Dinosaur hunting

Hi guys

I recently spent the week in the Southern Drakensberg on a field trip. This field trip had two purposes to excavate a new dinosaur fossil while my friend Kelsey and I collected plants for her research. I though I would share a little insight into the science side of my life with my readers.

We were staying near Elliot in beautiful mountainous territory. Its the dry season so the veld was brown but still majestic.

Kelsey and I spent four days driving and walking around the farms collecting plants on which she is going to undertake genetic analyses.

Kelsey collecting plants from a road cutting

Kelsey with some of her plants 

Getting to all her localities involved some rough roads and even climbing to the top of Naude's Neck, the highest pass in South Africa. Kelsey (who is America) kept calling it "Nowdi's" Neck which is now the name I have got stuck in my head!

View from the top of Naude's Neck, the highest pass in South Africa

While we girls were having an adventure in the mountains Jonah and the boys were getting dirty excavating. Below is how the fossil looked like when we got there. On the right of the picture the white dinosaur's femur can be seen.

The site before excavations

Once a fossil site is identified we go in with hammers and chisels and brushes and slowly excavate - we dont want to damage any of the remains below the surface.

Palaeontologists at work

In cases where the rock matrix in which the fossil has been preserved is extremely hard a rock saw is used to help break the mass up. However we try to avoid using this applicance too close to the remains as there is always a danger of cutting through a fossil.

Jonah welding the rock saw, surrounded by a plume of dust - cool picture if I do say so myself!

And below is the site at the end of the excavations. I know it doesnt seem like much progress, but thats palaeontology, slow and steady wins the race. In this case the matrix is very tough. Next time Jonah will take more assistants and heavier equipment and he will get much more out.

After four days of excavating

The local road crew generously donated some of their time and helped by using their 'backhoe' as the americans kept calling it to remove some of the large boulders covering the area over where the front end of the dinosaur is buried, making it safer for us to excavate next time. At the same time they suggested using the machine to pull topsoil and small rocks over the site of protect it.
So our total progress for the excavation was nill! But plans are afoot to return in the spring to finish the job.

All round it was a fun trip, I hope to do many more like it.

Take care of yourselves
Love jet

PS! While I was in the field my supervisor contacted to let me know that my examiners have gotten back to me with their corrections.
The corrections are all minimal, mostly just spelling error and small things like that, which is good. One examiner even recommended a distinction!
I am going down to Cape Town on Friday for a week to try and find somewhere to stay and I was hoping I would be able to register there at the same time. But in order to register I first need to submit the final document of my masters.
So I have been frantically busy trying to get all my corrections done and everything ready in time. Its a neck and neck race to the finish, at this point as there are letters and signatures I need from other people and it depends on how long they take.
I will let you know if I make it! and I will let you know how Cape Town goes.
Cheers

Bushman Beading

Hi all

I had a wonderful experience on Monday that I wanted to share with you. One of the researchers in our department, who I have mentioned in a previous post has been working with groups of San Bushmen for many years. Every year she travels to their rural villages in the northern-most part of Botswana and Namibia to undertake experiments. Many of these experiments entail testing hominid butchery patterns produced by stone tools on animal remains. The Bushmen butcher the carcasses and take the meat and Lucinda then studies the cut mark patterns on the bones. During these periods Lucinda stays in the village with them and experiences their very traditional way of life.

 Recently as part of a new and very exciting project Lucinda brought some of the village elders on their first ever trip to Johannesburg where they have been investigating some of the many cultural artifacts housed in the Museum Africa in Newtown. They had brought some of their own bead work with them to sell. As they live in such rural environments selling their handmade crafts is a major source of income for them.

Twisted necklace of Ostrich egg-shell beads, choker length.  The number of beads that appears to have gone into this surprisingly solid necklace is amazing!

Closeup of necklace showing the detail of all those beautiful beads

Their stuff was amazing! Intricately beaded headbands and handbags made out of both glass beads in bright colours and ostrich egg-shell beads. Although none of us could fit the headbands on, they were so tiny! And the things made out of Ostrich egg-shell beads were spectacular! I bought 2 necklaces. I just wanted to show you the intricacy of the work and the wonderful patterns you can get from Ostrich egg-shell beads. It was particularly exciting as I started a new project using these beads myself last week. And which is almost finished!

The other necklace showing white and brown (dyed) egg-shell beads with glass beads

Details of the back of the necklace and the clasp

Closeup of the strands with their mixed beads

It was a wonderful experience to meet them and seeing their beads has given me some excellent inspiration! Seriously I havnt been able to concentrate on work all week! I especially want to play around and try to work out how they make the necklaces.
If you would like to know more about how these beads are made or where one can buy jewellery like this follow this Link

PS I had a picture of the Bushmen themselves to show you but no matter what I do it keeps uploading upside down! Sigh.