Peer reviewed publications (* Indicates student co-authors at time of publication)

• Submitted or in press

submitted Arenson, J.L., Gilbert, C., Yang, D., Ambrose, S.H., Manthi, F.K., DiMaggio, E.N., Hammond, A.S. A taxonomic revision of the Late Miocene cercopithecid monkeys from Lemudong’o, Kenya. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 

in revision Yang, D., Manthi, F.K., DiMaggio, E.N., Arenson, J.L., Ambrose, S.H., Souron, A., Hammond, A.S., The first occurrence of Cainochoerus (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Suidae) from the late Miocene Lemudong’o Formation, Kenya. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 

in revision Grine, F.E., Yang, D., Hammond, A.S., Jungers, W.L., Lague, M.R., Mongle, C.S., Pearson, O.M., Leakey, M.G., Leakey, L.N., New partial skeleton of Homo habilis from the upper Burgi Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Ileret, Kenya. The Anatomical Record. 

• 2025

13. Yang, D., *Podkovyroff, K., Uno, KT.,  Bowen, GJ., Fernandez, DP., Cerling, TE. (2025) Strontium isotope mapping of elephant enamel supports an integrated microsampling-modeling workflow to reconstruct herbivore migrations. Communications Biology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-07686-9

• 2024

12. Zeng, L., Huang, X., Yang, D., Yang, G., Zhang, G., Chen, X. (2024) Quantifying relative contribution of submerged macrophytes to sedimentary organic matter using concentrations and δ13C of n-alkanes with the Bayesian multi-source mixing model: a case study from the Yangtze floodplain. JGR-Biogeosciences. Download PDF

11. Saslaw, M., Yang, D., Lee, D., Poulsen, C., Henkes, G. (2024) An isotope mass balance analysis of evaporative loss from Lake Turkana, Kenya using δ18O and δD of natural waters. Water Resources Research. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036076 

10. Yang, D., Uno, KT., Cerling, TE., Mwebi, O., Leakey, LN., Grine, FE., Souron, A. (2024) Intra-tooth stable isotope analysis reveals seasonal dietary variability and niche partitioning among bushpigs/red river hogs and warthogs. Current Zoology. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoae007

9. Kappelman, J., Todd, LC., Davis, CA., Cerling, TE., … Yang, D., … (and 59 other co-authors). (2024) Adaptive foraging behaviours in the Horn of Africa during Toba supereruption. Nature.  Download PDF  Download supplement

8. Present, TM., Niespolo, EM., Clarke, CE., Behrensmeyer, AK., Leakey, LN., Leakey, MG., Mongle, C., Du Plessis, A., Northrup, P., Tappero, RV., Yang, D., Rasbury, ET, Grine, FE., (2024) Nondestructive geochemical characterization of fossil hominin taphonomy and burial history. Quaternary Science Reviews. Download PDF  Download supplement

• 2023

7. Yang, D., Bowen, GJ., Uno, KT., *Podkovyroff, K., Carpenter, NA., Fernandez, DP., Cerling, TE. (2023) BITS: a Bayesian Isotope Turnover and Sampling model for strontium isotopes in proboscideans and its potential utility in movement ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.14218

• 2022

6. Yang, D., Bowen, GJ. (2022) Integrating plant wax abundance and isotopes for paleovegetation and paleoclimate reconstructions: A multi-source mixing model using a Bayesian framework. Climate of the Past, https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/18/2181/2022/

5. Yang, D., *Bharatiya, M., Grine, F. (2022) Hunter-Schreger Band configuration in modern human molars reveals more decussation in the lateral enamel of 'functional' cusps than 'guiding' cusps. Archives of Oral Biology Download PDF Download supplement

4. Yang, D., *Pisano, A., Kolasa, J., Jashashvili, T., Kibii, J., Gomez Cano, AR., Viriot, L., Grine, F., Souron, A. (2022) Why the long teeth? Morphometric analysis suggests different selective pressures on functional occlusal traits in Plio-Pleistocene African suids. Paleobiology, https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2022.11 

• Before 2021

3. Grine, F., Lee-Thorp, J., Blumenthal, S., Sponheimer, M., Teaford, M., Ungar, P., van der Merwe, N. and Yang, D. (2020) Stable carbon isotope and molar microwear variability of South African australopiths in relation to paleohabitats and taxonomy. In Watson & Schmidt Eds, Dental Wear in Evolutionary and Biocultural Contexts. Elsevier. Download PDF

2.  Yang, D., Uno, K., Souron, A., McGrath, K., Pubert, E., Cerling, T.  (2020) Intra-tooth stable isotope variations in warthog canines and third molars: Implications for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Chemical Geology. Download PDF Download supplement

1. Grine, F., Leakey, M., Gathago, P., Brown, F., Mongle, C., Yang, D., Jungers, W., and Leakey, L. (2019) Complete permanent mandibular dentition of early Homo from the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation, Ileret, Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution 131:152 - 175. Download PDF

Open-source algorithms

2024 Yang, D. Enamel_Sr: Multi-substrate and micro-sampling analyses reveal spatial patterns of strontium isotope turnover in elephant molar enamel. https://zenodo.org/records/10892382 

2024 Yang, D., Saslaw, M., and Henkes, G. Bayesian approach for modeling Lake Turkana water isotopes. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10668926

2023 Yang, D. BITS: Bayesian Isotope Turnover and Sampling model. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7768584 

2022 Yang, D. LipidMM: A multi-source mixing model for plant wax lipids using a Bayesian framework. Release: Bok choy (Ver. 1.0.5). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7025765 

News and Review

2014 Yang, D., Wallace, I., and de Vries, D. Peking Man: New Research, Evolutionary Anthropology, 23:162–163.