Published recently in the journal Science, Peppe was the lead author on one scientific paper and co-author on another paper that detail the paradigm-shifting results. “Our research, using three lines of evidence, shows that grasses were common in many parts of Africa at that time, including Moroto, Uganda,” Peppe said. One goal was to understand the types of ecosystems that existed in the early Miocene epoch, Peppe said. A complementary goal was to understand how the environments of the time could have affected the evolution of early apes. One of Peppe’s roles in the research was to study the magnetic properties of the fossils in Africa using a magnetometer similar to the one Baylor has in his lab on campus.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 23, 2023 12:44 UTC