as both ancient DNA and ancient skeletal proteins are generally considered unobtainable from such sources. ESR6 will utilise an MS approach identical to that outlined above, and analyse data in a phylogenetic context where a conservative estimate of a possible Paranthropus-Austrolalopitheucs divergence is estimated as well, providing further refinement of Early Pleistocene hominin relationships in Africa.