Thure Cerling, University of Utah (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Thure Cerling, University of Utah

Caption

University of Utah geochemist Thure Cerling developed a new way to measure ancient tree cover using carbon isotopes in fossil soils. In a study in the journal Nature, he used the method to show that grassy, tree-dotted savannas prevailed at most East African sites where human ancestors and their ape relatives evolved during the last 6 million years.

Credit

Lee J. Siegel, University of Utah.

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